Penn State safety Keaton Ellis is back in action after missing the first two games of the 2021 season for undisclosed reasons.
The third-year member of the Nittany Lions' defense made the move from corner to the last line of Brent Pry's defense this offseason, and while he made his debut in the White Out game win over Auburn, he didn't hit the stat sheet for the first time until last weekend's 38-17 win over Villanova at Beaver Stadium.
What's next for the talented defensive back, and how does he view Indiana ahead of Saturday's prime-time showdown on ABC?
Ellis was on the line with reporters Wednesday morning, and we're highlighting his most interesting answers below in this week's Penn State football Q&A.
Question: How was your first month of working during the season at safety, and what did you learn from watching the first couple of games?
Keaton Ellis: "I'm starting to get more comfortable back there, and in the position, learning as much as I can just as far as depth and just being comfortable back there, and knowing where to be on the field, and understanding that, and just having a good feel out there. I feel like I'm making a lot of great strides, and I still have a lot more work to do."
Question: In terms of where you were from the time you started the move to safety and now, where do you think you've made the biggest strides?
KE: "I probably would just say mentally understanding the defense and what it takes to be back at safety, and just understanding that, and being able to be more comfortable in that and have more of a personality in my coverages and being able to be in the right spot to make plays. I'd say the mental aspect I've grown a lot in."
Question: What do you see from the Indiana receivers this year? Are they comparable to the group they had last year?
KE: "They're a great group of receivers and we're excited to face them. They've got some really good athletes, and we're just really excited for the challenge and ready for the challenge. We're just really excited to get to Saturday."
Question: As the calendar gets ready to flip to October, where do you feel like this team is at, just in terms of how things went from camp to the first four games of the season? How would you sum up where things are after a month?
KE: "We're a really confident football team right now, and obviously we need to attack each week and work really hard each week to be1-0. If we can keep doing that, like we've been doing, we're very confident in our abilities right now."
Question: At the safety position, what do you feel are the biggest parts of your game and your capabilities that convinced the coaching staff this was your best fit?
KE: "I would think my ball skills, and being able to track the ball in the air, and just playing at more depth, it makes that a lot easier. And, I would just say, the ability to tackle, too, in space. Those are probably the two things, and obviously, speed translates to safety, and I have a little bit more speed at that position, which is good."
Question: What kind of patience was required on your end through those first couple of weeks waiting to get your opportunity on the field?
KE: "All it is is patience, and to finally be able to get out there, it was just great for me to be out there on the field and playing, so I was just really excited for the opportunity last week. Hopefully I can continue to grow."
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