No. 99 Austin Johnson leeps to block a pass of Temple QB P. J. Walker Photo by: Michael Corsey @ Michael Corsey Photography

Austin Johnson | Jr. | DT

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.
AJ: Coach Spence is very energetic. He brings the energy to the defensive line and gets us hyped before the game. He does all that kind of stuff. Coach Franklin also asks him to speak to the whole team before the game to get us juiced up.

He’s a very good coach. He’s going to get on you about the stuff that you aren’t doing right or [tell you] if you need to change something. 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 step up, given that there’s going to be a lot of holes coming on the defensive line next year?
AJ: It’s great to see those guys take that role on and play at the level that they’ve been playing at [in practice]. They’re very good. They just need to have that confidence and get those details down and fix the little things here and there that younger guys kind of [struggle] 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?
AJ: No. I’m just worried about playing this year and playing this last game and winning for the seniors that rationally have this as their last [regular season] game. I want to make up for the loss that we had last year [to Michigan State].

Q. Brandon Bell told me that people tell 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.
AJ: Brandon is kind of a jokester, but I’ve known Brandon since before coming to Penn State. I have known him since we live like five years old. We lived ten minutes away from each other back home.

He’s pretty cool, laid-back person. He’s very chill. He’s funny, just like DaeSean [Hamilton], all those guys are funny. But, I wouldn’t say he smiles that much, no.

Q. Do you ever tell him he needs to smile?
AJ: 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?
AJ: I just want to play to the best of my ability. I just watch a lot of film, and seeing other players not running to the ball on other teams, that motivates me. I noticed that stuff, 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. I don’t want to let our defense down or let the whole team down. If I don’t run to the ball and try to make a play or make a difference, not just in the middle but on the outside, as well, that is letting my teammates down.

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?
AJ: I really don’t pay that much attention to it. My mom has one of those Google alerts. She put my name in and has a Google alert, so that’s pretty funny. She sends me stuff and I look at it, but I just keep on going on about my day. It’s about this team. That’s where I am right now. It’s just about this team and making this year as good as it can be for the seniors 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?
AJ: I’m not really thinking about that at all. I’m just trying to play to the best of my ability and trying to — like I said before, end 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, when you realized you can play the role of spoiler this week and knock Michigan State out of the Big Ten title race. Does that have any extra incentive for you, playing the role of spoiler?
AJ: 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 just us. I want to win this game really bad, not just to be the spoiler, but just to make Anthony [Zettel], Carl [Nassib], and Tarow [Barney] happy. To help Kyle [Carter] and Matt [Zanellato] and all of are seniors end the regular season on a good note.

Q. Troy was just in here and he had this pretty huge smile on his face when he was talking when you guys [defensive linemen] stunt and he can see that open up so he can shoot through. What do you see out of him?
AJ: It’s great to see him playing at a high level, especially [as a freshman]. He’s going to have a really good career here, and it’s just great to see him put all the pieces together and be that linebacker that we needed this year and to step up and be a leader back there, as well.