James Franklin details Ohio State danger, path to a win: Notebook

Penn State football will have its hands full against No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday. Head coach James Franklin has acknowledged as much this week in his media appearances Tuesday and Wednesday.

Facing a Buckeyes offense that is versatile and can create havoc for opponents in a multitude of ways, the Nittany Lion defense will be tested as much as in any game this season. And, defensively, the Buckeyes’ will present challenges to a Penn State offense that has struggled to show the same versatility with much consistency this year.

That doesn’t mean Franklin and the Penn State coaching staff are without a plan, though.

Meeting with the media Wednesday after practice, Franklin discussed some of the challenges at hand and what Penn State might need to do to be able to overcome them.

Here is a look at some of those major themes and takeaways from Franklin’s midweek media session:

James Franklin post-practice Q&A

James Franklin Ohio State week practice notebook

1) Ohio State’s red zone proficiency

To start in a conversation about Ohio State that was more prevalent than most weeks, Franklin was asked specifically about Ohio State’s offensive red zone proficiency. The Buckeyes have come away with a score, either field goals or touchdowns, every time they’ve possessed the football in the red zone. 

That’s good for No. 1 nationally, with Ohio State the only team to have done so this season. 

So, what has led to Ohio State’s 14 rushing touchdowns in the red zone, 17 passing touchdowns, and five made field goals on 36 tries? Franklin offered his explanation:

“They got a good scheme, they got a bunch of weapons. They’ve done a really good job, there’s no doubt about it,” Franklin said. “When you’re able to run or throw the ball, that’s valuable down there being able to run the ball. People are going to play specific red zone coverages. And the quarterback makes big-time, accurate throws, I mean, he makes some throws, whether they’re fade balls or seam balls or corners or whatever it may be, that it’s a small window that he’s able to throw the ball into not only with arm talent in terms of strength, but also accuracy. So it’s a combination of really good receivers and a nice scheme and quarterback that’s been very accurate in those situations.”

2) Ohio State’s overall offensive proficiency

Speaking of those receivers, Franklin was again asked a variation of what’s expected to be one of the game’s best matchups. 

With Penn State’s defensive tacks demonstrating this season their ability to hang with Purdue’s solid passing offense, Franklin laid out that passing the test against the Boilermakers would change in severity. 

“We’re talking about another scheme with talented coaches, but also really, really talented players. And there were some guys at Purdue we were concerned about,” Franklin said. “I think everybody would agree there are probably more guys at Ohio State that people are aware of and concerned about before coming into this game. 

“I think that’s the challenge, right? When you got somebody on the right side of the field that’s a problem, and somebody’s on the left side of the field that’s a problem, and somebody that’s in the slot that’s a problem, and then somebody in the backfield that’s a problem, it makes it difficult because it’s not like you can say ‘Okay, we’re going to take away the slot, or we’re going to take away the tight end, or we’re going to load the box because we like the match up outside with the receivers.’ 

“That’s when people are really difficult to defend when they got multiple guys in multiple spots that are proven and can hurt you.”

That doesn’t mean Penn State is without solutions, though. 

“Luckily, we feel good about our back end and have worked very hard at developing that group and recruiting that group, and those guys have been tested. But, they’re going to be tested again on Saturday,” Franklin added. “And obviously if we can make the quarterback hold the ball and get off his first progression and get some pressure on him, that would be helpful, too. There just haven’t been a whole lot of people who have been able to do that up to this point.”

3) Catching Ohio State off-guard

Franklin spoke extensively Wednesday about, essentially, how to beat Ohio State. Whether that’s things that you do in the off-season, changing tendencies, or confusing the opponent, the message was clear.

Unlike some of Penn State’s other opponents through the course of the season, Ohio State represents a game in which staying the same isn’t an option if winning is the desired result.

“You’re going to have to do some things this week on offense, defense, and special teams that are going to give Ohio State pause and say, ‘Well, what are they doing here? This is what we expected.’ And whether that is a different formation to run the same play, whether that is s a different motion to run a play, whether that’s a different personnel group to run a play, or whether that’s a different scheme, a totally different scheme that you’re running this week that you haven’t shown out of a similar formation or personnel group. That’s defensively, different front package, a different blitz package,” Franklin said. “You’re definitely going to try to do some things that give them pause as a coaching staff and give them hesitation as players.”

As Franklin continued, that will rely upon creating moments of hesitation for players on both sides of the ball. 

“Hopefully the quarterback, you can do some things that pre-snap he’s not as confident of what you’re going to do post-snap,” Franklin said. “That’s when people talk all the time about quarterbacks, but it’s really at every position, right? When does the game slow down for them? When they’re able to anticipate, when they got a pretty good idea pre-snap what you’re going to do post-snap.”

Penn State is determined to impact those components on Saturday afternoon.