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Penn State

James Franklin addresses if he feels the need to make changes after suffering first loss

by:Austin Brezina•10/18/22•

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Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

Penn State suffered their first loss of the season against Michigan, and coach James Franklin gave insight into any changes that were coming. The Nittany Lions entered Saturday’s game with an undefeated record, but left their first game against a ranked opponent with a 41-17 loss and a handful of questions about what needs to improve for Franklin’s team.

According to Franklin however, the loss is nothing he needs to panic about — having been in a similar position in 2016 after losing to Michigan early in the season before finishing with a Big Ten championship.

James Franklin on overcorrecting after their first loss

While speaking in a press conference on Tuesday, Franklin was asked if he felt any pressure internally or externally to change things up after losing to Michigan. Franklin admitted that the external pressures were a much larger concern for him as he tries to keep his team focused on moving forward one week at a time.

“We were 2-2 I think, lost to Michigan in a similar type [of] game and things went well. So I’m not gonna look too far ahead, I’m not gonna look too far behind. I think it was six undefeated teams that lost last week. So, where I probably am concerned about it is to your point — it’s hard for me to insulate the players and the staff from it,” said Franklin.

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“So what we want to do is, okay let’s watch the tape. Let’s make the corrections. Let’s learn from it and then let’s move forward and find a way to be 1-0 this week. Winning is hard to do at this level and that’s our focus. But I think your point is a fair one, and what I’m trying to do is everything I possibly can to control the Lasch building and the messages and the vibe that’s in that building so that the Lasch practice fields are the way they need to be. And then Beaver Stadium is the way it needs to be so then we’ve got a chance for 110,000 or 107,000 fans or whatever it is — fans coming out of that stadium Saturday night… happy.”