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BWI Live: What can Penn State take from its win over Maryland into game against Michigan?

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•11/08/23•

ThomasFrankCarr

James Franklin Penn State Football On3
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands with offensive lineman before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

The Penn State football team takes on Michigan this weekend in a critical matchup in the Big Ten East. Head coach James Franklin’s squad put together its most complete effort against Maryland with a 51-15 win last Saturday. So, what elements translate from last week to this week? We’ll discuss that and then break down the Michigan Wolverines on today’s show. 

Join the show today at 10 a.m. on YouTube, and if you haven’t yet, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated to get inside access to find out what happens before, during, and after the game. We’ve got you covered each week with T-Frank’s Film Room, where we break down the significant plays that decide each Penn State game. 

What can Penn State take from win over Maryland?

Two offensive changes from previous games stood out in last week’s win over Maryland. First, racing out to 21 points in the first half was a change for Penn State. Franklin counts that as a team effort.

“Starting fast was huge in this game. That first fourth-down stop, not only was that a huge play in the game from a momentum standpoint, the first big momentum play of the game, but then also the offense was able to turn that into a first drive touchdown,” Franklin said. 

The second is that quarterback Drew Allar played with confidence and conviction we hadn’t seen in quite some time. Franklin feels this has been coming with more experience from the sophomore quarterback. 

“Yeah, I think obviously the more you play, the more comfortable you get and the more confidence you get, the more relaxed you can be. I do think being loose, being relaxed at every position I think is important.

That comes with preparation and confidence, and then obviously how we play helps with that as well.”

Defense ready for rematch?

For the last year, the Penn State defense has had to hear that they weren’t big enough or good enough to play with Michigan in the run game. Have they put in the work to be ready now? 

“So first of all, I think we have been much more disciplined and consistent in gap responsibility. There has been times where we have tried to make plays and get out of our gap, and against good teams the ball will find the open gap.

I think we’re a little bit bigger. I think the size has helped us as well. We’re a little bit bigger across the front, specifically the D-line. Not to the point where it’s affected our ability to move. I think that’s a big part of what we do as well, is our movements and our games,” Franklin said.

We’ll discuss how the defensive line has proven over this year that they are ready to go and give thoughts on how the team will perform in that phase this weekend. 

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