James Franklin cites Michigan strengths, improvements: Tuesday notebook

Penn State head coach James Franklin returned to the Beaver Stadium podium on Tuesday afternoon. And, coming out of a bye week for the Nittany Lions, with a Top 10 showdown at Michigan on deck for Saturday, the weekly press conference had no shortage of storylines to follow.

From Franklin’s advanced scout of the Wolverines to Penn State’s progress through the first five games of the season, here is a look at some of the news, notes, and observations that emerged from the session:

James Franklin Tuesday press conference

James Franklin Tuesday notebook

James Franklin sizing up Michigan’s offense

Following up on a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021, in part built on the excellence of the Wolverines’ defense, Michigan has taken leaps offensively this season.

Riding a 6-0 start to the campaign, that has translated in the form of 43.0 points per game, second in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State. Blake Corum continues to pace the Wolverines’ running game, Ronnie Bell has led the receivers and Luke Schoonmaker has been a standout at tight end in the receiving game, and in a significant change at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy has taken the starting job, and run with it. Completing 94 of 120 passes for 1,152 yards, with nine touchdowns against just one interception, the sophomore signal-caller has the nation’s best completion percentage and is fifth for passing efficiency.

Scouting McCarthy, Franklin laid out what has made the young quarterback so effective for the Wolverines this season. 

“I’ve been impressed with his poise. He is very poised back there,” Franklin said. “He’s been very accurate and he can make all the throws on the field. He’s got a very strong arm; he’s got real good what people describe as arm talent. And I think part of his poise is his confidence in his athleticism. He feels like he can stand in there and if he gets pressure, he runs well enough to run away from most people and avoid hits. He’s able to run for the first down on the sideline and step out of bounds, but keep people on their heels. 

“So that confidence that comes from his accuracy, that confidence that comes from his athleticism, and that confidence that comes from staying ahead of the sticks is what I think makes him and their offense challenging.”

A point that Franklin hammered home both in his introductory assessment of Michigan’s offense, and again in his response regarding McCarthy, though, there is more to what has made the Wolverines so effective offensively. And, conversely, it’s the element that Penn State most has to effectively prevent.

“They’ve been great on first down. And when you’re able to run the ball and be as efficient as they’ve been on first down, they’re able to stay ahead of the sticks. It takes the pressure off of the quarterback. It takes the pressure off of their offensive coordinator because they’re in favorable down and distance situations a lot,” Franklin said. “That’s a credit to their players, that’s a credit to their coaches. And I think a big part of it is obviously, not only Blake Corum but the running back room. They’ve had a lot of production out of those guys. So it’ll be a real challenge for us.”

James Franklin’s state of the offense

If Penn State’s offense is going to present the same threat to Michigan, Franklin offered the reality of the situation. 

That is, Sean Clifford has been good, not great. He’ll need to be at his best against the Wolverines. Penn State’s offensive line has shown flashes but has not been great. It will have its hands full against a Michigan defensive line that has feasted on opponents this season, particularly when it has a lead. 

And, Penn State’s passing game in its entirety (offensive line, receivers, quarterback) needs to improve by connecting on explosive passing plays, be it deep shots or catch-and-run opportunities. 

Comparing Clifford’s performances to that of the offensive line, Franklin said he’s done good things, managed the offense, managed protections, managed the running game, and directed traffic. But, importantly, Clifford has also left out some plays that the program would like to have back this season, all of which have created a crossroads moment for the quarterback coming into this game. 

“I think his entire career and his entire season kind of keeps building up and leading up to moments like this and opportunities like this,” Franklin said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt there are some plays that he would like back. There are some plays that we would like back. But, him going out and playing well on Saturday – really, all of our positions and all of our players – to win on the road against this type of opponent, we’re gonna have to play well. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. And that also includes our quarterback.”

Up front, meanwhile, Franklin stressed that finishing blocks is the next step for the group to take. What he considers the difference between a four-yard carry and a chunk play, Franklin said that consistency in creating those explosive play opportunities is essential. 

“Overall, I’ve been pleased. I think we’re taking steps in the right direction. I think that group is starting to play with some confidence. And I think we’re doing a good job of again, staying balanced for as long as we possibly can. And, being a little bit more unpredictable,” Franklin said. “I think there are some times there are some calls that happen and people may question why you’re doing it. But, at the end of the day, it’s about execution. 

“But it’s also about keeping people on their toes. If you can run in predictable passing situations and be as efficient and effective, that’s what you want to do. And, vice versa. So try to be able to mix those things in as much as we can and keep people honest.”

Bye week rebound

Even before this week, Franklin was signaling through the offseason the undercurrent of what the program was trying to achieve. Whether righting the miscues of 2021 specifically or taking a long view at some of the problematic trends in the program through his tenure, Franklin was doubling down on building depth and making some scheduling changes as early as July. 

Now, those intentions are playing out. 

Asked about some of the program’s troubles coming off of bye weekends, Franklin acknowledged the amount of work that went into rectifying that issue specifically this offseason.

“We added an extra day of practice. Staffing-wise, we’re able to be in a position where we have analysts and people that are able to get ahead for us and stay ahead. I think that’s helped,” Franklin said. “And then, how we rotated and played guys to be as healthy and as fresh as we possibly can be. Depth has played a part in that in the past.”

“We spend a lot of time talking about it and studying it in the offseason. Talking to different programs and different coaches and different sports scientists, strength coaches, and all those types of things to put ourselves in the best position to go win this Saturday. But, for me to sit here and say that we didn’t spend time studying it and looking at it, that wouldn’t be accurate. We spent a ton of time in the offseason looking at it.”