Ad Disclosure
James Franklin talks Penn State QB situation heading into Iowa game
Published:
There’s some quarterback competition going on in Happy Valley.
Last Saturday, after a dreadful start for Penn State’s Sean Clifford that resulted in an interception and a fumble that turned into a scoop-and-score for Nebraska, James Franklin made the call to change quarterbacks. Will Levis was inserted and provided a spark for the Nittany Lion offense the rest of the game.
It wasn’t enough, as Penn State still fell 30-23 to Nebraska in Lincoln. And it wasn’t particularly a pretty performance for Levis, who completed just 14-of-31 attempts for 219 yards and rushed for 61 yards on 18 carries. Still, it was a spark of life.
Now, as Penn State sits with an 0-4 record and is heading into a game against Iowa, the quarterback competition is back in full force. And right now, there’s no decision on who takes the first snap against the Hawkeyes.
“We have not made that decision yet,” Franklin said during his Tuesday press conference. “Obviously, we had some conversations about it this weekend, bot only with the coaching staff but with Sean and Will as well.”
Franklin added that Penn State likely won’t make an announcement until that game on Saturday.
Whether or not changing the quarterback will bring new life to the Penn State program for the remaining four games is yet to be seen. But sitting winless entering Week 5, it doesn’t hurt to switch things up.
Maybe we’ll see both guys take snaps against Iowa.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB