Sept. 27, 2016 Shareef Miller | R-Fr. | Defensive End
Q. Just kind of curious what you thought about (kicker) Joey Julius's two tackles this season, and as a defensive end, just could you kind of rate how much did those impress you, or maybe he needs some work on his form?
SM: I would say he's the hardest hitter on the team, just seeing those two hits.
Q. I know that this is a time of large political and racial unrest and social unrest in the country; I'm wondering what the discussion is like in the locker room. I know a lot of guys are vocal about it on Twitter, and what kind of dialogue you guys all have about it in the locker room?
SM: In the locker room we really don't talk too much about that, so I wouldn't have anything to say about that one.
Q. What can you tell us about (linebacker) Cam Brown? We saw him a little more last week. What have you noticed about him? We don't usually see 6-5 linebackers like him.
SM: Cam Brown I would say he's a very good kid, humble kid. When his number was called this week because we had some injuries, I think he handled it pretty well. Had 10 tackles. I'm proud of him.
Q. Did [Cam Brown] seem nervous?
SM: Not really. You know, the older guys, we were helping give him that confidence, so he went out there and just played.
Q. How often have you gone up against Connor McGovern in practice, and what do you have to say about him as a player?
SM: Well, I went up against Connor McGovern when he first got here in the spring. I haven't been going up against him often. But I would say he's a very humble kid. He's a strong kid, and I'm excited for his future.
Q. How big is this game on Saturday? I know you guys have a one-game approach, but can you elaborate on the importance of this game?
SM: Well, I think every game is a big game. I think we treat every game as a big game, so this game obviously is going to be a big game for us after what happened last week. We're just going to come out and do the best we've got to do to win this game Saturday.
Tyler Yazujian | Sr. | Snapper
Q. You're a big baseball fan, I know you play in the county league and have a lot of fun doing that. What's been your perspective on the loss of Jose Fernandez and the reactions around it?
TY: Yeah, I mean, that's tough for any baseball fan, any sports fan. He was a great guy who loved the game, and he was a kid at heart, and you saw that on the field. So definitely a sad loss for sports.
Q. Last time the big athlete called Yaz was Carl Yastrzemski. Do you hit like him in the county league?
TY: Definitely try to.
Q. Blake Gillikin, I don't know how much you actually see his punts, but what do you think of him so far, and there was one play in particular I saw you in the first game almost make a tackle. Do you pride yourself on getting down the field that hard?
TY: Yeah, well, to address the first part about Blake, he's obviously a young guy, he's stepped into his role perfectly. He has a great approach, and he's got a veteran mindset already, which is good to see out of a young guy. He's had great mentorship from the other punters. He's had (Chris) Gulla and Danny Pasquariello push him all through camp and all through the season. Having that senior leadership from those guys and really developing him as you guys have seen has been really helpful to our team.
As a snapper, you've got to do your job first, snap comes first, and everything you do after that is a bonus. I pride myself on being one of the first guys down there. I'm not fast, but I'm not slow. But getting down there and being able to contribute because we're playing with 11, we're not playing with 10. So getting down there and trying to contribute more than just a snap is definitely something I pride myself on.
Q. As on older guy, you've been through a lot, and James Franklin, one of his biggest slogans is "trust the process." What is it about the process you trust most?
TY: I mean, these coaches are great, and everyone has 100 percent buy-in. There's no one on the team that would disagree that everyone is on the same page.
You know, we're coming out every week, each game is a new game. Our goal this week is to go 1-0 just like it is every week, and that's kind of the mindset of this team; we're moving forward, we're looking forward to our next opportunity on Saturday.
Q. Yaz, I think I've heard your name more than any other long snapper for any team that I've covered or followed or listened about. It's always in a positive way, not the normal way when you hear about the long snapper that misses a snap. Given as much flux as there's been at the special team positions at Penn State, did you take it upon yourself to be more of a leader, more vocal, or to do something extra on top of your normal duties or what might be thought of a long snapper to do?
TY: Being an older guy, a specialist, I knew coming in this year as a fifth-year guy, kind of just leading by example, that's kind of how I've gone about my business. I try not to do anything too crazy, ask too much of myself, but just kind of going out and doing the same thing over and over again and having success. I think the young guys, especially at the specialist positions, can see that and take what they want from that and help their own routine, help them create their practice routines and get them better.
Q. How did you become a long snapper? That's a unique skill, and how did you end up at Penn State?
TY: That's actually a great question. I actually didn't snap too much in high school. I played tight end and receiver way back when, so I was always doing other things. We had a guy that could do it, and I didn't really snap until I think it was my senior year of high school, and before coming here I had never short snapped in a football game. But I knew I could always kind of -- I always practiced at it, I was kind of like the backup guy and just kind of kept working at it, and when I came here I just decided, hey, I might as well give it a shot. I had nothing to lose. Came out and tried out, and second time through it paid off.
Q. What was the tryout like for you?
TY: Oh, wow, that was a long time ago. There was some physical test. Obviously I snapped a bunch. I think I remember like a push-up and a sit-up test or something. I'm not sure what Coach Franklin's tryout process is now, but it was definitely tough, and especially as a normal kid coming to Penn State for the first time.
Q. This is a little out of left field, but can you hear punts, and what do Blake Gillikin's sound like?
TY: You do hear the thump, which is always a good sign. If you hear the double thump, that's a bad sign. But yeah, he's got an extremely strong leg, and that's shown in games, and what he's able to do is really special. It helps our defense greatly. But yeah, you can notice. He's got a strong leg.
Q. Does it sound -- not to say anything about the guys who have punted before him, but does it sound different, because that Michigan game he one-stepped a 61-yarder.
Tyler Yazujian: I wouldn't say I notice a huge difference. I mean, I'm kind of doing some other stuff at the same time, as well, but yeah, I would say in comparison, you definitely notice his leg.
Q. The first time you see the kid land one at the 1-yard line and it goes about 60 yards in the air, do you remember what your reaction was or how anyone around you reacted?
TY: See, the nature of the specialist position is it's almost expected. It's your job and you want to do it well, and I saw him do it all through summer and all through training camp, so it was almost just nothing new for us, and it was good that he was able to translate what he did on the practice field to a game day.
Q. What do you remember about the day that you found out you earned a scholarship? Can you take us back?
TY: Oh, man, that was unreal. So I remember we just finished up a winter workout, and we're all huddled around Coach Franklin, and he's going through his normal deal, and at the end, he just starts talking about a guy who does this, that and the other thing and was going off and saying all really positive things, and he said, and that guy is Yaz, and he's now on full scholarship, and I just remember he kind of had the whole team started cheering and started yelling and kind of gathering around me, and it was definitely something I'll never forget, and I'm forever grateful to Coach and Penn State. It's awesome.
Q. Who's faster in a foot race, you or Joey Julius?
TY: Me. 100 percent me.
Q. By how much?
TY: A lot.
Q. You guys have like three games coming up at home in a row in the middle of October. It's like prime football weather month. How excited are you guys for that?
TY: I mean, it's always great to play in front of our fans and play in Beaver Stadium. It's definitely a huge advantage to our team. They bring the energy that we need at certain times, and it's definitely -- we don't take it for granted playing at home, so we're definitely excited to be here for a while.
Q. One more question about Blake. He got a standing ovation from a big portion of the crowd when he first executed a punt in Beaver Stadium. Did that surprise you? Did you see it, and what does that say about the kid?
TY: I'll be honest, I actually didn't really notice. He deserves it, though, 100 percent. He's done his job, and he's done it well. We're definitely glad he's on our team.
