Penn State hurried to run one more play late in the game last year during a 42-13 win over Michigan. Don Brown and the Wolverines haven’t forgotten.
Michigan’s defensive coordinator brought out film of the last play from a year ago at the beginning of the bye week, and his defense took it all in.
“We still remember the fourth quarter,” sophomore defensive end Kwity Paye said. “Five seconds left in the game, they had their players in and ran that last play. We just put that in our back pocket. We remember that every single day as we’re working, that they disrespected us. We want to come out and show them who we are this year.
“I don’t know what they were trying to pull or what message they were trying to send, but we just keep it and remember every single day, every single practice.”
Brown pointed out how the PSU players were on the sideline smiling and high-fiving each other at Michigan’s expense.
“I feel like we’re taking that team more seriously,” Paye said. “Last year, I feel we prepared well. This year we’re going in, as Chase [Winovich] said, on a revenge tour, trying to get revenge on all people that disrespected us on the way.”
Brown said last week he wakes up each morning thinking about last year's loss.
Other notes from Tuesday's media availability:
• Head coach Jim Harbaugh noted one group in particular has Michigan’s attention.
“The entire defensive line. I think it’s the best we’ve faced,” Harbaugh said. “Really the whole group is impressive. It's an aggressive group that is very strong, and has inside pass rush as well as speed and power on the edge.”
• Redshirt junior left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. watched his game against Notre Dame — his first at left tackle, and one in which he really struggled — over the bye week just to see how far he’s come.
“It made me sick to my stomach watching myself in that game,” he said. “Seeing that point, watching the MSU game, the progress has been amazing. I just watched that to remind me where I came from at left tackle from my first start; how far the offense has progressed.
“I don’t want to have that feeling again.”
Runyan said his mom always points out when Pro Football Focus has him rated high.
“She’s all over Twitter,” he said with a laugh.
He also noted the PFF.com numbers don’t always jibe with how he’s graded by Michigan, noting they don’t always take into account blocking responsibilities, etc.
“As long as I’m grading out well here, that’s what matters,” he said from Schembechler Hall.
• Paye said junior defensive end Rashan Gary is struggling not being out there with his teammates, but he’s doing his part to prepare his backups.
“He helps me a lot behind the scenes. He's a guy who is in my ear, talking, telling me what to do, how to prepare, to do certain things,” Paye said. “… I’m going to hold down the anchor position until he comes back.”
Paye has no clue when that will be, but feels like “it should be soon," a thought later echoed by Brown.
“He’s a very emotional player and feels like he’s letting us down by not being out there,” Paye said. “We’re trying to make sure he’s well rested so those games we really need him, he’ll be out there with us.”
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