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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: PENN STATE VS WASHINGTON

December 26, 2017

Ricky Rahne

Glendale, Arizona

COACH RAHNE: Yeah, you know we got out here a little bit earlier. So we're able to give the guys the first couple of nights to go out and have fun, but now it's business. And it's, Christmas is over. Everyone's fat and happy and now we're ready to go and get through the normal game week, through our normal preparation on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. And then on to the game on Saturday.

So feel good about that. Been able to adjust to the time change and things like that. So I think that's the main thing is we got out here early enough, enabled our guys to have fun but now get down to work.

Q. Topgolf, how is your golf?
COACH RAHNE: My golf game is not very good. It was actually much better when I was younger. Our head coach does not play golf so that usually limits the ability of the assistants to be great golfers. We will actually be not there. So I'm very jealous of our players because I would love to go to the Topgolf, especially to see some of the swings of some of our guys, which I gotta imagine it's just terrific.

But I'm a baseball grip guy, grip it and rip it. I'm a little bit bigger guy, see how far I can hit it. If it goes the right way I'm pretty jacked.

Q. Do you feel you guys have an advantage getting here a couple days earlier?
COACH RAHNE: I think it does. For us, we've got to get a little adjusted to the time change, two hour difference and that sort of thing for us, just climate change and things like that. And then also allow our guys to go have a bowl experience and have a little bit of fun and be able to enjoy this great town and everything that it has to offer.

So I feel like it's a good advantage for us just to be able to get everything squared away, know where our meetings are, know where practice is going to be, know all that sort of stuff.

Q. What does it mean to be able to (indiscernible) Penn State and being in the Fiesta Bowl and have a chance to bring home another victory?
COACH RAHNE: Yeah, I mean, I love the history of college football and being able to coach the Fiesta Bowl for Penn State. That's a pretty special thing. Obviously it's been 21 years since we've been here. But there's some great history here, three in five years and that sort of thing.

It's a great opportunity, just as a football coach in general, to be able to coach at a place like Penn State where all the history behind it and a chance to win championships there, that's something that you dream about all the time. So it's a great experience for me and my family. Helps that my wife's from Pittsburgh, to be able to keep her close to her family as well.

So being able to be at Penn State, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me that I hope lasts a lifetime.

Q. How have you been enjoying Arizona and how has the Fiesta Bowl been treating you guys and the players?
COACH RAHNE: The Fiesta Bowl has been treating us unbelievable. We're staying at a great place and that sort of thing. I know that -- but I haven't really enjoyed Arizona probably as much as I can. I'm trying to get prepared for games, that sort of thing.

My family has. I know my wife's riding horses and doing things now. I think they're going to Sedona later. She's trying to take advantage -- she's never been to Arizona before -- so she's trying to take advantage of it as much as humanly possible.

But it's been a great experience so far. Great place. If you're not going to have Christmas at home this was a heck of a place to have Christmas. So far it's been a great experience.

Q. Can you talk about the preparation for this Washington defense?
COACH RAHNE: Great defense. They do a nice job of playing fast. They've recruited some great players. And then they've coached them very well. They have great fundamentals. They use their hands very well. They play physical. They play fast.

So it's a great opportunity for our guys to go against some future next-level players and test our skills against those type of guys. And I'm just excited because I know I'm going against some great coaches on the other side and it's always a challenge to do that. And have nothing but respect for Coach Petersen and his staff.

Q. What does it do for you guys from a coaching standpoint -- obviously you guys are competitive, a lot of former players, but to have stellar coaches on the other side obviously Petersen knows what it takes to win here? What does that do for you guys?
COACH RAHNE: It's always going to be a challenge when you go against a top 10 program. But when you know you're going against a coaching staff that has as much experience as they do, a coaching staff that's won big games like they have, it's exciting because you know you're going to be able to test yourself against some of the best in your business. And that's something that you're always looking forward to, just like I know our players are excited to go against their guys.

So going against the best is what drives all of us. We're all competitors, so it's a nice challenge for us and I'm sure they feel the same way.

Q. Obviously sitting here, did you ever think back to the day as we're shooting for some, Ithaca, actually, did you sit back, think about how far you've come since those days?
COACH RAHNE: It's been a long journey. Quite frankly, I never thought I'd go into coaching, just because you pay all that money to go to an Ivy League school and I'm from a very middle class family. So you pay all that money. I just finished paying off my school loans not too long ago.

So you never think getting into coaching; you feel you have to be on Wall Street or be a lawyer or something like that. I got some great advice my senior year and things like that. And I didn't take it for a couple of years but I got some great advice if you're going to go to a place like Cornell, make sure you do whatever you want to do in life because that's the opportunity that's given to you.

And I've been able to do that. And there's nothing in the world I'd rather do than coach football. And quite frankly there's nowhere in the world I'd rather do it than Penn State. I'm excited to be here. It's an unbelievable opportunity for me and my family and it's just great to be around -- I'm also lucky I get to coach with some of the best people in the world, you know what I mean -- be around guys like Josh Gattis, Matt Limegrover James Franklin, Brent Pye, Sean Spencer, all those guys, that's unbelievable for me.

And those are some of my best friends in the world. And I get to come to work every day and do something I love. So it's pretty special.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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