James Franklin discusses offensive lulls, inconsistency: 'We're looking at everything we can'
Penn State is 7-0. It just beat Michigan. Things are going swimmingly, right?
Well, not exactly. Sure, the Nittany Lions defeated the Wolverines on Saturday and haven’t dropped a game this season. But, there is always room for improvement.
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Penn State led Michigan 21-0 in the second quarter, but the Wolverines were a dropped pass away from potentially tying the game at 28 in the final minute. The Nittany Lions’ offense wasn’t consistent.
It had some memorable plays and scored touchdowns. It played well. But well enough to win a Big Ten and potentially national title? Maybe not.
On Tuesday, during James Franklin’s weekly press conference, Franklin talked a lot about the offense’s lulls and inconsistencies:
"People say we stopped being aggressive, how do they know?" Franklin says, jokingly. Notes that if you get pressured or things don't develop it impacts the play, but calls don't change that much. Says it comes down to details and consistency.
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) October 22, 2019
Where would Franklin like to see this offense be more consistent? "It’s about everything." Mentions the run game, protection, "hitting throws we should hit consistently. It’s all of it. It’s third down."
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) October 22, 2019
JF: Staff can do a better job picking spots on when to go with tempo. Wants to mix it in. Fast all the time, players get used to it. Thinks turning it on and off is most valuable way to do it, just harder to learn.
— Donnie Collins (@PennStateTT) October 22, 2019
On the lulls from the offense: "We can get better. We're looking at everything we can do to get better. We were 1-0 this week," Franklin said.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) October 22, 2019
Franklin and the Nittany Lions will look to get back to its thoroughly dominating ways this Saturday at Michigan State. The Spartans possess a solid defense (to put it mildly), so it will be a good test for Penn State’s offense.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ABC.