Everything Penn State coach James Franklin said following 41-17 loss to Michigan

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Penn State coach James Franklin was blunt when assessing his team’s effort in a 41-17 loss to Michigan.

“We did not control the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball,” Franklin said in his opening statement. “Although with the score at the end the first half we were in the thing, we did not control the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball. Offensively, obviously, we weren’t able to run the ball or convert on short-yardage situations and stay on the field. But, defensively, weren’t able to get off the field. Fifteen play drives, 12 play drives, 16 play drives; they controlled the line of scrimmage and they control the game. They’re a good football team. Give them credit. But, we didn’t play well.”

Here is everything else the leader of the Lions said in his postgame news conference.

Question: Michigan ran for over 400 yards. Was it a matter of not being physical enough? And how disappointed are you in that?

James Franklin: “I know you guys hate this answer, but I got to watch the tape. But obviously, there’s way too many times the guy was just running through holes into the second level. Obviously, not happy with that number at all. Not one bit.”

Q: James, why did you go to Drew Allar when you did, and is that a decision you expect to carry over to next week?

JF: “Sean [Clifford] got hurt.

Q: James, can you explain what you saw on the offensive pass interference call [on Tyler Warren] in the third quarter and also why you decided to go for it on fourth down on their 39?

JF: “”Obviously it’s a huge play in the game. Very similar to the Indiana game last week where they scored right before the half and it was called a pick play. We were both running plays. We should have hit Nick [Singleton] a little bit earlier, but he’s got to stay behind the line of scrimmage. It’s a screen essentially is what it is. He drifted across the line of scrimmage. It’s the right call. But we got to stay behind the line of scrimmage. Literally went over that play in a team meeting. Details matter and that’s what happened on that play. Two weeks in a row, critical plays that fell in their favor.

“And then in terms of [not] punting, I mean you get you get to a point from a score perspective [where] you’re trying to win the game. You’re trying to win the game. Obviously, if you don’t convert you put the defense in a more challenging spot. I get that. But, you’re trying to win the game. And punting when the score gets to that point and the clock gets to that point, I don’t think is going to give you the best chance to win.”

Q: On the Penn State offensive line combinations and Hunter Nourzad starting over Landon Tengwall

JF: “Landon got hurt in pregame warmups.

“We did not do well on either front, as tight ends as, o-line, that’s d-line, that’s linebackers; they outplayed us on both fronts. There’s no doubt about that. When I say that, that’s coaching that’s playing, that’s all of it.”

Q: James, you’re coming off a bye. You had all the confidence in the world. This team has been playing well. This kind of comes as a big surprise to the people who follow you. How surprised are you by this [Penn State] performance?

JF: “They’re a good football team. Let me start by saying that. Let me give them credit. They are a good football team. But, we didn’t play well. So yeah, I’m surprised that we didn’t play well. Again, when you’re not able to control the line of scrimmage the way you need to control the line of scrimmage, you’re going to have a hard time. They stick with the game plan, stick with what they do. We knew early down success for their offense was critical. That was going to be very, very important. For the most part, we were able to battle our way. Maybe not conventionally, but we were able to battle our way to keep close in the first half.

“That opening drive to start the second half was really important. We deferred. That was really important for our offense and for our defense. We weren’t able to do it consistently enough I think.”

Q: James this is a league that’s built around the trenches. You’d said this week that you thought this was going to be big-boy football. Why do you feel like the trenches especially have been kind of a theme of problem [at Penn State]?

JF: “It’s all of it. We got to develop, we got to recruit. We got to get bigger. We’re undersized at some spots. Everybody thinks they’re Aaron Donald. They’re not. Everybody sees Aaron Donald playing undersized. Everybody thinks they’re that guy. And there’s been one of those guys in the last 100 years of football. We need to be more physical. Work on our technique, our fundamentals. It’s all of it. We own all of it. But, give them credit for what they were able to do today.”

Q: How do you get his team mentally focused for next week and moving forward?

JF: “Like everybody else in the country does when you get a tough defeat. You learn from it. You make the adjustments, you make the corrections and get back to do what you got to do to be 1-0 next week. This game can’t linger. Talking about games in the future doesn’t matter. We got to find a way to do 1-0 next week. We’re going to need everybody in that locker room, everybody in Happy Valley, and in the Penn State community, to stick with us and rally around us. We’re 5-1. That’s what we are. Very clearly that’s where we are. We own it. We’re 5-1. That’s what we are. The losses aren’t bigger than what they are and the win aren’t bigger than what they are.”

Q: James, what’s your tone in the locker room after a game like this?

JF: “It’s the hardest part of your job in my opinion. It’s not the time to critique. I tell them I love them. We all need to kind of look at ourselves individually. Starts with me as the head coach and every player and every coach and every staff member needs to look at it the same way. What can I do better? And then obviously we’ll get on the film and make the corrections. But, when there’s an open wound, that’s not the time. I learned that years ago as a young coach. That’s not the time to go in the locker room and start talking about what we needed to do better. What we should have done.”

Q: James, we saw Bryce Effner for the majority of the third quarter and then Caedan Wallace in the fourth. What went into that decision?

JF: “We had a rotation planned for the game. Besides that, I don’t have a whole lot more.”