Penn State coming up short in close matchups: Press conference notebook

Penn State head coach James Franklin acknowledged the positives. Meeting with the media Tuesday afternoon for his weekly press conference, Franklin started as he always does. He noted the keys in the Nittany Lions’ most recent game, a 33-24 loss at No. 5 Ohio State Saturday night, acknowledging the lost turnover and explosive plays battle while winning the penalties battle. Franklin rattled off a host of positives from the performance, converting on 58 percent of third-downs offensively, holding the Buckeyes to 16 percent scoring in the red zone, improvements in physicality along both the offensive and defensive lines, and the sudden change effectiveness of the Nittany Lion defense.