James Franklin on 100th win as Penn State coach coming in College Football Playoff: ‘All about the players’
Penn State‘s win over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff was the Nittany Lions’ 12th victory of the season. It marks the fourth season head coach James Franklin has reached that mark during his tenure.
Those wins add up, and it just so happened that the 38-10 win over the Mustangs was the 100th for Franklin as the team’s leader. After the game, he was asked to expand on his win total. Of course, Franklin redirected the praise to the rest of his program.
“A lot of college coaches I saw this week talking about, this is a four-game season. It’s not. It’s a one-game season with an average of 65 plays on offense, 65 plays on defense, and 20 plays on special teams, and how you value those reps and how you prepare for those reps would give you an opportunity to play again,” Franklin said.
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“We’re in a one-game season, and we just extended our season one more game, 65 more plays.”
That sentiment has been provent by the Nittany Lions on a weekly basis this year. No performance bled into the next, as after every single close game or loss, Penn State has bounced back with a multi-score winning performance their next time out.
After losses, the Nittany Lions outscored their opponents 73-16 this season. Of course, there’s no room for error at this point in the season. With the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State looming, another big-time performance — particularly from their run defense against Broncos star RB Ashton Jeanty — is needed to advance to the national semifinal.
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With that game not being contested until New Year’s Eve, Franklin allowed himself just a moment to reflect on his 100-win total as Penn State head coach. Even still he touched on what his success means for those around them.
“I appreciate you bringing up the 100 wins and all that kind of stuff, but to me, I’m at a point in my career it’s all about the players,” Franklin continued. “It’s all about the players, the staff. It’s cool [AHC, CB coach] Terry Smith has been there for every single one of them. [Assistant AD] Chuck Losey, every single one of them. So cool.”
With the first round behind them, Penn State now turns its attention toward the Broncos as Franklin looks to add another tally to his win total as Nittany Lions headman.