James Franklin says Penn State wants to be most improved team for rest of season after bounce-back Washington win

Following a 35-6 romp over Washington on Saturday night in front of a White Out crowd, Penn State head coach James Franklin was pleased with how his team bounced back from its first loss of the season. And he hopes it’s only the start of a new arc.

After falling to Ohio State last weekend, Franklin said Penn State took on the goal of making up the most ground on the field the rest of the year in terms of the on-field product.

“We want to be the most improved team in college football, from Sunday through the rest of the season. I thought we took a step tonight,” Franklin said.

Specifically, Franklin was pleased with the offensive efficiency — a week ago, the Nittany Lions failed to score an offensive touchdown — and overall execution from his team.

“I just thought we were more efficient on offense,” Franklin said. “We were able to stay on schedule. Defensively we were able to get off the field. We played a really good first half, which set us up. I would’ve liked to see us finish better in the second half but overall, we were able to control the game and control the clock.”

And on defense, star edge rusher Abdul Carter dominated on the night with two sacks and four tackles for loss as he lived in the Huskies backfield.

Franklin raved about how complete of a player Carter is, having moved from an off-ball linebacker role to playing more as a pure edge rusher this year.

“He’s a disruptive player,” Franklin said. “I’m really proud of him. He’s doing a really good job, obviously as a linebacker now as a defensive end. He’s somebody that they have to be aware of on every play and I’m just proud of him. He’s a good football player and he’s impactful for us.”