	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 24, 2015

Austin Johnson

University Park, Pennsylvania

Q. I talked to Sean Spencer a little bit last week and he said some really great things about you as a person. I was wondering if you could talk about him as a person.
AUSTIN JOHNSON: Coach Spence is very energetic. He kind of brings the energy to the D-line and kind of gets us hyped before the game and kind of does all that kind of stuff. Coach Franklin kind of asks him to kind of speak to the whole team before the game to get us juiced up and stuff like that.

He's a very good coach. He's a very -- he's going to get on you about the stuff that you don't do or if you need to change it he's going to be very, very strict on the details.

Q. A couple younger guys had some big plays last week. How important is that to you to see some of those younger guys come and step up, given that there's going to be a lot of holes coming on the D-line next year?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, it's just great to see those guys kind of take that role on and play at the level that they've been playing at. They're very good. They just need to have kind of that confidence and get those details down and kind of fix little things here and there that younger guys kind of have mistakes with.

Q. Have you given any thought to the fact that this might possibly be the end of your collegiate career? Have you thought that far yet?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I'm just kind of worried about playing this year and kind of playing this last game and winning for the seniors that rationally have -- this is their last game, and I kind of want to make up for the loss that we had last year.

Q. And also on a different note, Brandon Bell said that some people tell him he needs to lighten up or smile more.
AUSTIN JOHNSON: Who?

Q. That's what Brandon told me that people say to him, that he needs to smile more and lighten up. What is Brandon like around you guys? Obviously he's played through a lot this year.
AUSTIN JOHNSON: Brandon is kind of a jokester and stuff like that, but I've known Brandon since before coming here, since we live like five, ten minutes away from each other back at home.

But yeah, he's pretty cool, laid-back. He's very chill. He's funny, just like how DaeSean, all those guys are. But I wouldn't say he smiles that much, no.

Q. Do you ever tell him he needs to smile?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: No, he's fine. I don't smile that much, either.

Q. I can't remember it exactly, but you have a Ray Lewis quote on your Twitter page about greatness. What are some things that motivate you toward greatness?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: Kind of just playing to the best of my ability, just watching film, just seeing some people not running to the ball on other teams and stuff like that. I noticed that, and I want to run to the ball and make as many plays as I can for my team because if I don't, then I know that I'll be letting them down. Just letting my defense down and letting the whole team down if I don't run to the ball, try and make a play, try and make a difference, not just in the middle but on the outside, as well.

Q. Your draft stock has increased significantly this season. I'm just curious, do you pay any attention to that, and what's the year been like for you? You've gotten a lot more notoriety. I know Anthony got a lot the past couple years. A lot of it has really come your way externally. What is that like for you to be going through this?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I really don't pay that much attention to it. My mom has kind of the Google alert. She puts my name and has a Google alert, so that's pretty funny. She sends me stuff, I look at it, and just kind of keep on going on about my day. It's about this team. This is where I am right now. Yeah, it's just about this team and making this year for the seniors good just by winning this game.

Q. Do you feel any pressure to maybe make a decision on your own playing future at some point with the season winding down? How do you put it out of your mind if you're not thinking about it?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I'm not really thinking about that at all. I mean, I'm just trying to play to the best of my ability and trying to -- like I said before, just trying to end the season off, the regular season, on a good note for these seniors. I'm just trying to play to the best of my ability and make every play that I can, just trying to make the biggest difference that I possibly can on the field.

Q. I'm curious, how early in the week did you realize that you guys could kind of play the role of spoiler this week and knock Michigan State out of the Big Ten title race, and does that have any extra incentive for you, playing the role of spoiler?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, we're going to treat every game like it's the same, but obviously this is a really big game for a lot of teams, not even just us, so I mean, I want to win this game really bad, just not even just for -- just to be the spoiler of their season, but just to make Anthony happy, Carl, and Tarow and Kyle Carter and Zanny and all those guys who are seniors, just make them happy and just end the season off on a good note.

Q. Going back to the Brandon Bell stuff, what's the funniest thing that Brandon has maybe done that you can share with us?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I'm not sure if I can share a lot of things that happen in the locker room. It's kind of the same thing when you asked me about Zettel; I really can't share a lot of things about him, either. He's a character.

But just the stuff that happens on the field, I mean, it's just -- when you play football, it just kind of goes in kind of one ear and out the other like you forget stuff when you play because it's all the adrenaline and all that stuff. But I forget what he said, but I think it was during the game, and he said something to -- he said something to me, I think it was me and Tarow in the game, and I started dying laughing on the field, and I'm trying to remember, but I really can't, but I remember dying laughing on the field and just laughing. Even when the ball was snapped I couldn't stop laughing. But yeah, he's a very funny and interesting guy.

Q. I mean, it's no secret he's been in the training room quite a lot this year. Have you seen him in there because it seems like he's been in there for like hours on end.
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, everybody is just trying to get healthy. Everybody is just trying to get back on the right path, just to get to where we need to be to be healthy and play this game.

Q. Troy was just in here and he had this pretty huge smile on his face when he was talking about tearing somebody in half, and he also mentioned how when you guys stunt then it's really cool for him to see that open up so he can shoot through. What do you see out of him and that speed, picking up what he says are kind of like these puzzle pieces for him?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, it's just great to see him play at a high level, even just being at the age that he's at. He's going to have a really good career here, and it's just great to see him kind of put all the pieces together and be that linebacker that we needed this year and to step up and just be kind of a leader back there, as well.

Q. With the way that he was talking about hitting somebody, do we have another crazy Carl Nassib on our hands?
AUSTIN JOHNSON: Everybody on defense wants to do that. I wish I had a free shot to go full speed and hit somebody, as well. But usually that doesn't happen. Yeah, but I mean, it's the fun part about defense is hitting. That's what everybody loves to do who plays defense, unless you're out.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297