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What Penn State’s James Franklin said at his weekly press conference
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Penn State takes on Michigan this Saturday, in case anyone was wondering.
During a normal year – not 2020 – this B1G East matchup would be one of the most watched games of the year. This probably won’t be the case on Saturday, in fact, it will likely not even be close to being one of the most watched on the day.
The Wolverines and the Nittany Lions, two of the most prominent programs in the B1G, both will take the field this weekend with losing records, for the first time ever.
Penn State head coach Mel Tucker has to answer for his team having its worst start, 0-5, in program history. The Nittany Lions had gone 42-11 over its previous four seasons and traditionally looked forward to playing on New Year’s Day around this time of year.
Tucker talked about his team’s need to get better, as well as some of the issues with this difficult season during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
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“When it comes to Will and Sean, we’re going to need them both.” James Franklin says.
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) November 24, 2020
Franklin on Jahan Dotson: "Jahan has done a nice job. He's obviously been productive in games…He's got a very steady approach, doesn't get too high or too low."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
"I'm also seeing him be more verbal…The exciting thing is he's still got room to improve," Franklin added.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
Franklin: "We just gotta get better today. I think when you look in the past or the future then that becomes a little more challenging. You take it one step at a time. The more days you put together like that, the results will take care of themselves."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
Franklin: "Take football out of it, this has been a tough year on a lot of people and their families…Stay positive, keep working through, keep loving these guys."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
Franklin on his players' mental health: "It's a challenging time in general…It's something that I know I'm aware of and our staff is aware of. I'm gonna have a call tonight with all of our parents to keep them informed on how our guys are doing."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
Franklin: "The interactions have just been different. I usually would have players over to my house for dinner. Can't do that…I'm a relational leader. This COVID and all the policies and procedures have made that more challenging."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
Franklin on the College Football Playoff: "I am a fan of the Playoff. I do think playoff expansion is important, so that every major power five conference would get an automatic bid. There's some positives, but I do think there's some challenges that have come from that."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
Franklin on the season setting the program back: "Whenever you have challenges like this it creates work. Coming is this season before all the dynamics changed, things were really going pretty well…There's no other option but to find a way to get better and get back on track."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) November 24, 2020
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.