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BWI Live: Penn State Football midseason report card

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr10/16/24

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James Franklin Penn State Football On3
Penn State head coach James Franklin encourages his team as they exit the field against UCLA. (Photo: Frank Hyatt/BWI)

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team is 6-0 and in the middle of it’s second bye week of the 2024 season. It’s a good time to have a bye, too, says head coach James Franklin. Now that the team is at the halfway point of the regular season, we’re handing out midseason grades for the entire team. Join the BWI Live Show today at 10 a.m. to give your thoughts on how each position group is performing, where they can stand to improve, or why they’re getting top marks.

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Penn State practice update

The team hosted its weekly media session on Tuesday of its second bye week, and Blue White Illustrated was there to observe and report. On today’s show, we discuss the nature of this week’s practice and why Penn State eased up on the pace this week compared to previous bye weeks.  

Next, we’ll discuss what Penn State head coach James Franklin said after practice. While it’s his least favorite topic, Franklin discussed injuries and the situation at punter return with Kaden Saunders and Zion Tracy.

Also, after a big game, quarterback Drew Allar was a significant topic Tuesday night. Franklin gave the entire quarterback operation credit for the success.

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“I think [QB Coach] Danny’s [O’Brien] done a really good job of spending time and building trust and having kind of a demeanor on the sideline that I think has been really good for him as well. And then [offensive coordinator] Andy [Kotelnicki] is doing a really good job of playing to Drew’s strengths as well as playing to our personnel strengths. I think it’s a combination of all those things.”

Midseason report card

Today’s show topic is also derived from Franklin’s comments last night. He felt that the bye week after the USC game was a very good time in the season and under the right circumstances.

“I just think when you talk about the middle of the season, game six, it’s a good point to have a bye. Sometimes you get a bye really early, sometimes you get a bye late, and not the best position for the bye to land, but this is at a good point. And then, obviously coming off a win, I’d probably feel very different if we hadn’t come off a win.”

So, we’ll take the midseason point as an opportunity to evaluate the team’s performance so far with position-by-position grades. Want to give your grades? Join the conversation in the comments section, or discuss on the Blue White Illustrated message board.

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