Penn State held its final Wednesday practice availability of the 2017 regular season this evening at Holuba Hall, opening its doors for the final few minutes of work before offering interviews with head coach James Franklin and corner Amani Oruwariye.
With a smaller crowd of media on hand due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Franklin took questions for a few more minutes than normal, many of which weren’t directly related to practice or the Nittany Lions’ upcoming game at Maryland.
Still, let’s run through some of the news and notes items from practice, Franklin’s and Oruwariye’s comments.
Video first:
1) Ryan Buchholz and Ryan Bates were again in pads in practice Wednesday night. I did not see either take reps during the portions of practice I was able to see, but I was concentrating more on the defensive side of the ball.
I would expect a similar circumstance to last week as both Bates and Buchholz were in attendance at practice and were dressed with the team during pregame warmups Saturday.
No indication whether or not they’ll be available to play, obviously, but Franklin seems to be laying the groundwork over the past few weeks for a possible return - at minimum, for Buchholz.
2) One of the unique aspects of this week’s game - every year - is the reality that State College becomes a ghost town, particularly among the college set.
So, in a lot of ways, these guys’ friends and social circles outside of the immediacy of the team have all gone home for Thanksgiving break. Classes are shut down for the week, the HUB isn’t a bustling place, and really, the players themselves are just spending their time at their apartments and the Lasch Building.
Asked about what the week is like for the players, Oruwariye described it this way:
“Normal practice. Obviously tomorrow we'll have an early morning practice so we can spend the day with family on Thanksgiving,” he said. “But it's a normal week, just extra time in the morning. Instead of classes we can come in, research the film, work out and just try to work on your craft.”
And, to little surprise, the increased time and attention on the game without the obligations of an academic workload can end up paying dividends.
Said Oruwariye, “It's definitely (beneficial). We're treated pretty much like NFL players right now. We don't have any class responsibilities, so we just try to take advantage of that as best as possible.”
3) Though Penn State and James Franklin have played Maryland as recently as the 2015 season, the weekend game marks the first time for the former Terrapins’ assistant back in Maryland Stadium since his time coaching there.
The wide receivers coach beginning in 2000, Franklin was kept on as Ralph Friedgen’s assistant following the departure of Ron Vanderlinden, and remained there until he left for the Green Bay Packers in 2005. A second stint brought Franklin back to Maryland for the 2008-2010 seasons before he took his first head coaching position at Vanderbilt for the 2011 season.
Noting that he has considered what it will be like going back to Maryland, Franklin noted the many people from the program he still has relationships with, and what it will mean to go back to Maryland.
“It's the first time kind of going back in the stadium. I know what the visiting locker room was like. That's going to create some challenges like a lot of the visiting locker rooms in the big Ten. But yeah, it's going to be cool,” he said. “At the end of the day, it's going to be about the game. But for a lot of my staff. Jemal Griffin was there with me and Kevin Threlkil was there with me. Jemal was a high school coach in the area. I don't usually use a whole lot of tickets, but I'm using a decent amount of tickets this week. Not like the players. To be honest, I use like four or five a game, but I'll probably use 20-22.”
*****
A little shorter, but that’ll be it from me tonight. If you guys have any questions or comments, feel free to ask them here and I’ll do my best to answer whatever I can.
With a smaller crowd of media on hand due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Franklin took questions for a few more minutes than normal, many of which weren’t directly related to practice or the Nittany Lions’ upcoming game at Maryland.
Still, let’s run through some of the news and notes items from practice, Franklin’s and Oruwariye’s comments.
Video first:
1) Ryan Buchholz and Ryan Bates were again in pads in practice Wednesday night. I did not see either take reps during the portions of practice I was able to see, but I was concentrating more on the defensive side of the ball.
I would expect a similar circumstance to last week as both Bates and Buchholz were in attendance at practice and were dressed with the team during pregame warmups Saturday.
No indication whether or not they’ll be available to play, obviously, but Franklin seems to be laying the groundwork over the past few weeks for a possible return - at minimum, for Buchholz.
2) One of the unique aspects of this week’s game - every year - is the reality that State College becomes a ghost town, particularly among the college set.
So, in a lot of ways, these guys’ friends and social circles outside of the immediacy of the team have all gone home for Thanksgiving break. Classes are shut down for the week, the HUB isn’t a bustling place, and really, the players themselves are just spending their time at their apartments and the Lasch Building.
Asked about what the week is like for the players, Oruwariye described it this way:
“Normal practice. Obviously tomorrow we'll have an early morning practice so we can spend the day with family on Thanksgiving,” he said. “But it's a normal week, just extra time in the morning. Instead of classes we can come in, research the film, work out and just try to work on your craft.”
And, to little surprise, the increased time and attention on the game without the obligations of an academic workload can end up paying dividends.
Said Oruwariye, “It's definitely (beneficial). We're treated pretty much like NFL players right now. We don't have any class responsibilities, so we just try to take advantage of that as best as possible.”
3) Though Penn State and James Franklin have played Maryland as recently as the 2015 season, the weekend game marks the first time for the former Terrapins’ assistant back in Maryland Stadium since his time coaching there.
The wide receivers coach beginning in 2000, Franklin was kept on as Ralph Friedgen’s assistant following the departure of Ron Vanderlinden, and remained there until he left for the Green Bay Packers in 2005. A second stint brought Franklin back to Maryland for the 2008-2010 seasons before he took his first head coaching position at Vanderbilt for the 2011 season.
Noting that he has considered what it will be like going back to Maryland, Franklin noted the many people from the program he still has relationships with, and what it will mean to go back to Maryland.
“It's the first time kind of going back in the stadium. I know what the visiting locker room was like. That's going to create some challenges like a lot of the visiting locker rooms in the big Ten. But yeah, it's going to be cool,” he said. “At the end of the day, it's going to be about the game. But for a lot of my staff. Jemal Griffin was there with me and Kevin Threlkil was there with me. Jemal was a high school coach in the area. I don't usually use a whole lot of tickets, but I'm using a decent amount of tickets this week. Not like the players. To be honest, I use like four or five a game, but I'll probably use 20-22.”
*****
A little shorter, but that’ll be it from me tonight. If you guys have any questions or comments, feel free to ask them here and I’ll do my best to answer whatever I can.
