James Franklin addresses viral officiating comment from Illinois game

James Franklin addressed his viral officiating comments from the Illinois game, a 21-7 win for Penn State.

Franklin displayed some frustration with calls, particularly with linebacker Tony Rojas drawing a personal foul on a tackle. When Franklin was asked about it Monday, he disagreed with the characterization that he wanted fair calls both ways.

Essentially, Franklin disagreed with the call on Rojas. Simple as that.

“I don’t know if I would characterize it the way you just characterized it,” Franklin said. “I wouldn’t connect the dots the way you just did. There’s always communication with the conference. We turn in the plays that we disagree with. They respond back to us. We turn in plays before our next game, things that we’re seeing on film that we’re concerned with. So there’s constant communication.

“We got to do a better job of being more disciplined and handle the things that we need to handle first of all, priority number one is us. It’s been that way my whole career, and specifically here at Penn State. So I want to be very, very clear on that. But yeah, the way you’re characterizing the statement I made, I wouldn’t characterize it that way.”

For reference, here’s what Franklin had to say about the call on Rojas Saturday night:

“The one play I had a really hard time with, they called Tony Rojas, who’s running to make a tackle,” Franklin said postgame. “The ball is going down the sideline, and he’s going to make the tackle, and somebody comes to block him, and he lowers his shoulder and destroys the guy. What? Because Tony Rojas is bigger than the guy that was trying to block him? He’s chasing the ball.

“What’s he supposed to do? He’s going to make a tackle. Someone is coming to block him and just because he absolutely destroyed him, it’s a penalty? It’s not our fault. And what I was told is that he peeled back to knock somebody out. If the run is going that way, why would you peel back to make a block? It just doesn’t make sense from a common sense perspective, and I watched the play.”

Franklin’s not wrong when it comes to those bang-bang plays. Unfortunately, it comes down to the letter of the law and rule and of course, the sometimes subjective nature of officials.