James Franklin details Penn State’s preparation for Rakim Jarrett

After a fast start, the Penn State Nittany Lions have struggled in recent weeks. A three-game losing streak which started against Iowa and most recently featured a loss against Ohio State has knocked Penn State out of the College Football Playoff rankings.

Now looking to kickstart their season, head coach James Franklin is preparing to contain Maryland wide receiver Rakim Jarrett. He detailed how his secondary has prepared for the former five-star recruit this week.

“He’s a really good player and has been since high school,” Franklin said during his Tuesday press conference. “So that’ll be a challenge. What they do offensively will be challenging. And then also what he’s able to bring to the game. Our guys remember last year – we’ve watched it as well – and then on top of that, what we’ve tried to do all year this year from a pass defense perspective. Also being able to get some pressure on the quarterback would help with all those things too.”

Jarrett finished the 2020 meetings with five receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

“I think last week is a pretty good sign in some ways,” Franklin said during his Tuesday press conference. “That was one of the more explosive offenses in college football. We had the two explosive plays on the hitch where we missed a tackle and kind of ran away, then the deep over route. Obviously, those two stand out but in terms of competing, challenging throws – I think we’ve done that all year long.

James Franklin on Taulia Tagovailoa

James Franklin also detailed the task Penn State faces with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who delivers balls to Rakim Jarrett. The Maryland passing game has been much improved with the dynamic duo.

“He’s a really talented guy,” Franklin said of Tagovailoa. “He can make plays with his arm, he’s made some big-time throws and he can extend plays and make plays with his feet. He does a really nice job with that as well. And I think their scheme does a good job of taking advantage of both of those things, too. So, I’ve been very impressed with him.”

Tagovailoa this season has completed just over 70 percent of his pass attempts, good for 2,384 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Plus, the former four-star recruit can get it done on the ground, as Franklin mentioned; the stats may not show Tagovailoa to be much of a scrambling quarterback, but his ability to extend plays with his feet has allowed Maryland’s offense to keep plays alive — even when they seemed destined to fail.

“They’re a talented, fast, athletic team and [Tagovailoa] does a good job of getting the ball to players in space pretty consistently, so I think it’s going to be a real challenge,” Franklin continued. “I know our coaches and players are excited about the opportunity, but it’ll be a real challenge.”