James Franklin reveals communication level Penn State coaches had on goal line sequence

On Saturday, Penn State trailed Ohio State 20-13 with 7:35 left in the fourth quarter when Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren broke out a 33-yard run to put PSU on the Buckeyes’ 3-yard line. Over the next four plays, Penn State failed to find the end zone and turned the ball over on downs.

Ohio State never gave the Nittany Lions the ball back, keeping its offense on the field for five minutes and ultimately running out the clock. On Monday, Penn State head coach James Franklin pulled back the curtain on the staff’s communication during the red-zone failure.

“There’s really no discussions on a headset during a play call,” Franklin said. “Those things lead to second-guessing. Those things lead to delay of games. Those things don’t typically lead to where you want to go.

“The last thing you want to do [to] the person that’s calling the game is the head coach or somebody else interjecting in those critical moments and making that coordinator hesitate. What you’re really trying to do is those discussions are happening all week long with your preparation and your planning.”

Penn State’s plans didn’t work as expected against the Buckeyes. After reaching Ohio State’s 3-yard line, the Nittany Lions ran the ball with Kaytron Allen three times. Then, Drew Allar threw an incomplete pass on fourth down.

It was an unusual issue for Penn State. The Nittany Lions have scored touchdowns 87.9% of the time they’ve reached the red zone this season. James Franklin addressed his team’s lack of diverse playcalling in the failed red zone appearance.

“Obviously, after you run the ball vertical two times and you get stuffed, everybody’s telling you to be creative,” Franklin said. “If you’re creative in those moments and they don’t work, then everybody’s telling you, ‘You got too cute and you should have ran the ball north and south.’

“The reality is, you got to be able to get a yard when you want to get a yard. I don’t know if it’s necessarily about the play call. Play calls matter and don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. But, at the end of the day, you got to be able to get a yard from a mentality standpoint, from a fundamental standpoint, from a schematic standpoint, and all those things come into place there.”

On Saturday, Penn State will have a chance to bounce back from its mistakes as it squares off against Washington at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air live on Peacock.