NN TV: What we learned from James Franklin press conference
Penn State head coach James Franklin held his weekly press conference on Tuesday, ahead of the Nittany Lions matchup with Central Michigan this weekend.
Here are the biggest takeaways.....
Players of the game:
Franklin named the top seven offensive lineman as the offensive players of the game against Auburn after allowing no sacks and paving the way for 245 yards rushing.
The defensive player of the game was S Ji’Ayir Brown, who finished with five total tackles and a sack.
The special team player of the game was K Jake Pinegar, who went 2/2 on field goals and 5/5 on extra points. Pinegar hit a long of 48 yards Saturday night.
On TE Brenton Strange:
“I think Brenton is playing as good as any tight ends in the country… I think Brenton is playing well rounded tight end play right now. I think the real true football people understand that. I think that’s going to help us throughout this year offensively,” Franklin said.
Strange has nine receptions for 169 yards and a touchdown on the season. Against Auburn, Strange hauled in six passes for 80 yards.
On WR Anthony Ivey:
“He’s further along as a football player than we anticipated, he’s earned our coaches respect, he’s earned our defense’s respect. I think he’s got a bright future. I’m really proud of him. He’s still got work to do like a lot of [freshmen] do.”
Ivey, a 4-star recruit out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was ranked as the 11th best recruit out of Pennsylvania and as the 42nd receiver prospect in the nation.
On T-formation:
Franklin said the t-formation that includes a tight end as the fullback helps the defense prepare for physical, run-heavy offenses.
He said Penn State wouldn’t run this formation if it didn’t have a deep tight end room. Franklin also noted that the QB sneak is the best use of the formation.
On RBs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen
“I think right now Nick is handling things pretty well. I also think that’s a little bit of his personality.” - Franklin said about Nick Singleton and how he’s handled his early success. Franklin noted that Singleton is a “steady Eddy” who’s not much of a talker.
Kaytron Allen is moving away from his “Fatman” nickname, as the freshman running back has slimmed down to 201 lbs after initially weighing in at 225 lbs. Franklin said Allen has become more explosive and is “thriving” on and off the field at Penn State.
On LB Abdul Carter
“Very focused, very mature, very driven. You combine that with his physical traits, then you got a chance. He’s really shown he’s been ready in a lot of those different areas,” Franklin said about freshman LB Abdul Carter.
Franklin noted his maturity and focus is impressive and he is very disciplined.
Franklin also said that Dani Dennis-Sutton is physically ready. “I think you’ll see his opportunities to continue to grow as the year goes on and his success. He’s another mature kid, physically mature, emotionally mature kid. Always been super focused.”
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