James Franklin talks Bowling Green, Penn State's performance vs. West Virginia (press conference)

so uh like always appreciate you guys coming out and covering Penn State football um couple things just to cover with you guys uh from from really last week um you know going back and watching the film was was good it was about what we anticipated um you know in terms of how it felt during the game and then be able to watch a tape and go through and greated I think you guys already seen players of the games and things like that one of the things I think was in was interesting is no if you if you do a statistical comparison between our West Virginia game last year and our West Virginia game this year um no one's really talking about our defense and our defense really played uh well um if you look last year we gave up you know 15 points this year we gave up 12 so we were better in that we were better in points per possession we were better in explosive plays we were better in total yard yards allowed we were better in rushing yards allowed we were better in yards per carry we were better in yards um passing yards allowed um yards per attempt um third down efficiency was exactly the same which was interesting we were better in average uh third down um yardage forced uh we were better in takeaways um the only category we weren't better in was sacks we had three last year we had two this year uh Red Zone uh touchdown percentage uh we were better time of possession better uh and then qbr significantly better of the opposing quarterback so you know I think on a on a real positive note our our defense played better and then not only did they play better they play played better on the road without without the home uh without the home environment so those were positive turnover battle you guys know we won EXP CL the play Battle we won third down battle we won sack battle we won um we got a clean up um you know really Drive start and when I say cleanup Drive start I didn't feel like we kicked the ball as well as we're capable of kicking that is kickoff that is punts that is field goals really all three phases um and then penalties we just we just gave too many yards away trying to be aggressive uh and we got to eliminate those things so um lot of positives there um few more few more notes you know in terms of offensively defensively and special teams um positives on offense we are explosive and physical uh we got to be better in ball security and some of the pre- snap things defensively uh we did a great job stopping the Run we limited explosive plays I think we only had one um Sudden Change response that takeaway was huge that was a huge play in the game and then zero points in the third quarter um I think you guys also know I think we have the longest um streak in the country um of not giving up a touchdown the start of game so that that's been a real positive for us areas for GR growth you know the penalties uh just overall communication and substitutions and then special teams you know I thought we played really physical there's some there's some really physical Clips on tape from our special teams um and then opportunities for growth like I talked about we got to kick the ball a little bit better um we did have a substitution error uh and then we did have to burn three timeouts one on offense one on defense and one on special team so that's not what we're looking to do uh and then on for this week and and Bowling Green um Scott leeler the head coach there we know we know Scott you know pretty well um been a guy that's you know been in this conference obviously played at Michigan uh we know them very well Frank Leonard and him were on staff together at Boston College uh so got a ton of respect for him in his career and what he's been able to do you look at them um offensively it's essentially his offense he calls the offense uh has done that for most of his career um and they did a really good job and put up big numbers this past week um they're a run first offense predominantly uh but they do a good job at the quarterback position and taking shots where appropriate we've been impressed with their tight end number zero Harold Fannon uh their running back number four terion Stewart and then their quarterback uh Conor baslac uh who also has got some history here in the Big 10 as well and then defensively uh Steve Morrison and Sammy Lawson um running the defense over there and you know from what we've seen on tape so far um you know they're going to create some challenges I I would say looking at their team in general they're a bigger more physical uh Team than what I anticipated uh you look at them on film but then also look at their numbers they're a big physical group um you know this is a team that's going to play combination of odd and even front uh they're primarily a middle of the field open uh defense but they will close it up and play some Zone cover three uh and a decent amount of pressure as well you know guys that we've been impressed with as their quarterback number one uh their defensive end number five and then their linebacker number three very very productive players and then on special teams uh Alex Bayer does a nice job for them uh in coordinating their special teams right now they you know they their rankings and statistics are really good obviously they return the opening kickoff uh of their game for a touchdown um their kick returner number 20 and their punter number 41 are guys that we've been been impressed with so still early in the week um kind of figuring out who they are right now putting the game plans together uh obviously we do not have practice today it's a game planning day for us and and the players are in the building watching film on their own and then um Tuesday we'll have practice and then and then see you guys out there for a portion of practice no changes on the depth chart um uh at this time and no changes to the red yellow or green list uh that you guys are are are aware of so open up to questions let's go to Rich garcel on Zoom followed by Frank bodan good afternoon James how are you good how are you I'm I'm well thank you James Smith vilbert is somebody who more or less missed two seasons and I was just wondering to see him have the impact he did Saturday um and what was going through your mind and also what do you think kept him going uh to persevere through everything well I think that first thing I'd say is I think you guys remember me talking about Smith as a guy that no one's really talking about that I think's going to have a big year for us and a big part of it it's understandable right you know he missed essentially two years of foot football but you know you're talking about a guy who was a highlevel basketball player when we recruited him he's 6'6 he's 280 pounds he can run he can bend he's aggressive uh and he's mature you got a you got a mature football player so um you know I'm proud of him um you know he's also a guy that you know you know got his degree um he's done it right from that standpoint um and I know he is extremely hungry this year with as much time as he's invested um to really help this team as much as he possibly can to help the defense as much as he can and obviously also to have a big year for himself and for his family so um you know I think you guys are going to continue to be talking about him a lot this year I think there'll be a lot of conversations about him uh you know on a national scale as well um you know those guys are hard to find guys that you know have a chance to be physical against the run but it can also be disruptive as pass rushers his length is is an issue for people um but you know I'm I'm really proud of him I think he's going to have a big year and I'm glad you asked about him let's go to Frank bodan followed by Mark Logan Rich Frank may have hopped off let's go to Mark wogan rich and then Mike Gross hey James how are you good how are you good thanks you mentioned specifically a lot about the defense how did you think Abdul Carter did in his first go around at that uh you know playing mostly at defensive Ben yeah I think he um you know to your point I think he predominantly played defensive end except with some of the um you know some of the third down packages where we just kind of move him around um but yeah I thought he played really well he was disruptive you know we talk all the time in in our building about you know real football people um study more than just statistics so there's times where you know he he's taken on two blockers uh where a couple of them I think could have been called holding where he's splitting two blockers and they're unable to come off on either a linebacker uh or another defensive line and you know gets the sack or the tackle for the loss you know obviously there's some of the you know the priest snap and the post Snap Snap penalties we got to get cleaned up for sure but overall I thought his first game as a full-time defensive end uh was very disruptive and I think he's just going to get better each week um you guys know there's been a bunch of Buzz about him um for for his ability on the field but I'm also really proud of his growth off the field um you know we were able to have some conversations yesterday about the penalties and just the way he approached it uh his maturity um his ability um you know to take some constructive criticism and and be accountable for it um was really really impressive so uh I'm proud of him I think he's going to have a big year for us and I think he's setting himself up for for you know really bright things in his future as well good to Mike Gross followed by Johnny motle good afternoon James how are you good mikee how are you I'm good thanks um you kind of anticipated my question with your opening stuff about the defense but uh speec thinking about last year as a barometer and and against West Virginia um and what your defense you know became last year why do it seems like you maybe you're a little ahead of where you were last year based on that West Virginia barometer so why do you think that is if if indeed that is well I I think it again it's it's a small snapshot right for all of us offense defense and special teams and and for us we just got to say okay these are the things we did well these are the things we got to do better and then you know find a way to work on these things each week and and and refine and get better so I think your point is a fair one but it is a it is you know small amount of data um but it's a really good starting point because I think I think West Virginia's offense is going to give people problems it gave us problems last year specifically running the ball um you know we we went into that game with a ton of respect for their o line with a ton of respect for their quarterback and the two running backs and and we still feel that way so I think that's probably the biggest thing for me is that's a team that Prides himself on running the ball um and and you know they weren't able to be overly productive against us running the ball and then if you look at the quarterback's qbr last year compared to this year you know it was it was a you know significant difference so I think it's a really good starting point it's a foundation to build on um but we got to build on it and we got to get better let's go to Johnny MoGo followed by Neil Rell good afternoon James how are you good how are you good what was your assessment of uh Anthony danco at right tackle yeah we're we're real high on on Anthony you know um he's such a conscientious young man he's extremely intelligent both both from a football IQ standpoint but also you know in the classroom um and he's very very athletic um you know there's a lot of good signs about his habits early on as you guys have heard me talk about before he had committed to us before he became you know a national recruit and I think we had six camps he came up to every single camp with his mom and two brothers um and that's kind of the approach he's taken he's just got a workmanlike approach and just continues to get better um played really well in the bowl game which had you know gave us some excitement about you know what his future could be and then you know we thought he went out and played really well in week one so you know um you know you can't have enough guys that are 6'5 plus and 330 lbs and can move like him um and again you know the consistency and and the intelligence that he has so you he's another guy that you know I think is just going to get better and better as the year goes on uh we also plan on playing Ruchi more um getting Ruchi some some opportunities as well um but but dona's playing you know really well in the in the two games that we've been able to kind of watch him and evaluate him but it's also what we see in the wait room it's what we see in you know summer workouts winter workouts and what we saw you know throughout training camp too let's go to Neil Rell followed by Mark Brenan hey James uh I was wondering should happy Labor Day there you too Xander Miss I know you looked like you showed confidence in him you know to make to uh take that shot with you like to have got him you know a closer field goal for you know to get started with can you talk walk through that a little bit Yeah the the plan was there to either go forward on fourth down um if I remember correctly I think it was like third and 10 or third and N at the time and we were planning on going for it and trying to get it to Fourth and five or you know a shorter field goal I think we ran the ball in that situation I think we ran an option play with with um with b and I don't think we gained a whole lot so now you're now you're stuck in a tough situation do you you know do you want to go for on fourth and 10 and didn't feel like that was the right thing to do um take a shot at a field goal um or Sky punt we had Sky punted earlier in the game and kicked it into the end zone you know which is like the worst thing you can do in a sky punt situation because if you do that then you should have gone for it on fourth down um and obviously we wanted to give him an opportunity to to you know get a field goal and start on the right foot so um not ideal probably all the way around offense you know and special teams so um yeah I think your question is a fair one um but yeah we got a ton of confidence him based on what he did all training camp and what he did all Spring ball and and I know he'll make the next one please raise your hand we'll take a mic to you we'll start with Mark you too Mark U what was your assessment of Julian's play I think you mentioned it with Abdul a lot of a lot of times some people look at a stat sheet and think boy there's no numbers there but overall how do you think he played in that game yeah we thought he played really well um there was a couple times where you know we we tried to get the ball to him but again based on coverage it just didn't play out that way we definitely want to you know get them more involved uh in this game early in the game but I think the most important thing is the things that he could control he controlled uh he blocked really well he ran really good routes if you if you go back and watch the play that we threw the touchdown Bo through the touchdown the Tyler Warren that's because of Julian Julian you know basically it's it's almost like a three vertical scheme uh where he's got to get to the backside hash but before going to the backside hash he attacks the safety in the middle of field and Crosses his face which occupies the safety um and doesn't allow him to slide over and get into the window of where we threw the ball to Tyler Warren and here he is late in a game uh still running you know great routes um to put us in a position to make big plays you could say the same thing for the ball that we threw to Trey he runs a corner route um pulls the safety out of the window allows Trey to get hit um you know on the skinny post or seam or however you want to describe it uh for the touchdown so the things that he could control played very very well and again you know just like we talked about earlier those are the things we talk about in our building uh those are the things that you know for these guys Futures that they watch um obviously he'd love stats to go with it and those will come we're confident in that um but I thought he played played very well let's go to Tyler and then John hey James hey Tyler um Bo perula and his usage throughout the game early often I'm curious how you would kind of uh evaluate how it went game one and what you ultimately would like to maximize from that situation moving forward yeah I think it's I think it's a real positive for us because although um Drew obviously is showing you know he can he can make plays with his feet um you know Bo has that ability um you know maybe at a little bit different level and a little bit more of a playmaker um so being able to get him on the field and really challenge the defense um and we have a ton of different ways that we're going to be able to do that uh with both of them on the field or just bow on the field um and ways that we can take advantage of it and just pure runs um you know pure passes um and then some of the things that we can do you know with with Bo the game as a runner B the game as a receiver Bing the game in a lot of different ways so you know being able to each week add to that package so that uh the defense can't put you into a package um you know when he comes on the field if if Drew is on the sideline and B comes in um they're able to go to a true Wildcat package and for us we want to you know just like we did last year try to build as much around this that they can't do that that they have to even the throw right you know that we just got done talking about to Tyler Warren that causes some issues now if you just want to put him into a wildcat package mentality so um all those things are really important you know we want to be able to use him throughout the game um that I think I mentioned you guys after the game that was the approach in the two-point play to get started right away to get him involved as early as possible and we felt good about the concept um but we want to continue to do that but we also want to make sure like I already mentioned that it's not the same things that you're seeing out of him each week John hey James hey John we saw Kaden Saunders on punt returns but not on offense was that related to the bumps and bruises you said that he had and how do you think the receivers other receivers stepped up without him playing yeah so um we weren't sure if he was going to be able to go and the and the plan and was uh as long as the doctors and trainers and and Kaden felt like he could go we were only going to use him as the punt returner in the game on top of that um the way that West Virginia punted the ball um end over end more of a hangtime um type of Team um we thought it was going to be mainly a fair catch game anyway so felt like he was able to do that but we're Hing that we'll have him back you know as not just a return man but also as a um you know as a um receiver this week as well um and then I think your your question about the other wide receivers again I thought the group played well uh we had some other bumps and bruises as well that I think we're we're through now um but we'd like to get as many guys involved because I think you know one of the things when you talk about balance you know is is not really the ability to be 50% 50% um run 50% pass in the game it's having the ability to run or pass in any given situation but also like like Mike Leech you know talked about balances also ball distribution that the defense isn't just concerned about one player that they need to eliminate that they realize and see through film that there's you know seven eight guys that that can get the ball and can make plays that's running backs that's tight ends that's receivers and the ball can be distributed uh across the field uh making them defend all 53 and a third and all 120 in the back T Frank James how you doing today T Frank you good I I actually want to ask you about that connection between Drew and Trey obviously a big game from both of them with the explosive plays but I was curious your assessment of their chemistry together and was there an opportunity for even more in that game that you saw that they could work on and and kind of get on the same page or were those uh situations different than than that yeah again I think I think just trying to be careful that we don't jump to too many assumptions based on one game you know and a limited amount of data you know what I would say is when you talk about missed opportunities you guys probably saw the play action pass we ran out un balanced I think it was and um you know Nick Singleton should have aborted his fake because typically uh when you have play action pass and your man comes you abort the fake and go pick him up right now and I think you guys probably saw the play with Omari running wide open down the middle of the field um that the pressure got us off of it so talk about a missed opportunity that was a missed opportunity there um and things that that will get cleaned up but um I think Drew and and all of the wide receivers and tight ends have worked really hard all summer as well as bo uh to build that chemistry chemistry and to build that timing um and that confidence that that we're going to need so uh we got to build on it this week during practice we got to build on it you know this week in in Beaver Stadium and you know being able to being able to throw the ball at a high level to go along with our rushing attack is going to be really important to put us in the best position to be successful this week but also moving forward throughout the rest of the season Audrey hey James hey audre um how do you feel like KRON Allen did obviously a productive day for Nick but how do you feel like KRON kind of balanced his role in that yeah you know it's it's it's funny because again stats stats can be deceiving right like um I think the biggest thing you're looking for is what do you do with the play that you get and the production that you get and I think the easy thing is to look at the stats column and say um you know one guy averages you know seven yards a carryer another guy averages three yards a carryer or whatever it may be um I think the more important thing is to look at the film um you know Nick happened to be in a couple plays where the play was blocked up and literally he didn't get touched for for 45 yards or the first opportunity for contact is in the back field you know with the defensive back um the reality is the plays that you got as a running back if the play was B blocked up to gain three and you gained four that's that's a positive run um so just the way things played out the way their defense um defended some runs Nick had the ability to um you know create a few more exposive plays but it wasn't anything from the standpoint the lack of something that KRON did it's just maximizing the runs you get and there's going to be some games where Patron in and they call a defensive alignment or a defensive movement that creates an opportunity that we're able to take advantage of and and KRON you know averages eight yards a carry and and Nick you know averages two yards or three yards or whatever it may be in the game that's that's just how Football goes so um you know we think we got two backs that you know um are two of the better backs in the country and and we think we got a third one um a fourth one and a fifth one that are developing and that we're excited about too Seth hey James after um watching some of the film how would you just overall evaluate coach K's first game and have you heard any you know early feed feedback maybe from players or coaches about what it's like to be in a game under his system yeah I think it was good you know I think it was good I think he did a did a really good job um you know obviously when you're able to do the things that we were able to do in this game on offense in terms of running the ball in terms of throwing the ball in terms of explosive plays um it's definitely something to build on and then also the fact um that we were able to create touchdowns and not turn the ball over your touchdown the interception ratio that that continues to to to be a strength of ours Drew's done a really good job of that you know last year and and started out this year the right way from that standpoint so yeah I think I think there's a ton of excitement I think you guys have heard me say before I think it's been more balanced during all training camp I think it was it was more balanced um you know in the West Virginia game as well um so yeah a lot of excitement and a ton to build on and and it's been fun working with with all three of those guys over in the back left Jared hey Franklin hey Jared um kind of following up on that uh Nick was able to rush for a touchdown multiple touchdown catchers multiple touchdown passers um how hard does that make it for other teams to game plan for you guys yeah that goes back to the kind of the comment I was making earlier about you know um balance and when you're able to bring multiple quarterbacks in and create explosive plays and touchdowns and you're able to bring multiple running backs in and get them involved in the in not only the Run game but also the pass game and tight ends and wide receiver I think we did a good job of that but I still think there's a there's a lot of room for growth there getting other guys touches getting other guys opportunities I think that's really important I think a big one that we talked about is we got to be better on third down and why that is so important is number one so we don't get into a situation in the first half where our defense is on the field too long you look at the play differential um uh in the first half it it you know not not a not a positive for us um so by being better on third down keeps our offense on the field longer and does two very important things it keeps our defense off the field um but the thing it does it creates more offensive plays and whenever you have more plays obviously it creates more opportunities for other guys to get touches or for certain guys to get more touches so um I think those things are real important and then I think you know our defense plays a part in that as well being able to create some three and outs our our offense staying on the field our defense getting off the field and and creating you know more opportunities for touches and more opportunities for explosive plays and more opportunities for for U scoring points in the middle Max hey James hey Max uh we talked a lot in the offseason about the potential of the quarterback room without seeing it yet um what did Kimber and Harris do to earn the start and what are your takeaways from that group as a whole yeah I think you're going to see um a rotation there um we feel like we got six guys that all can play and I think you'll see a little bit of a rotation we'll see how this week goes but um you know different guys starting based on how they practiced that week like a a true competition based on weekly production and and weekly practice habits um you know I think Elliot's another great example you know he played really well on special teams starting in four units and then you know also got reps at corner and made a huge interception which was a Big Time play so um you know I I don't think I would I'd be careful if I was you guys not just a corner but a lot of positions feeling like the guys that started in in day you know in game one are going to be the exact starters uh in week two or throughout the year we got time for two more in the back Ally hey James how you good how are you good how do you attack this week knowing that on the back end is a really early season by week how much do you want to see from your guys before you get a break two games in and how important is this being back at home being able to settle some of those things that might have been challenges on the road yeah this week it I doesn't really change we'll we'll stick to our our normal routine um obviously you know next week having two buys and and how that factors in spend a ton of time you know uh this summer as well as last week um talking to Andrew Nelson about that talking to Tom Allen about that talking to Justin lustig about that talking to Andy codal Nikki about that in terms of what did Kansas do during the bye what did Indiana do during the bye what did Vanderbilt do during the bye um what a what are some of the NFL organization do what are some other programs that we have close connections what do they do uh get with Andrew Nelson about what's what's the appropriate thing to do and any tweaks that that we need to make to our process um and then ALS so the fact again that we got two buys and how do we approach that so um it won't really change anything for this week um but obviously you know next week all those all those things and all those decisions that we made um you know we'll we'll execute them I I don't see a whole lot of changes um because the feedback that we got from a lot of the places that we looked at um are are similar um but we try to do as much after action review as we can um we just got I actually was talking to you know Andrew Nelson this morning about that Nelly uh about training camp uh I wanted him to go back and revisit all the training camp and any suggestions he would make and then me and Ben cerr documented them for next year and already made the adjustments on on next year practice shells you know for training camps some things that we think we could do a little bit better um and then we'll do the same thing after this first by we we'll look at it afterwards and say okay now with the second bye and later in the season and you know obvious wear and tear that's going to occur um you know how do we handle the second bye different than the bye the first bye excuse me so but I don't see a whole lot of changes you know this week in our approach last question Daniel how's it going today James good how are you doing well we we saw a more demonstrative side out of Drew demonstrative like that on on Saturday no did you go to college I I don't know if I should answer that one I want to know and the fact that you're nervous to answer it is unity of Maryland oh turp we overlapped for a year in 2010 2010 nice demonstrative yeah is that a good year 2010th yeah yeah um yeah we saw Drew you know with the official uh after the Cadence we saw him signaling first down now did you guys go back and watch that play on the TV copy what' you guys think can hear some things yeah I'm not about hearing things you got see the guy clapping yeah it's pretty obvious on on TV it's interesting I don't know if everybody saw that but I want to clear that up before I answer your question I think a lot of people thought that that's what they were reviewing that's a non-reviewable play so I think there was some confusion about that as well sorry back to Marilyn and your other questions but we saw um you know draw with with West Virginia players the The Defenders said that this is a different side of Drew that they haven't really seen that much what has it been like bringing that part out of him and and what has it gone what has gone into getting him to be this comfortable and kind of showing the side of him well I think part of it too right is is it's year two for him as the starting quarterback and year three in the program so he shouldn't look the same he shouldn't behave the same there should be growth um there should be more confidence there should be more Swagger um because he's earned that right you know you know confidence is something you earn it's not something that you you know give it's it's something you've earned and you know he's worked really hard and you you see it in his play um you know that stiff arm was a credit to our strength and conditioning program but it's also a credit to Drew and the work that he's put in um and I also think for that to happen on our sideline and for our sideline to see that and see him make a play like that that he has not made in the past um and then to react the way he reacted was was really pretty cool and um you know um I I think all the points you make are are fair um but again I think some of that is is is our Danny O'Brien Andy um cotal Nikki um our coaching about things that he did well last year and things that he needs to do better this year but I think it's also just part of his maturation process and his being comfortable with being the the starting quarterback at at Penn State and everything that comes with it um but but I think you're the word you used I think was a a good word to describe it um and I don't know if I necessarily would have said that I knew that was coming but I sure was glad it it happened thank you very much coach thanks guys