Michigan football: Penn State's James Franklin discusses Josh Gattis' evolution, red-zone defense, more

Michigan football will take on Penn State Saturday afternoon in State College, and the matchup is a pivotal one for both programs. The 8-1 Wolverines are looking to keep their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes alive, while the 6-3 Nittany Lions are getting healthier and aiming to finish strong.

Michigan is 4-3 against James Franklin-coached Nittany Lion squads, with Franklin and Co. having an immense amount of respect for the Maize and Blue.

“Coach [Jim] Harbaugh and University of Michigan — I’ve got tremendous respect for the university and the history and traditions there,” Franklin said Tuesday. “What Coach Harbaugh has been able to do, obviously as an as a letterman and alum.

“[They’re a] talented football team like Michigan always is, and it’s going to be a tremendous challenge and a tremendous opportunity come Saturday. That’s why we need everybody in that stadium and to create a challenging environment so we can so we can find a way to be one another together.”

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Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis worked for Franklin at Vanderbilt (2012-13) and Penn State (2014-17), and the latter has seen his former pupil evolve as a coach during his next two stops, at Alabama and U-M.

This season, the Wolverines are racking up 451.4 yards per game (25th nationally), but are leaning heavily on the run game, with 234.1 of their yards per outing coming on the ground (seventh in the country).

“In years past, it probably was similar,” Franklin said when asked if Gattis’ offense resembles the one he was a part of at Penn State. “I think this year there’s been a change. Very early in the season, where they were heavy run, I think it was probably a blend of what Josh has done both at Penn State and Alabama.

“This offseason, with things that Coach Harbaugh had done in his past, specifically probably at Stanford, I think there’s probably a little bit more of an influence of that than Josh has shown in the past. I think it’s been a blessing for them, especially with the tight ends, backs and offensive line that they have. I think it’s been a good blend. It served them well, specifically early in the year, and I think they’ve opened it up a little bit since then.”

Michigan has been extremely efficient scoring in the red zone, scoring on 93.3 percent of its trips, but one of the Achilles’ heels of the offense has been its inconsistency punching the ball in for touchdowns. The Wolverines rank 88th in the country with a 55.6 red-zone touchdown percentage. Penn State, on the other hand, has been stout in the red area, allowing touchdowns on just 29.4 percent of its opponents’ trips (third in the nation).

Franklin said red-zone defense was a big emphasis heading into the season, and that the length of his defenders in the secondary has helped in those situations.

“It’s a combination of factors,” the eighth-year head coach said, adding that having fast players to “close windows” is another reason for the success.

On the other side of the ball, the Michigan defense is headlined by junior end Aidan Hutchinson, a midseason All-American with seven sacks on the season, and redshirt freshman outside linebacker David Ojabo, who has contributed eight sacks of his own.

“I think the thing that probably really differentiates them right now is having two defensive ends that can cause real problems for people,” Franklin said. “I mean, you watch that Michigan State game, both of those defensive ends showed up with huge plays. And when you’re able to have a guy on on either side, that becomes a real challenge. You have to decide how you’re going to deal with both of them.”

Last week against Maryland, Penn State senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson notched career highs in receptions (11) and receiving yards (242), while catching three touchdown passes, setting a program record for receiving yards in a single game. He’s registered 71 catches for 932 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

Franklin said that he’s noticed some clear changes between the Wolverines’ defense from last season and the schematics under first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald this fall, but that they still run a lot of man coverage. Stopping Dotson will be a priority for the Maize and Blue, but it’s easier said than done.

“You know people are going to have a plan for him, whether that is bracket or whether that is clouding and having a high safety over to his side,” Franklin said of Dotson, adding that the Nittany Lions like to keep opponents guessing by mixing up where the wideout lines up.

“He’s just in a lot of different spots, which makes it a little bit more challenging than a guy that always lines up in a slot or a guy that always lines up at a single receiver and a three-by-one set, whatever it may be. That’s intentional on our part, as well.”

Franklin also noted that the Nittany Lions have a plethora of weapons at wide receiver and tight end, and that “if they decide to invest that much of their resources into one guy, then it can be challenging.”

Michigan and Penn State kick off at noon ET Saturday on ABC.