Penn State head coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions opened the doors to its practice briefly Wednesday night as the No. 7-ranked program (7-1 overall, 4-1 B1G) continues its preparations in advance of a Saturday afternoon date at Michigan State (6-2, 4-1).
Due to rain blanketing Happy Valley throughout the day, the Nittany Lions moved their practice inside to Holuba Hall, where they wrapped up before Franklin and quarterback Trace McSorley took questions afterward.
Let’s dive right into some of the news and notes from the session, including some of Franklin’s post-practice comments:
1) Let’s start on the defensive side of the ball with the absence of end Ryan Buchholz from the first play of the Ohio State game on. Though he could be seen in street clothes at the end of the game walking off on his own power with the aid of a CAM boot on his left ankle/foot and a pair of crutches, Buchholz appears unlikely to return to action at Michigan State on Saturday.
Instead, the contingency plan that has needed to be put in effect given the losses now of both Torrence Brown for the season and Buchholz for this unspecified amount of time, seems to be in action. Lining up opposite Shareef Miller, defensive tackle Kevin Givens bumped out to the other end spot with Rob Windsor and Curtis Cothran manning the tackle spots. Parker Cothren was at practice and dressed, but per usual at this time of the season for some of Penn State’s veterans, he appeared to be given at least the end of practice off. Ellison Jordan also saw at least one rep as well with that group defensively.
2) One other note to make here regarding Penn State’s defensive side of the ball and potential injury issues to arise from the Ohio State game:
Christian Campbell, leaving against the Buckeyes twice due to injury and clearly having his left shoulder wrapped, was back out and participating at practice Wednesday night. He, along with Miller, was one of a rash of Penn State’s defensive players to miss action against the Buckeyes.
3) Offensively, similar adjustments are being made in the absence of starting left tackle Ryan Bates, who left the Ohio State game in the third quarter and, though he attempted to come back, was unable to finish it out.
The one notable change here appeared at right tackle, when Andrew Nelson saw reps for the first time that I can remember in the practice dating back to his unspecified injury.
The second team line looked like this:
Gellerstedt, Miranda, Simpson, Menet, Nelson
Which means the first team line is likely to be the one that closed out the Ohio State game, which was Wright, Mahon, McGovern, Gonzo and Fries.
Franklin had this to say about the situation:
“I think we’re pretty set with what we’re going to do. Sometimes you’re waiting for things from the training staff or sometimes you’re waiting for things from a competition standpoint, but I think we’re pretty set in what we’re going to do,” he said. “I think what we’re probably still working on is getting reps in terms of contingency plans if we get more injuries, where do we go from there and those types of things."
To be absolutely clear, Franklin offered no confirmation in any direction as to the status of Bates or Buchholz.
4) Asked about Penn State’s task in overcoming the loss to the Buckeyes and then the challenge it will face in traveling to take on Michigan State, Franklin acknowledged the Spartans’ strengths and the overall feel of the program as it has narrowed in on the process that has brought it thus far.
“It’s business as usual,” said Franklin. “We’ve had a good week. We have some things we need to get cleaned up still, but that’s typical for this time of week. I feel good with where we’re at.
“We’ve got a real challenge going on the road against a real good opponent. Coach has done a great job. They’re always tough on defense, they’re always going to have a few wrinkles that cause some challenges from a protection standpoint or on offense the play-action pass perspective. Our biggest challenge is probably (quarterback Brian) Lewerke. I think he does a really good job with his mobility. We gotta get ready. We’ll finish off this week with good preparation and go on the road and play well.”
5) On game planning for the Spartans, Franklin was asked about the similarities he has previously acknowledged between Michigan State and Michigan, and the benefits that might present coming just a few weeks after Penn State prepared for and topped the Wolverines.
“I think it always helps when you’ve played someone that has a similar style and we’ve game planned for that style already during the season. The different responsibilities that we’re asking the guys to do, all those things, the recall is important,” said Franklin. “I think our guys, our coaches and our players feel better after this being our second opponent like this, but obviously each team has their own little wrinkles and things they emphasize that can still be problematic. That will be a challenge.”
*****
That’s going to be it from me tonight, guys.
Video of Franklin and McSorley is uploading now and will be added as soon as it's in. And as always, feel free to present comments/questions and I'll do my best to address them tonight.
Due to rain blanketing Happy Valley throughout the day, the Nittany Lions moved their practice inside to Holuba Hall, where they wrapped up before Franklin and quarterback Trace McSorley took questions afterward.
Let’s dive right into some of the news and notes from the session, including some of Franklin’s post-practice comments:
1) Let’s start on the defensive side of the ball with the absence of end Ryan Buchholz from the first play of the Ohio State game on. Though he could be seen in street clothes at the end of the game walking off on his own power with the aid of a CAM boot on his left ankle/foot and a pair of crutches, Buchholz appears unlikely to return to action at Michigan State on Saturday.
Instead, the contingency plan that has needed to be put in effect given the losses now of both Torrence Brown for the season and Buchholz for this unspecified amount of time, seems to be in action. Lining up opposite Shareef Miller, defensive tackle Kevin Givens bumped out to the other end spot with Rob Windsor and Curtis Cothran manning the tackle spots. Parker Cothren was at practice and dressed, but per usual at this time of the season for some of Penn State’s veterans, he appeared to be given at least the end of practice off. Ellison Jordan also saw at least one rep as well with that group defensively.
2) One other note to make here regarding Penn State’s defensive side of the ball and potential injury issues to arise from the Ohio State game:
Christian Campbell, leaving against the Buckeyes twice due to injury and clearly having his left shoulder wrapped, was back out and participating at practice Wednesday night. He, along with Miller, was one of a rash of Penn State’s defensive players to miss action against the Buckeyes.
3) Offensively, similar adjustments are being made in the absence of starting left tackle Ryan Bates, who left the Ohio State game in the third quarter and, though he attempted to come back, was unable to finish it out.
The one notable change here appeared at right tackle, when Andrew Nelson saw reps for the first time that I can remember in the practice dating back to his unspecified injury.
The second team line looked like this:
Gellerstedt, Miranda, Simpson, Menet, Nelson
Which means the first team line is likely to be the one that closed out the Ohio State game, which was Wright, Mahon, McGovern, Gonzo and Fries.
Franklin had this to say about the situation:
“I think we’re pretty set with what we’re going to do. Sometimes you’re waiting for things from the training staff or sometimes you’re waiting for things from a competition standpoint, but I think we’re pretty set in what we’re going to do,” he said. “I think what we’re probably still working on is getting reps in terms of contingency plans if we get more injuries, where do we go from there and those types of things."
To be absolutely clear, Franklin offered no confirmation in any direction as to the status of Bates or Buchholz.
4) Asked about Penn State’s task in overcoming the loss to the Buckeyes and then the challenge it will face in traveling to take on Michigan State, Franklin acknowledged the Spartans’ strengths and the overall feel of the program as it has narrowed in on the process that has brought it thus far.
“It’s business as usual,” said Franklin. “We’ve had a good week. We have some things we need to get cleaned up still, but that’s typical for this time of week. I feel good with where we’re at.
“We’ve got a real challenge going on the road against a real good opponent. Coach has done a great job. They’re always tough on defense, they’re always going to have a few wrinkles that cause some challenges from a protection standpoint or on offense the play-action pass perspective. Our biggest challenge is probably (quarterback Brian) Lewerke. I think he does a really good job with his mobility. We gotta get ready. We’ll finish off this week with good preparation and go on the road and play well.”
5) On game planning for the Spartans, Franklin was asked about the similarities he has previously acknowledged between Michigan State and Michigan, and the benefits that might present coming just a few weeks after Penn State prepared for and topped the Wolverines.
“I think it always helps when you’ve played someone that has a similar style and we’ve game planned for that style already during the season. The different responsibilities that we’re asking the guys to do, all those things, the recall is important,” said Franklin. “I think our guys, our coaches and our players feel better after this being our second opponent like this, but obviously each team has their own little wrinkles and things they emphasize that can still be problematic. That will be a challenge.”
*****
That’s going to be it from me tonight, guys.
Video of Franklin and McSorley is uploading now and will be added as soon as it's in. And as always, feel free to present comments/questions and I'll do my best to address them tonight.
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