This Saturday’s Big Ten Championship will be the seventh straight game for the Nittany Lions.

While Oregon had a bye during week 12 of the regular season, Penn State hasn’t had an idle week since October 19, a week after the 33-30 win over USC in Los Angeles.

In his first year as a starter, linebacker Tony Rojas has been an integral part of the Nittany Lion front seven and said the long season hasn’t had an extreme impact on his body. Rojas credited the strength staff for keeping him fresh and emphasized their importance in the week leading up to the Big Ten Championship.

“The strength staff and the coaches do a good job with our bodies, whether it’s having meetings earlier or just giving us time to relax, they give us enough time to recover,” Rojas said. “It’s week 14, our bodies are going to feel it. At this point, everybody’s feeling pretty good.”

Rojas and the defense are preparing this week for the Ducks’ strong offense that has one of the better passing attacks in the nation. The focus has remained the same as the regular season, though, and while there’s excitement around the program, there’s also a game to win.

Rojas will once again be needed during the contest with Oregon on Saturday along with fellow starting linebackers Dom DeLuca and Kobe King. King leads the room in tackles with 62 while Rojas is second among linebackers with 43. Along with the tackles, Rojas has wracked up two interceptions and a sack this season.

King, a redshirt junior, was named to the All-Big Ten second team earlier in the week and has become one of the players Rojas looks up to whenever it might be his turn to call out the plays. With King having one more season of eligibility past this year, Rojas is trying to become a better leader as he knows his mentors won’t be in State College forever.

“I definitely work on [leadership] a lot during practice just by being vocal,” Rojas said. “Kobe and Abdul [Carter], if I’m not talking loud enough during practice or giving the call out as loud as possible, they’ll get on me and tell me to speak up. They’ve definitely helped me become a leader.”

Rojas doesn’t have to fill the shoes of players like King just yet, though, and is focusing on the Ducks. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel will keep the linebackers busy on Saturday, but it’s not a challenge the linebackers are shying away from.

Franklin described the Oregon gunslinger as “poised,” and Rojas said the defense will need to adopt the same six-second mindset to stay collected if things don’t always go their way.

While the message inside the Lasch Building has been the same as every week, the players know what comes with a win this Saturday. While the upperclassmen have never been to a conference championship, Rojas is continuing to learn and grow while watching the older players go about their routines.

“Working with Kobe, who’s been here for a while, and seeing what he does day in and day out, on the field and off the field,” Rojas said. “I’m just trying to replicate what he does and be great.”