Penn State Football head coach James Franklin talks to the press recapping last week's win over Maryland and answered all questions about his upcoming matchup against Michigan.
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NOTES / TIDBITS.....
-- Franklin points out the "drive start battle" as an area where PSU lost against Maryland that had a big effect on the game.
-- Notes than Jon Sutherland and Jesse Luketa had a big influence on the sideline and in the locker room despite not being able to play.
-- Moving onto Michigan, he talks about the importance of having a packed stadium as early as possible, Says fans can get up early to tailgate and then tailgate after the game.
-- Points out Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum as well as Cornelius Johnson as guys that have stood out on offense. Adds that Penn State is familiar with the last two from recruiting.
On defense, he points out Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, while mentioning familiarity with Ojabo.
-- Asked how he deals with signing day coming up and what the balance is between 2022 and 2023 recruiting. Franklin says the priority at the moment is keeping 2022 kids committed. Adds that there could be movement still there but that he wants to maintain flexibility for adding transfers.
-- On safety Jaylen Reed, who has played four games already, Franklin said the plan is to continue to play him and that he wants to play. Says that Reed has a high football IQ and reads the game well. Notes that Reed is the only one really in that category right now.
-- On Fred Hansard's shove of Taulia Tagovailoa:
"I did not know about it until after the game. I was not aware of it and obviously the optics do not look good." Franklin goes on to note that Hansard is someone in the program for four years who he believes is a good young man and that there was not any intent there to injure. Hansard has been suspended for the first half of the Michigan game by the program.
-- On Dotson's earlier talk of wanting to continue to improve, Franklin says that's something that they talk about as a team. Not just how they can improve individually, but how they can do thinks to improve the team's chances of winning.
-- Franklin says the redzone defense was an offseason priority this year, even more so than most years. Adds that the defense is also longer in the back seven than it has been in the past which reduces space and closes windows in tight spaces.
Added that the team's rush discipline has improved, which has helped to reduce opposing QBs scrambling and giving up big plays on screens.
-- Asked about the UM defense, he says they're still man-heavy but that having two elite defensive ends has really elevated the unit. On how teams defend Dotson, he says that teams have shown a number of different looks with bracketing him or showing a cloud look and having a safety roll over top. Adds that Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith as well as the tight ends make that tougher to do, in addition to the way they move Dotson around in formations.
-- Franklin said he was taken aback a bit by the fact that PSU has only played UM 24 times all-time. Wanted to look at where PSU has been historically compared to UM and OSU as something to compare to. Says that he wants his team to be consistent week in, week out, but also he wants to see how the program compares to those top tier programs.
-- Asked about Malick Meiga: Says that he and Parker Washington are always together and always working. Adds that they have different skill sets and that Meiga has the chance long-term to be a home run hitter.
Lots of chatter around Meiga in the program this year. Think that's one to file away.
-- Asked about whether the team actually has to run the ball this year, Franklin says he'll do whatever they have to do to win, which is going to be different year to year. He felt the team took a positive step on Saturday in the run game. Notes that you can win throwing the ball 50 times, but wants to be the type of team who can also win a game if they have to run the ball 30 times a game.
-- "I think we've done that pretty much all year except for, obviously, the Illinois game," Franklin says of stopping the run. Says that Michigan is massive up front on the OL and tight end and says that it will present a challenge for Penn State. Says he's prepared to see heavy sets after Illinois and he's surprised they haven't seen them the last two weeks. Says it comes down to have gap accountability and fighting to keep your gap. Wants to get an extra body in the box as well to defend the run, which he can do given the confidence in the secondary.
-- Asked about Joey Porter Jr, Franklin says he has a high level body type with the length. Adds that he worked hard to improve in zone coverage in the offseason as well as challenge routes without giving up penalties in the passing game. Says the next step is for the corners to get their hands on the ball and create some interceptions.
-- On decision making re: aggressiveness and fourth downs. Franklin says that he tries to meld what the analysts tell him, which is to go for it on every fourth down, with what his team has done. Says that if you're going to punt from just outside of field goal range, you have to be sure you pin them inside the 10 otherwise you're not really gaining anything.
On the decision to run out the clock in the first half: He didn't want to put Maryland in the position to put up points in the middle eight. Wanted to run the ball to "pop one" against a light box. Said he called the timeout to discuss whether or not to be aggressive after moving the ball a little bit.
Ultimately, says he wants to be aggressive on fourth downs but they need to show the ability to pick up yards in short-yardage situations more consistently.
-- Asked to assess Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace: Said the duo has been pretty good in pass pro given how much they're throwing the ball, but that they need to be more physical in the run game. Says doing so would keep ends from pinning their ears back and coming off the edge every down. Says there are times where they need to be firmer and use their hands a bit more, but that there were times where they gave Sean a few extra seconds on Saturday to allow Jahan to work open for a big play.
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