EAST LANSING, Mich. - Penn State head coach James Franklin walked into the visiting team media room deep in the bowels of Spartan Stadium with purpose Saturday night.
His Nittany Lions, falling 27-24 to Michigan State on a walk-off Matt Coghlin 34-yard field goal, had los for the second time in as many weeks. Sending his program to 7-2 on the season and certain to tumble once again in the weekly polls from the No. 2 perch just eight days ago, Franklin was determined to see his program change course.
“At the end of the day, give Michigan State credit. Give Coach Dantonio credit. We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “One of the things that we're going to make sure if there is any gray area whatsoever with our coaches, with our players and with anybody else, we're going to get back to what got us here, which is focusing on being 1-0 and not worrying about anything else whatsoever. You focus on being 1-0 and you achieve that each week then everything else will take care of itself.”
Failing to accomplish that very specific, very present goal in either of the past two weeks, Franklin questioned whether his “young program” had been mature enough to handle the hype that had built around Penn State football.
“So we're going to get back to what I know works, our formula,” he said. “We're not talking about anything else than about handling our business, about being 1-0, about respecting our opponent and getting better every single day at practice and not worrying about anything else besides that.”
First though, they’ll need to examine what went wrong at Spartan Stadium in the course of a game that ended nearly seven full hours after it kicked off.
Let’s dive into the immediate news and notes from the postgame, here:
1) The game itself, of course, lasted just three hours, 35 minutes in actual time, but a weather delay of 3:22 midway through the second quarter created an environment unique in Franklin’s coaching career.
“I’ve been doing this for 23 years. Never been a part of a 3 hours and 22-minute delay,” he said. “We probably don't need to talk about it anymore because it's an excuse.”
With weather entering the Lansing area of central Michigan starting around 1 p.m., the two teams were escorted back to their locker rooms. From there, the Nittany Lions moved from their own locker room into the postgame media room area, some of whom took off their pads and ate some Chick-Fil-A sandwiches.
“I want to give Michigan State credit. They were great,” said Franklin. “Obviously not an ideal situation being in a visiting locker room.
“I’ve never been a part of something like that before. I like to say we have a plan We have a plan for whatever may come. I didn't have anything in my coaching manual about how to handle a 3-hour and 22-minute delay. I'll guarantee you I will have one moving forward. I'll talk to sports scientists, I'll talk to other coaches and I'll go through every detail of what happened today and I'll make sure we have a plan possible to put our kids in position to be successful. We were not prepared for a three-hour and 22-minute delay, but again they had the same delay as we do.”
2) Once Penn State and Michigan State did return to a radically different playing surface, one that was soaked by a pouring rain that would last until 6 p.m., what’d been a 14-7 game in the Nittany Lions’ favor was upended.
Though Penn State had been able to force a three-and-out on its first defensive series out of the locker rooms, the Spartans would go on to earn a field position advantage off a Trace McSorley interception and eventually tie the game. The pick was McSorley’s second of three on the game, and though it wouldn’t lead to points for the Spartans, it all played into a field position battle that the hosts ultimately won out on.
“We didn't win the field-position battle. We didn't win the turnover battle. That to me is the story of the game,” said Franklin. “You turn the ball over three times, you only get one, especially on the road, you're going to have a hard day. You're going to have a long day since the beginning of time.
“We lost the turnover battle. We lost the field-position battle. Explosive plays were a wash. That's the story of the game. It's pretty much that simple.”
3) Defensively, the Nittany Lions had particular trouble in corralling Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke. On the day, he was an integral component to the Spartans' success on third downs, which proved to be one of the game's difference-makers.
On the day, the Spartans converted 10 of 18 third downs, including five of double-digit to-go yardage.
The Spartans signal-caller finished his afternoon completing 33-of-56 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns, but Franklin did not finger his secondary as the biggest culprits in Michigan State’s success.
Instead, with the Spartans taking just two sacks and four tackles for a loss on the day, Franklin said his cobbled-together defensive line and linebackers were not creating enough pressure.
“We're not getting to the quarterback enough. That's showed up the last couple weeks. They're getting to us and getting pressure on our quarterback,” he said. “We rush four, we're not getting there. We rush five, we're not getting there. We rush six, we're not getting there. We're not getting the quarterback consistently enough.
“Can we cover better? Yes. But I'm going to tell you the best thing for coverage is pressuring and sacking the quarterback.”
From its place two weeks ago among the nation’s best in both team tackles for loss (59 TFLs, No. 4 nationally) and team sacks (24 sacks, No. 4 nationally), the Nittany Lions have since generated just 10 TFLs and only four sacks the past two games.
Against two of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten, with receivers who made big catches, the Nittany Lions have paid.
“I think that was a really good quarterback. I thought he was really good on film; I thought he was really good today,” said Franklin. “He's poised. He's accurate. He can throw on the run. He can throw from the pocket and he's got mobility. He's a really good quarterback. I had a lot of respect for him coming in today, got more respect after watching him play. You've got to give them credit, but that's part of our issue. Do we need to cover better? No doubt about it, but we need to get the quarterback more consistently.”
4) Offensively, Franklin bemoaned a running game that has virtually disappeared since the start of the Big Ten season.
Against conference-only competition, the Nittany Lions entered the game ranked eighth in the league and are likely to fall further after back-to-back lackluster performances. Especially against a Michigan State team among the nation’s best in stopping the run, and weather conditions demanding a ball-control offense, Franklin noted his Nittany Lions were in trouble. Said Franklin, “Offensively we have to be able to get a running game going, magnified on a day like today. We have got to get a running game going.”
Carrying the ball 21 times for the day, the Nittany Lions were held to just 65 yards on the ground against the Spartans, highlighted by a 36-yard carry for Saquon Barkley in the third quarter.
Boiling the issue down beyond the numbers of Barkley, though, Franklin said the Nittany Lion offense would need to re-evaluate and correct its offensive performances.
“Saquon didn't struggle today. Our offense struggled at times today and we haven't been running the ball consistently this year. So it's not a Saquon issue. It's a team issue and we're going to work to get it corrected. If we have to go back to the old inside drill and just do that everyday at practice we're going to get it corrected,” he said. “We're going to become more of a hard-nosed team up front on both sides of the ball, offense and defense, tight end, O-line, running backs – everybody. We have to be more physical right now. We're not right now. We're too finesse.”
5) The big question for the Nittany Lions moving forward is how they’ll mesh Franklin’s postgame message belittling goal-setting against the preseason goals that helped carry the team to its 7-0 start.
According to Barkley, those two competing ideas aren’t necessarily exclusive and apart from each other. Rather, aiming to recommit to doing what’s necessary to finish football games and focus on the minutia of improvement, the Nittany Lions will forge ahead.
“The way we continue to move forward is do what we do best. Come in the next day and come to work,” said Barkley. “It starts in the weight room and obviously it starts on the practice field. Learn from mistakes and move on.
“We felt like as leaders we were doing a good job, but when you're Coach Franklin and those guys, they've been doing it for so much longer than we've been playing football. When they challenge you, you've got accept that challenge. That starts with the leaders we have to get ourselves back to who we are and stay true to ourselves.”
Extras)
- Franklin offered no injury updates, per usual. Ryan Bates and Ryan Buchholz did not make the trip. Andrew Nelson warmed up with the team and practiced this week, but did not play.
- Trace McSorley said he is looking forward to getting back for a game at Beaver Stadium. No surprise, but playing on the road in the Big Ten is a challenge.
- McSorley now owns the Penn State record for career passing touchdowns, eclipsing Christian Hackenberg’s 48 and finishing the day with 51.
His Nittany Lions, falling 27-24 to Michigan State on a walk-off Matt Coghlin 34-yard field goal, had los for the second time in as many weeks. Sending his program to 7-2 on the season and certain to tumble once again in the weekly polls from the No. 2 perch just eight days ago, Franklin was determined to see his program change course.
“At the end of the day, give Michigan State credit. Give Coach Dantonio credit. We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “One of the things that we're going to make sure if there is any gray area whatsoever with our coaches, with our players and with anybody else, we're going to get back to what got us here, which is focusing on being 1-0 and not worrying about anything else whatsoever. You focus on being 1-0 and you achieve that each week then everything else will take care of itself.”
Failing to accomplish that very specific, very present goal in either of the past two weeks, Franklin questioned whether his “young program” had been mature enough to handle the hype that had built around Penn State football.
“So we're going to get back to what I know works, our formula,” he said. “We're not talking about anything else than about handling our business, about being 1-0, about respecting our opponent and getting better every single day at practice and not worrying about anything else besides that.”
First though, they’ll need to examine what went wrong at Spartan Stadium in the course of a game that ended nearly seven full hours after it kicked off.
Let’s dive into the immediate news and notes from the postgame, here:
1) The game itself, of course, lasted just three hours, 35 minutes in actual time, but a weather delay of 3:22 midway through the second quarter created an environment unique in Franklin’s coaching career.
“I’ve been doing this for 23 years. Never been a part of a 3 hours and 22-minute delay,” he said. “We probably don't need to talk about it anymore because it's an excuse.”
With weather entering the Lansing area of central Michigan starting around 1 p.m., the two teams were escorted back to their locker rooms. From there, the Nittany Lions moved from their own locker room into the postgame media room area, some of whom took off their pads and ate some Chick-Fil-A sandwiches.
“I want to give Michigan State credit. They were great,” said Franklin. “Obviously not an ideal situation being in a visiting locker room.
“I’ve never been a part of something like that before. I like to say we have a plan We have a plan for whatever may come. I didn't have anything in my coaching manual about how to handle a 3-hour and 22-minute delay. I'll guarantee you I will have one moving forward. I'll talk to sports scientists, I'll talk to other coaches and I'll go through every detail of what happened today and I'll make sure we have a plan possible to put our kids in position to be successful. We were not prepared for a three-hour and 22-minute delay, but again they had the same delay as we do.”
2) Once Penn State and Michigan State did return to a radically different playing surface, one that was soaked by a pouring rain that would last until 6 p.m., what’d been a 14-7 game in the Nittany Lions’ favor was upended.
Though Penn State had been able to force a three-and-out on its first defensive series out of the locker rooms, the Spartans would go on to earn a field position advantage off a Trace McSorley interception and eventually tie the game. The pick was McSorley’s second of three on the game, and though it wouldn’t lead to points for the Spartans, it all played into a field position battle that the hosts ultimately won out on.
“We didn't win the field-position battle. We didn't win the turnover battle. That to me is the story of the game,” said Franklin. “You turn the ball over three times, you only get one, especially on the road, you're going to have a hard day. You're going to have a long day since the beginning of time.
“We lost the turnover battle. We lost the field-position battle. Explosive plays were a wash. That's the story of the game. It's pretty much that simple.”
3) Defensively, the Nittany Lions had particular trouble in corralling Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke. On the day, he was an integral component to the Spartans' success on third downs, which proved to be one of the game's difference-makers.
On the day, the Spartans converted 10 of 18 third downs, including five of double-digit to-go yardage.
The Spartans signal-caller finished his afternoon completing 33-of-56 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns, but Franklin did not finger his secondary as the biggest culprits in Michigan State’s success.
Instead, with the Spartans taking just two sacks and four tackles for a loss on the day, Franklin said his cobbled-together defensive line and linebackers were not creating enough pressure.
“We're not getting to the quarterback enough. That's showed up the last couple weeks. They're getting to us and getting pressure on our quarterback,” he said. “We rush four, we're not getting there. We rush five, we're not getting there. We rush six, we're not getting there. We're not getting the quarterback consistently enough.
“Can we cover better? Yes. But I'm going to tell you the best thing for coverage is pressuring and sacking the quarterback.”
From its place two weeks ago among the nation’s best in both team tackles for loss (59 TFLs, No. 4 nationally) and team sacks (24 sacks, No. 4 nationally), the Nittany Lions have since generated just 10 TFLs and only four sacks the past two games.
Against two of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten, with receivers who made big catches, the Nittany Lions have paid.
“I think that was a really good quarterback. I thought he was really good on film; I thought he was really good today,” said Franklin. “He's poised. He's accurate. He can throw on the run. He can throw from the pocket and he's got mobility. He's a really good quarterback. I had a lot of respect for him coming in today, got more respect after watching him play. You've got to give them credit, but that's part of our issue. Do we need to cover better? No doubt about it, but we need to get the quarterback more consistently.”
4) Offensively, Franklin bemoaned a running game that has virtually disappeared since the start of the Big Ten season.
Against conference-only competition, the Nittany Lions entered the game ranked eighth in the league and are likely to fall further after back-to-back lackluster performances. Especially against a Michigan State team among the nation’s best in stopping the run, and weather conditions demanding a ball-control offense, Franklin noted his Nittany Lions were in trouble. Said Franklin, “Offensively we have to be able to get a running game going, magnified on a day like today. We have got to get a running game going.”
Carrying the ball 21 times for the day, the Nittany Lions were held to just 65 yards on the ground against the Spartans, highlighted by a 36-yard carry for Saquon Barkley in the third quarter.
Boiling the issue down beyond the numbers of Barkley, though, Franklin said the Nittany Lion offense would need to re-evaluate and correct its offensive performances.
“Saquon didn't struggle today. Our offense struggled at times today and we haven't been running the ball consistently this year. So it's not a Saquon issue. It's a team issue and we're going to work to get it corrected. If we have to go back to the old inside drill and just do that everyday at practice we're going to get it corrected,” he said. “We're going to become more of a hard-nosed team up front on both sides of the ball, offense and defense, tight end, O-line, running backs – everybody. We have to be more physical right now. We're not right now. We're too finesse.”
5) The big question for the Nittany Lions moving forward is how they’ll mesh Franklin’s postgame message belittling goal-setting against the preseason goals that helped carry the team to its 7-0 start.
According to Barkley, those two competing ideas aren’t necessarily exclusive and apart from each other. Rather, aiming to recommit to doing what’s necessary to finish football games and focus on the minutia of improvement, the Nittany Lions will forge ahead.
“The way we continue to move forward is do what we do best. Come in the next day and come to work,” said Barkley. “It starts in the weight room and obviously it starts on the practice field. Learn from mistakes and move on.
“We felt like as leaders we were doing a good job, but when you're Coach Franklin and those guys, they've been doing it for so much longer than we've been playing football. When they challenge you, you've got accept that challenge. That starts with the leaders we have to get ourselves back to who we are and stay true to ourselves.”
Extras)
- Franklin offered no injury updates, per usual. Ryan Bates and Ryan Buchholz did not make the trip. Andrew Nelson warmed up with the team and practiced this week, but did not play.
- Trace McSorley said he is looking forward to getting back for a game at Beaver Stadium. No surprise, but playing on the road in the Big Ten is a challenge.
- McSorley now owns the Penn State record for career passing touchdowns, eclipsing Christian Hackenberg’s 48 and finishing the day with 51.
