It just seemed like they were nicking us here and there. They just had our number, ... We didn't expect that to happen. It was really frustrating at first.

With Chris back we have a heavy hitter at safety, and he also adds to us in pass coverage. We missed him last year, so we are definitely happy to have him back. He's a bigger safety, and he can help us stop the run.

I came because of the tradition Penn State has, especially at linebacker, ... That was one of the main factors in my decision. I also liked the coaching staff and the people here. I just felt comfortable.

I think he's gotten a lot better as the season went on. The kid's got a cannon for an arm. He's able to pick apart defenses and read his receivers downfield. It's going to be a challenge to stop the vertical passing game that they have.

[On Chris Harrell's near fatal late-hit penalty on Wildcat quarterback Brett Basanez in the fourth quarter, which would have forced Northwestern to punt deep in its own territory with the Lions down two points:] That could have changed the whole course of the game, ... But we could have folded at that point, but you just have to know there's always going to be adversity. None of these games are going to be easy. Nothing will be given to us.

That's a great question, ... It's going to be a long day at the hotel on Saturday. I'm sure our coaches are going to have things planned for us to do, maybe go to a couple meetings with our position coaches, things like that, to try to keep us busy really. Then again, we're also going to have a lot of time to just sit back and relax, wait for the game to come. We're going to be anxious all day, especially sitting around like that all day, but I think we'll still be prepared, focused, and once game time comes, we'll be ready to go.