James Franklin has been at Penn State for over a decade, and he now has the Nittany Lions in a position to reach the semifinals of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

On Saturday, Penn State opened its Playoff journey with a home matchup vs. SMU. It proved to be a huge showing from the Nittany Lions as they rolled through and over the Mustangs in a 38-10 beatdown.

That win was iconic as the first-ever Playoff victory for the program but it was also win No. 100 for Franklin in Happy Valley. He is just the 3rd coach in Penn State history to reach 100 wins with the program and has a chance to inch closer to the No. 2 all-time wins mark during the Playoff.

After the game, Franklin was asked about getting to that plateau and delivering a marquee win. While the head coach is certainly enjoying the win, he said it is all about getting those moments for the players.

“I think what I would say is I remember in training camp just talking to the guys about I wanted these types of moments for them,” explained Franklin. “I want them to experience what it’s like to win a Big Ten Championship, to play in that kind of game in that kind of environment. Obviously, talking about battling like everybody else in the country to get a bye in (the first round) or a home game and we did that.

“…I saw a lot of college coaches this week talking bout it’s a 4-game season. It’s not. It’s a one-game season… and how you value those reps and how you prepare for those reps is going to give you an opportunity to play again. We just extended our season one more game, 65 more plays.”

As for his 100th victory, Franklin simply said it’s all about the players and his staff that has been with him along the way:

“I appreciate you bringing it up, the 100 wins and all that kind of stuff. But to me, I’m at a point in my career, where it’s all about the players, it’s all about the staff,” Franklin said.

Now, Franklin can turn his attention to Boise State and a chance to get win No. 101 in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions opened as a double-digit favorite for the New Year’s Eve contest.