Penn State head coach James Franklin's Tuesday press conference: Watch
Following three-straight losses, Penn State head coach James Franklin was back with the media Tuesday to recap the setback at Ohio State and look ahead to Saturday’s game at Maryland.
Franklin said he liked the way his team played against the Buckeyes, adding that the Nittany Lions battled and improved substantially on third down. He also said that the offensive line played much more physically, which helped offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s attack have some success.
“I think the biggest thing is we battled,” Franklin said. “We were more physical up front on both sides of the ball. The difference on third down, I thought we made plays in this game. Those didn’t happen the week before, and I thought our guys handled adversity, and rose to the occasion against a really good and talented opponent.”
As for the overall line play, Franklin didn’t rule out the possibility of Penn State utilizing some younger players throughout the season’s final month.
“I thought we were able to run the ball, mix it in there,” Franklin said. “I think we want to build on that, but I think your point, with Landon [Tengwall] and [Olu] Fashanu, it’d be nice to get them some work. There’s no doubt about it. So, we’ll build on that.
“I think the most important thing is, I thought we were physical on both fronts last week, and we need to build on that.”
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Penn State remains in the Associated Press top-25 at No. 22. The Terrapins are currently unranked at 5-3 on the season. They picked up a much-needed win over Indiana this past Saturday, 38-25. Penn State owns a 40-3-1 record all-time against Maryland and hasn’t lost in College Park since 1961. Two of the Terps wins in the series have come during the Franklin era, though. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on FOX Sports One. The Penn State Sports Network will also have the radio call.
During his Tuesday news conference, Franklin also discussed his history at Maryland. In addition to that, he also highlighted some of the Big Ten East team’s best players. The list included quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, back Tayon Fleet-Davis, and receiver Rakim Jarrett on offense. Defensively, he highlighted former recruiting target and safety Nick Cross plus veteran defensive end Sam Okuayinonu.
Other Penn State topics during the nearly hour-long chat with reporters touched on the defensive tackle situation, travel issues on the way back from Columbus, the backup quarterback situation with Ta’Quan Roberson and Christian Veilleux, this week’s practice schedule, and Yurcich’s tenure to date. He also covered what his team has learned from its recent rough stretch, and how the running game can improve.
Penn State fans can watch the complete press conference below and see more videos by visiting our YouTube page.
