Ad Disclosure
What James Franklin said after Penn State’s victory over Illinois
Published:
Junior Jahan Dotson caught six passes for 189 yards and a score and freshman Caziah Holmes ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns as the Penn State Nittany Lions routed the Illinois Fighting Illini, 56-21, on Saturday at Beaver Stadium in State College.
Illinois, who announced the hiring of Bret Bielema prior to the game, hung with the Nittany Lions for the first 15 minutes, but was shutout in the final three quarters.
Beginning the season 0-5, Penn State has now won four-straight contests, while the Fighting Illini fell to 2-6.
Addressing the media postgame, head coach James Franklin thanked an often-overlooked group, the grounds crew, and stated the importance of his offense overcoming a first-quarter fumble by redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford.
Franklin opened his press conference by thanking the grounds crew and OPP.
"We had a ton of snow this week. You wouldn't know it with the condition the field was in."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
Franklin: "We had that turnover early. I'm glad I had this mask on so nobody could read my lips."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
The coach also commented on ending the regular season with a victory and playing as many players as possible in the game.
Franklin: "I appreciate the resiliency this team showed. To end the regular season 1-0 is a positive."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
Franklin: "I think it's really important to get guys in the game and evaluate them. I think it builds a healthy locker room, to get more guys in the game and play."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
Franklin: "Right after a win you do feel a sense of joy. That sense of satisfaction for the players and the team. Right now I'm kind of on to the next task, that's just kind of how I'm wired. But I'm very proud of everybody."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
Joining the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Nittany Lions were one of just two Big Ten Conference programs to play all nine scheduled games in 2020, avoiding any coronavirus (COVID-19)-related cancelations. Franklin also shared he will meet with his captains and seniors regarding a possible bowl game invitation, which would provide the program with the opportunity to finish .500.
Franklin on managing to avoid any game cancellations: "There's so many people that worked hard to get this done. At the end of the day it's about the people following the policies in place. We had a really good plan, at the end of the day people made the choices to follow it."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
Franklin on a bowl game decision: "There's gonna be a meeting after this where I get together with the captains and the seniors. We'll come up with a plan and communicate that."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 20, 2020
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.