Dylan McMahon: "It's Going To Be A Good Battle"

NC State offensive guard Dylan McMahon met with the media to discuss his start to the season and the upcoming matchup against Texas Tech.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

What was it like when you saw your name on the freak list?
It was cool. I really give credit to the strength staff. This is my second year being on it, and I give credit to all the guys around me, that pushed me harder to be on there. We've got tons of freaks in the weight rooms. I really think there should have been more guys on there than just me and Payton.

What makes you freaky?
I'm fast for an offensive lineman. I'm really athletic. I might not be the biggest O lineman, but I can still push around a good bit of weight.

Do you have some bragging rights over your older brother, in terms of weight room numbers?
I think so. He might say different, but I think I can handle him in the weight room, than what he was doing back in his day.

How important is it for this offense to maintain the ball, to keep your defense... give them a little bit of rest, knowing what they face over there, on that offensive side?
We always want to be on the field. It's important for us to keep the ball. One, we can't turn it over. Two, we want to keep the ball, and we want to score. We know the defense is going to get out there, and they're going to do their job, and we just have to play complimentary football, all three phases working together in the game. That's the main importance in this game.

Is it even more important against a team who likes to run a bunch of plays?
Oh yeah. It's definitely important, but we're going to play our game, how we play our game. The defense is going to play theirs, and their big thing is not letting them get a first down, so they don't have to play 100 plays. We're going to go out there and do what we do.

Is this the type of game you go to NC State for? P-5 crossover, night time at Carter-Finley?
It's definitely awesome, being in Carter-Finley for a 7:00 game. This year, we're playing Texas Tech, but really, we're playing us this year. We're not crazy about, "Oh, this is the biggest game," they're all big games. They're all working towards our goal.

How much pride do you take in the fact that you guys haven't given up a sack through the first couple of games? What has it taken to pull that off?
That's our job. We can't let anybody touch Leary. We take it personal if someone touches Leary, because that's who we're protecting. Really, this off season, we took so much pride in working on our pass pro. We've been in this indoor every weekend. We were working on it for an hour every weekend, two times a week. I think that's really what helped us out these past two games.

Then, you watched Leary truck a couple of people on the way to the end zone.
Yeah.

Let me get your thoughts on that.
I guess the Jersey came out of him a little bit. That was awesome, to see him do that.

What was it like playing center?
It's awesome. I like playing center a lot. It was good to get out there and get some live snaps in there. I played it at practice a few times, spring ball last year, spring game. It was nice to get out there and play against an actual opponent.

What challenges does Texas Tech’s defense present, particularly the line?
They're a good line. They're quick twitch. They've got tall, lengthy guys there. They're going to be a challenge in all phases, and it's going to be a good battle.