Everything Penn State coach James Franklin said during his bye week news conference

Penn State coach James Franklin held his first and only news conference of the bye week on Tuesday night inside of Holuba Hall in State College. The first question he took focused on the specific things he wanted his team to work on during a 3-0 start in non-conference play.

“Yeah, obviously, with three new receivers, getting those guys comfortable, and building chemistry with Drew, we thought was important, and they’ve done a pretty good job of that,” Franklin said. “We still obviously have work to do. And then obviously just the confidence in the execution of the new stuff on defense, so that we can play fast. It’s one of the things we’ve done a really good job of here, is playing fast, and specifically on the defensive side of the ball. And I think we’re getting there. But we still have work to do, really, in both areas. They’re probably the two biggest.”

What else did the 12th-year leader of the Lions have to say? Read a full recap of his answers to questions from media members below.

What are the Lions’ recruiting goals during the bye week

“We’ll watch the film tonight, do some recruiting calls,” Franklin said. “Tomorrow, obviously, we practice again. Tomorrow night, I go out. I’ll be out all day Thursday. We’ll have a coordinators practice like we have had in the past, on Thursday, and any of the coaches that are not on the road. And then Friday, we’ll all be out recruiting. The players will, after their academic responsibility, be off all day Friday, go to some games Friday night, and do the same thing Saturday.

“And then players will be off Saturday, and then we’ll get back sometime Saturday night, obviously, Sunday will be a little bit ahead. We won’t have the last game for us to grade. We will still have to grade their film, break their film down, add that to our cut ups and things like that. We’ll have a very similar practice tomorrow to what we had today. Thursday was a coordinator practice, mainly a jog through, but we’re going to do a little bit of full-speed stuff. We’ll do half-half, half full speed, and half jog through all four main special teams units.”

On the goals for the bye week

“This is a week to get better,” Franklin said. “Tuesdays and Wednesdays have been work days. That’s how it will be for us.  That’s how it should be all season, whether it is a bye week or not. And really, where the bye week comes in is having Thursday be a reduced load. Friday, nothing Saturday, nothing. That’s where they really gain their time.

“So for us, we got to get better. Still, very early this season, we got a lot of things we need to improve on fundamentally. There’s a lot of things we need to improve on from a schematic standpoint, and then obviously there’s some veteran players that we will have a separate plan for because they played a ton of football and know what they’re doing. So you got to be smart with some of those guys, but the majority of our team needs to get better. So everybody got reps today, but some were modified.”

On balancing the bye week in terms of focusing on Penn State but also getting a head start on Oregon

“Yeah, so, bye week, we’re focused on Penn State,” Franklin said. “We’re getting a head start, obviously, on Oregon. But I’d say it’s 50 percent focusing just on Penn State and getting better, and 50 percent on getting a head start on our opponent. And then next week should be the same as it was week one, week two, and week three, inside our football facility. Obviously all the other stuff outside the building we can’t control, and we embrace it, but, But our process should not change. If you were invited to spend the week with us, you should not sense the difference whether it’s week one or week four, or however you describe one opponent or however you describe another opponent. Ultimately, the end of the day. It’s about us. It’s about how we prepare, our intensity, our focus. 

“Is there other stuff outside the building that we can’t control? Is it human nature to a degree? Yeah, I get all that. But what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to maximize each day and get better. Try to tune out as much of that outside noise as possible. And you guys, you know, I bring it up to you guys. You guys don’t necessarily want to talk about it a whole lot, but there’s a ton of teams that week in and week out, aren’t, beating the teams they’re supposed to be. There’s upsets all over the country, all over the country. So for us, that’s important for us to keep our process as consistent as we possibly can, while also getting better, to put ourselves in a position to win games like we have coming up.”

On developing young Penn State players over the first four weeks

“I’d say it’s a mix, right? It’s frustration with some guys that I think could help us come the middle of the season on, and the coaches seem to have a greater sense of urgency to get them ready than they do,” Franklin said. “And then there’s other guys hat are ready to take that next step. Tyseer [Denmark] looked like a guy who is very hungry to play and to get on the field and make a difference, and guys like that, I don’t know when it’s going to be, but his number is going to get called at some point, and he’s going to be ready.

“And then there’s other guys that are complaining that they should be playing, and their parents are sending the text messages, and they’re going to get in the game and won’t be ready and then we won’t hear anything from anybody. So there’s a little frustration with that one, but there always is, and it’s a small percentage of what I want to make sure is coaches and myself included, that you don’t get frustrated with the two percent compared to the 98 percent.”

On how the transfers have done so far 

“I would say probably up to my expectations, with flashes above my expectations and a few flashes below,” Franklin said. “I think each one of them has had a game or games where they’ve shown what they really can do. Our job is to help them continue each week to get better, so that in the games that we got coming up, they can have significant roles for us.

The reality is, what we’re going to need is, we’re going to need Devonte Ross to have a really good season and to have two or three games where everybody’s talking about him. And we need Hudson to do the same thing. And what you hope is that you have multiple games where they’re doing it together, and you have a few games where they’re doing it on their own. 

“I met with a group of those guys today about. not just receivers, receivers, tight ends, running backs, quarterbacks. The reality is, say you got 12 of those guys. When you count all three of the tight ends, two running backs, quarterbacks, the receivers that we’re talking about, if all those guys make the plays that they’re supposed to make, and then if, if each one of them makes one special play a game where they bring something more to the table than the o-line or the scheme got them, we’re going to be in good shape. 

More: Penn State practice observations: Sept. 16 news and notes

“When you talk about the tight ends and the receivers and the running backs, that’s eight special plays a game. That adds up quick and then just the consistency. So, you know, I don’t look at a contested catch as a special play. We got to make those/ People call them 50/50 balls. They should not be 50/50 balls on the offense when you know where the ball is going, where the ball location should be. We got to have that mentality that we’re going to make those plays

“That’s what this week is about, is continue building that confidence and that chemistry. We had a big third down emphasis today, because on offense and defense, we need to be better on third down. So that was a big emphasis for us today, and we’ll do that again tomorrow. 

On Drew Allar’s play over the first three weeks

I think the management, Kotelnicki, puts a ton on his plate in the run game, in the pass game, in protections,” Franklin said. “He’s done a really good job of that. Kind of like we just talked about with the receivers, there’s been three or four throws that we should be making. And we got to make sure that that’s happening week in and week out every single game. And then, just like the play that he had to Pena, he can make some throws that very few people on the planet can make.

“So the same discussion I just had about the receivers and the running backs and tight ends, same thing at the quarterback position. We got to make the plays consistently that we’re supposed to make. And then through all Drew’s hard work and his God given ability, he’s got to make four or five of those difference-making plays a game, whether it’s with his feet, or whether it’s with his mind, or whether it’s with his arm, and he is more than capable of doing that. So it’s just the consistency, it’s the comfort with the wide outs. It’s the comfort with the tight ends.

“You know, obviously we’ve lost Tyler Warren, that sucker still doing it. You turn on the TV, he’s still doing it, you know, and we need more guys to step up like that that are going to consistently make plays, and that’s all of them, that’s all the offensive players, but, but in terms of all the things that we ask him to do, he’s been phenomenal. And,  I anticipate and expect him to really have a good week this week, and expect to have a good week next week, and moving forward, and I’ve been pleased with him overall.”

On the impact of the White Out on recruiting

“It’s very important,” Franklin said. “If you go back to our current roster and think about all the players who are now part of it, having been a part of these White Out games and having a great experience. It’s one of those games that you hear players all over the country talking about wanting to be a part of this type of atmosphere. I think about when I first got here, how many guys were on the roster that were part of the four overtime White Out.

“I think about how viral the Michigan first play of the game, time out or delay a game deal, how viral that has been. There’s been a lot of special moments, right? So it is very, very important for our future, but it’s also challenging, right? We’re going to have 250 scholarship players on campus, and we’re going to have 50 of the top players in the country, and we also got to make sure they have a good experience. And it’s hard, it’s hard to make sure that everybody gets some love and everybody gets some time on game day.

More: Penn State coach James Franklin hits the road to check up on top prospects

“So we’ve put out word, asking people in the athletic department that could help us so we have more hands on deck, more manpower to help us, just so that everybody has a good experience. Sometimes people underestimate; they’ve been to other places for game day visits. I’m not going to mention the places, but they drive right up to the stadium. They’re like, it was wonderful. We just drove right and when to the game. I said, Well, you felt that when you got inside, right?

“And then they get here and they’re frustrated with traffic. Well, you got to leave early enough, and you got to get here, and then, obviously, it’s a good thing for our community, but the challenges with hotels and everything else, everything is sold out. You got people calling now, and I’m like this game has been sold out forever. I got cousins that I haven’t talked to in 20 years, and high school friends I haven’t talked to in 25 years that, ‘hey, you got a White Out ticket?’ Yeah, they’re just laying around. So there’s some challenges that come with it, but it’s first-world problems.”