Notebook: James Franklin covers extensive ground at press conference
Penn State head coach James Franklin joined reporters again on Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference. And, in his first appearance since knocking off West Virginia on Saturday night, Franklin had a host of topics to cover.
With the Nittany Lions improving to 1-0, and now set to face Delaware this weekend, here’s a look at the news and notes that stood out from Franklin’s session:
Not enough ball to go around?
We’re going to start with a theme that ran as something of an undercurrent to a few of Franklin’s responses on Tuesday afternoon. That being, with a team this loaded, and new rules in the game, reps and opportunities will come at a premium this season.
The sentiment started with Franklin’s unsolicited review of the impact of rule changes that eliminate temporary clock stoppages following first downs until the final two minutes of both halves. The new rules that have been implemented to shorten the game, though seemingly unnoticeable to casual fans, are having an immediate consequence.
“I think for the average football fan or person, you probably don’t notice it a whole lot. For us, it did feel – I know it sounds crazy – but it did feel dramatically shorter. Especially the first half seemed to fly by.”
In more specific terms, Franklin said it meant about 10 fewer plays for the game, five offensively for each side.
At two other points in the press conference, Franklin provided some context that can be read into, or not, as seen fit.
First, he brought up Kaytron Allen in his opening statement, offering a strong endorsement of the quality of the running back. His purpose? To make sure fans and media know “how fortunate” Penn State is to have Allen. The sophomore finished with 10 carries for 51 yards against the Mountaineers.
Later, when asked about the tight end usage, coming out of a game when Theo Johnson went without a reception and Tyler Warren had just one for nine yards, Franklin seemed to continue the thread. Whether it was intentional or not, he pointed out all of the reasons that offenses take what defenses give up and the impact that can have on perceptions.
“I think it’s an interesting discussion, not just to tight ends but in general,” Franklin said. “These are things sometimes parents will reach out and ask about, about why their son didn’t get this many touches or why the ball didn’t go to them.
Abdul Carter is still good
Asked about sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter’s performance on Saturday night, having finished with just one tackle on the stat page (a sack), Franklin kept things in context.
While maybe not a stat-stuffing showing, Franklin said the film showed a game-impacting effort.
“I thought he flashed. In terms of being a presence on the field, in terms of allowing us to execute the defense at the level that we wanted to execute at, he allowed us to do those things,” Franklin said. “I think you’ll see his production continue all season long starting this week just to continue to elevate.
“I know he’s got really high expectations and standards for himself and so do we. But trust me, we’re glad he’s in there, and we’ve got to remember he’s still a young player, started as a true freshman, so he’s still a young player who’s growing and learning. But as we all know, Abdul is one of the best linebackers in college football.”
Offensive line assessment
Throughout a few answers, Franklin offered effectively a comprehensive assessment of the offensive line on Saturday night. And, the analysis started with the position of greatest intrigue following the difficult news of Landon Tengwall needing to medically retire from football last week.
Taking over at left guard, JB Nelson shined.
“I thought J.B. played really well. He is a physical guy,” Franklin said. “We talked about it all training camp. Our defensive line talked about it all training camp. He is a physical dude who can play guard and tackle, so there’s flexibility there. There’s still a lot of areas where he can grow and get better, but he gives us a presence out there that I think we need.”
Going around the horn, Franklin issued a few noteworthy comments coming off of Saturday night’s performance up front.
– Over 29 snaps, reserve guard Vega Ioane wasn’t quite as efficient or effective.
– Hunter Nourzad did well, but he is again banged up, according to Franklin. “He’s got some bumps and bruises right now that we’ve got to get him healed up from,” Franklin said. “Because, I think he’s one of the better centers in college football when he’s 100 percent healthy, which in college football you’re very rarely ever 100 percent but as close to it as possible.”
– Caedan Wallace demonstrated Saturday night the “good camp” Franklin had been so pleased to see in August. The challenge remains to convert those flashes into consistency.
Running game missed some chances
Penn State’s talented duo of tailbacks produced 121 yards and a touchdown over a combined 23 carries. And, reading between the lines from Franklin, that was without having cashed in on a couple of fireworks opportunities.
“We were very efficient in the run game. I thought we were really good on first and second down. We had a chance for two or three explosive runs that would have dramatically changed the game earlier. And also, (they) would have really helped Nick and Kaytron’s stats,” Franklin said. “So I think we’re close there. Most importantly, we’re efficient, and if we’re efficient in the run game, those guys are going to make their plays. They’re both so good.”
James Franklin quick hitters
– Franklin issued props to Kaden Saunders for his punt return performance on Saturday. He finished with just one return on the stat page. But, he had multiple fair-catch opportunities in traffic that were difficult, and important, Franklin said.
“It’s probably one of those things that goes unnoticed, but he just looked so comfortable and poised catching the football,” Franklin said. “And then also, which we haven’t done consistently over the last couple of years, being comfortable running up in there in traffic. Being able to go up in there and catch the ball in traffic is something really positive to build on.”
– A familiar refrain from Franklin in comfortable wins early in the season, Franklin made clear that the second- and third-team defensive units didn’t match the expectations of the program. They’ll work to clean that up moving forward and have backups preparing and playing as if they were starters.
– Huge words of confidence for KeAndre Lambert-Smith coming off a four-catch, 123-yard, two-touchdown night. Franklin said he will be one of the better receivers in the Big Ten and college football this season.
– Does Drew Allar change things? Yes. Yes, he does.
“That’s where the defensive coordinator watches the film and says, ‘God, we have to cover the entire field.’ Being able to throw the flash out,” Franklin said. “I’ve always said that if you can throw the speed out to the field, it changes a lot of things on your offense because again, that’s where most college defenses, that’s what they’re going to give you.
“They’re going to give you that wide field out or flat, and he can make that throw with ease, and when you do that, it opens a lot of other aspects of your playbook up.”
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