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What James Franklin said ahead of Penn State’s B1G East showdown vs. Michigan
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After peaking at No. 4 in early October, James Franklin’s Nittany Lions have been on a slide dropping back-to-back games against Illinois and No. 6 Ohio State after losing to Iowa on Oct. 9.
No. 23 Penn State managed to put a notch in the win column for the first time in over 30 days on Saturday against Maryland. The Nittany Lions scored the final 17 points during their 31-14 victory over the Terrapins in College Park.
This week Franklin and the 6-3 Nittany Lions welcome No. 9 Michigan to Happy Valley for a Saturday afternoon for a classic November B1G East showdown.
The Penn State head coach met with the media on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the Wolverines.
Franklin said the run game took a positive step again vs. Maryland.
"I also want us to be in a position that if we need to run the ball 30, 40 times a game to win that we can do that."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 9, 2021
On Ji'Ayir Brown: "He just continues to make plays and be around the ball. I think his future is really bright. I do. … I also think about some of those young guys in backup roles (at safety) who have two really good guys in front of them to learn from."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 9, 2021
Franklin on WR Malick Meiga who is "one of the faster players we have on the team." Says Meiga and Parker Washington are always together.
"I think he has a chance the rest of the season and longterm to be that home run threat for us," he said of Meiga.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 9, 2021
James Franklin on DT Fred Hansard: "The optics of it don’t look great. I do wanna say this: Fred Hansard has been here for 4 years. He’s been a model citizen."
The Big Ten did reach out and PSU will suspend Hansard for the first half of the game this week, Franklin said.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 9, 2021
Jaylen Reed will continue to play, James Franklin said, despite being at four-game redshirt threshold. Penn State freshman safety has been good this season.
— Greg Pickel (@GregPickel) November 9, 2021
"The priority for us is keeping the '22 class intact," Franklin said. Early signing period is a little more than a month out.
Franklin mentions the start of the '23 class as well & wanting to stack recruiting classes.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 9, 2021
James Franklin's weekly news conference going on now:
"Josh Gattis, their offensive coordinator. Obviously everyone on this call knows we go way back."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 9, 2021
Franklin on stopping the run game: "I think we've done that pretty much all year except for the Illinois game…That's gonna be a challenge come Saturday, because that's a big part of who [Michigan] is."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 9, 2021
Franklin on preparing for Michigan: "One of the things I was shocked by is the amount of times that we have played Michigan…I was kinda shocked we've only played them 24 times."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 9, 2021
Franklin: "We need this place rocking on Saturday…The breakfast and brunch tailgating will be phenomenal. We need everybody in the stadium as early as possible."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 9, 2021
James Franklin says, "I thought Jesse Luketa's and Jon Sutherland's leadership on the sidelines and the locker room was significant."
Luketa and Sutherland were unavailable to play on Saturday because of injuries, but they made the trip to College Park.
— Elton Hayes (@EHDC12) November 9, 2021
Franklin analyzes the offensive line up to this point: "For the most part, in pass protection, pretty good. I think we need to be more consistent and physical in the run game.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 9, 2021
Franklin on stacking wins at end of season: "We've been able to get some guys back from a health perspective…Being able to finish the season on a positive note is really important."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 9, 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.