James Franklin media availability takeaways (9/6)
James Franklin met with the media after Penn State's practice on Wednesday.
OFFENSE - ZACH SEYCO
Penn State football is (1-0) after a 38-15 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Nittany Lions opened up practice to the media, once again. Here are some observations about the offense heading into Delaware.
- Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar should have no issues picking up right where he left off in the win against West Virginia. Allar looked sharp and had command of all his passes. The Mountaineers did Allar a favor by challenging him with their game plan. It allowed him to find his comfort zone early in a contest with less pressure.
- Transfer wide receiver Malik McClain was garnering praise from head coach James Franklin, specifically over his route running. For someone who is 6-foot-4, McClain is very quick cutting in and out of his breaks. I expect McClain’s role in the offense to grow even more after his performance against West Virginia.
- Sophomore wideout Omari Evans was taking reps at practice. Evans was designated as questionable heading into the season opener. Coach Franklin has not specified when Evans could see action on game-days. Evans did not seem to be hampered by any physical ailments.
- Startling left tackle Olu Fashanu looked as dominant as he could in the few reps we could see. True freshman guard Anthony Donkoh was working alongside Fashanu in drills. Donkoh is a name to keep an eye on, as Franklin has been impressed with his development thus far.
- Offensive lineman were working in tandems as a part of live contact drills against the scout team's interior defensive front. Double teams and pulling were the emphasis.
- A quick defensive note: True sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter was participating at practice. Carter was charged with a misdemeanor. Coach Franklin said that his discipline was handled internally.
- On the injury side of things... Omari Evans and Hunter Nourzad were both practicing on Wednesday. Evans missed last week's game, while Nourzad has been dealing with a few bumps and bruises, per James Franklin. Both appear on track to play Saturday but Franklin remained non-committal on Evans playing. Notably, JB Nelson was not seen at practice, which could be something to watch.
Zach is the host of the Locked On Nittany Lions podcast. Subscribe to the show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Zach on X, @zach_seyko.
DEFENSE - ZANE BRANCEFIELD
- After tackling was an issue last week against West Virginia as well as a lack of turnovers, that appeared to be the emphasis during out portion of practice. FWIW, the tackling looked improved from Saturday, but until Saturday, its hard to say how much improvement there really is.
- The Nittany Lions defensive line was working on forcing fumbles and strip sacks while everyone else worked on tackling and interceptions.
- Freshman DE Jameial Lyons was going through the drills with the defensive line, which is notable. He saw a brief time on the field last week against West Virginia and could be in line for more playing time this week.
- Injury wise - Amin Vanover and Daequan Hardy were both practicing with Penn State's development squad, which likely means both will once again be out on Saturday. Coziah Izzard was nowhere to be seen either for the Nittany Lions.
