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Here’s what Penn State coach James Franklin said at his weekly press conference
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With a 16-10 win over B1G foe Wisconsin on the road, head coach James Franklin has the Penn State football team ready to head home for four consecutive home games in Beaver Stadium, with Ball State coming to town this weekend.
The two programs have never met, and Ball State opened play in 2021 with a 31-21 victory over Western Illinois. Last season, the Cardinals captured the Mid-American Conference championship, finishing up 2020 with a 7-1 record.
The Nittany Lions will be looking to bring an end to Ball State’s eight-game win streak, while Penn State is riding a five-game streak of their own. WIthout having played in front of a home crowd since November 2019, kickoff on Saturday will be an exciting one in Happy Valley.
Franklin took to the microphone on Tuesday to talk about the upcoming game with Ball State and ……
Here is some of what the coach had to say.
James Franklin's weekly news conference is underway. Players of the game vs. Wisconsin…. (Franklin didn't name anyone so here are my picks)
Offense: WR Jahan Dotson
Defense: All of it.
Special teams: P Jordan Stout— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) September 7, 2021
Why didn't Jake Pinegar handle the shorter field goal like he did in previous seasons?
"That's more than a fair question. It really came down to camp," Franklin said. "Based on all the numbers of training camp (Stout) won the job. That's a lot on his plate."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) September 7, 2021
James Franklin on his weekly tweet being 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 now as opposed to Ball State, Ball State, Ball State….
It's bc the opposing fan base doesn't get it.
"I don't want other people misinterpreting what we're talking about."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) September 7, 2021
Does Penn State have a solution at left guard? "We'll decide that this week."
Saw a lot of Eric Wilson in the second half and Franklin said Wilson did some nice things and Whigan did too.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) September 7, 2021
On the special teams penalties from Sat.: "I thought it was a bang-bang play. It's one of those plays that could be interpreted either way. We're not upset with A.J. (Lytton). … AJ did it the way we coach it to be done."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) September 7, 2021
James Franklin full of praise for Ji'Ayir Brown today.
On his recruitment: "He came to camp. He came to camp and earned it."
Said he loves that about him.
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) September 7, 2021
Notes from James Franklin's quick Wisconsin review:
-"It was a noisy, rainy, 11 am kick, and I felt like we were prepared for all of it."
-"Our defense played championship-level defense all day long."
-Snap/hold/kick must improve on FG/XP misses
-4-min offense has to get better— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) September 7, 2021
Last Saturday, Penn State started Anthony Whigan at left guard but we saw a lot of Harvard transfer Eric Wilson there.
James Franklin says his staff will assess how things went at Wisconsin, combined with this week of practice, to determine who plays and how much in Game 2.
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) September 7, 2021
Regarding Ellis Brooks' ejection: James Franklin believes that the reduction in tackling in practice, per NCAA, along with the targeting rules have affected player's ability to tackle correctly. "It's a challenging thing for our game and we're going to have ongoing discussions."
— Kyle J. Andrews (@KyleJAndrews_) September 7, 2021
#PennState coach James Franklin says there should be a discussion after season with coaches, AFCA, officials, doctors about targeting, and how it's called. Refers to "a bunch" of targeting calls in #OleMiss–#Louisville game.
"It's a challenging thing right now for our game."
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 7, 2021
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.