James Franklin was back in front of reporters after a week off on Monday to talk about all things Oregon and Whiteout week. You can read the full transcript HERE or get the synopsis by reading below.
Opening
Statement
Some notable portions of the opening statement included Franklin talking about Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who the Lions heavily recruited, as well as Franklin’s relationship with Ducks’ special teams coach Joe Lorig, who previously coached at Penn State. Franklin said all the positive things you’d expect about a 4-0 defending conference champion and how Penn State would have a tremendous opportunity on Saturday night.
Comparing QBs
Franklin was asked to compare Dante Moore to Dillon Gabriel, Oregon’s starter last year. Franklin noted that Moore might run a bit more, but that both were good athletes and did a good job within Oregon’s system.
On Pry
Brent Pry, Franklin’s former longtime defensive coordinator was fired at Virginia Tech, and Franklin was asked if he had been in contact with his friend. He noted that he had text with Pry, while Franklin’s wife has also sent text messages to Pry’s wife.
Mixing Coverages
Franklin was asked about a comment that Jim Knowles had about facing Oregon’s offense and the challenges the Ducks create with alignments. Franklin noted that his defense prepares for some of that by seeing Penn State’s own offense each day in practice. From there, Franklin went on to note how Penn State has some more zone coverages and zone blitzes that they didn’t have last season when they played Oregon as Tom Allen relied more heavily on man-to-man defenses.
Bye Week Emphasis
In a question about what the offense focused on during the off week, Franklin mentioned the importance of self scouting and some tendencies that the coaches and players were able to identify. He also noted that both sides of the ball need to be better in third down situations, while Franklin also stressed the importance of a fast start against an Oregon team that usually hits the ground running.
Assessing the Defense
Asked what he had learned about the defense in the first few weeks, Franklin said that the group has developed some depth and young guys (namely Chaz Coleman and Daryus Dixon) have emerged. He said the communication is getting better and that the unit is starting to play faster.
Tightening the Rotation
There was a follow-up question about how the defense emphasizes the presence of Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant. It turned into an answer where Franklin mentioned that while the team has wanted to build depth on defense, this would be a week where they tried to maximize the usage of their top players.
Health Update
Franklin said Penn State was in a good spot health wise with the early bye.
Wide Receiver Talk
Franklin was asked about some of the young wide receivers and their ability. He said that the team was working to build chemistry with its starters, but that Tyseer Denmark and Coby Howard are capable players.
Redshirt Update
Dixon and Coleman remain the only two players who are certain “green lights” at this point, but that there are a few other guys who are trending to more playing time like Howard at wide receiver.
Singleton’s Mindset
More questions about Singleton and Franklin reiterated what he said following the game against Villanova. He wants his senior running back to stop trying to be a perfect back, since none are, and just “let it rip” on game day. Franklin added that Singleton has had a great career.
Not Being Vanilla
Franklin addressed the idea head on that Penn State was being vanilla or holding things back in its non-conference schedule. He said that while it’s certainly true that his team might have concepts or variations that it will more heavily feature against Oregon, the game plan is always adapted each week with an eye on the opponent and an eye on what the Lions want to emphasize.
White Out Energy
It’s a big environment and it’s a big game. Franklin said his team takes about eight seconds to soak all of that in and then they need to play football.
Safety Talk
This was a long answer that is worth checking out. What started as a question about King Mack earning the starting spot at safety led to Franklin talking a lot about the consistency that is necessary to play at Penn State with mention of several players and their progression.
Obviously Count: A season-high 27!
