James Franklin breaks down Penn State breakdown at Michigan: Radio Recap

Penn State head coach James Franklin made his final public media appearance of the week on Thursday evening. Just days from kicking off against Minnesota in front of a White Out crowd at Beaver Stadium, Franklin joined host Steve Jones for his weekly radio show.

And, coming out of last weekend’s brutal loss at No. 5 Michigan, Franklin took a look back in time while applying it to today.

Recalling his text on Sunday from former tight end Mike Gesicki, urging Franklin to remember the 2016 season’s start, the head coach said the message resonated. In turn, he expressed the sentiment with the team as a lesson to be learned.

“I think Mike is a really good example of that and what we’re talking about. I showed the team how that game ended. And I just also talked about how many great leaders and also really good players stepped up for us that night,” Franklin said. “I remember Chris Godwin laying out over the middle of the field on third-and-10. Trace McSorley’s big scramble at the end of the game. Saquon’s run in overtime. So many examples of guys stepping up and making really good plays against a really good Minnesota program. 

“I got a ton of respect for Minnesota, their university, their football program, and their head football coach. So it’s gonna be a challenge. That’s been our message with the players: Tough one last week. We got to bounce back and be resilient. And that’s one of the great things about athletics in general and specifically college athletics, teaching these lessons.”

Here’s a look at some of the other news and notes to emerge from James Franklin’s radio show appearance on Thursday:

James Franklin radio show news and notes

1) All’s not lost

Dropping a lopsided 41-17 decision at Michigan, Franklin acknowledged two elements at work. On the front end, he credited Michigan for its performance. But, regarding Penn State, he said the showing was ripe with correctable mistakes. 

“We did not play the way we are capable of playing, and there’s a ton of reasons why we can get into that. But at the end of the day, offensively, it’s obviously about staying on the field on third down. Defensively, it’s about getting off the field on third down,” Franklin said. “And that’s going to be critical this week as well because Minnesota wants to win the time of possession. They want to stay on and convert long drives on offense. They’re playing really good complementary football right now. 

“So those same things that we need to correct from last week are going to be a huge factor in this week’s game. And, Minnesota, this is a copycat business. They’ve watched the tape and we’re gonna see some of those same things show up again. And obviously, that’s where the corrections are critical.”

2) Offensive approach

Franklin was asked by Jones about having patience on offense and its importance coming out of the disappointing performance at Michigan. 

Balancing Penn State’s offensive philosophies with the realities of its personnel this season, Franklin acknowledged the hybrid (discussed by BWI’s T. Frank Carr at length this week). 

“I just think it’s that fine line. What is your philosophy and what is your approach? And I think we know Mike (Yurcich)’s background. And what we would ultimately like to do is be able to be an 11 personnel, go fast, and keep people honest,” Franklin said. “Right now, our tight ends are one of our strengths, so you have to be able to play to your strengths. And I think Mike’s done a good job of that of adapting. 

“That’s going to be important. There’s going to be times where we’re going to go fast, still. And there’s going to be times where we’re going to play some tempo and get a look at the defense and try to be, the expression that coaches use is who’s holding the chalk last. And that check-with-me system was putting you in the best position to do that.”

3) Defensive approach

Coming out of a game in which Michigan dominated the line of scrimmage offensively, running for more than 400 yards as a team, Franklin explained Penn State’s predicament against the Wolverines. 

“They were running what we call the pin and pull. Which, they blocked the tight end down and then pull the two uncovered linemen. In that situation, it was the tackle and the center to get really good leverage,” Franklin said. “What you have to do is when you take on those blocks… you got to take all those blocks through the outside half of the man. So now the running back gets turned back towards the pursuit. You can’t allow those guys to get leverage on their blocks on you, because now that running back is running unimpeded up the sidelines. 

“We spent time working on that this week. And like anything, whether it’s zone coverage, man coverage, or whatever you’re doing on offense, or defense, there are strengths and weaknesses to each of them. It’s really important that you know what your weaknesses are, so when you’re challenged, you know how to defend the play that’s gonna give us the best chance to be successful. We did not do a good job of it.”

4) James Franklin’s in-game adjustments

Asked by a fan about waiting until halftime to make adjustments, Franklin offered his insights into how corrections are made during the game. 

“You are gonna have more time at halftime to get all the coaches together, to drill it down, and then get it to the players. But, you have to be able to make plays and make adjustments throughout the game, and that’s the coaches and the players,” Franklin said. “It’s, this has happened and we need to get it corrected because it’s going to show up again in the next series and we got to prove that we’ve got this corrected. That’s the coaches getting adjusted. And then that’s the players out on the field making the adjustments that we’ve just talked about on the sideline. 

“Everybody has to own that, but it starts with us as coaches. I think that’s a really good example of one of the issues that we had last Saturday is being able to do that and do it quickly. And the best teams can do it fast. The reality is, that’s why within the drive if something’s working, you want to go back to it before they get to the sideline and are able to make the adjustment. Prove that they’ve figured out how to stop it.”

5) Mo Ibrahim, mo problems

Welcoming visiting Minnesota fans to the show on Thursday night, Franklin took a question about running back Mohamed Ibrahim and his expected impact on the game Saturday night.

A veteran back with a decorated career as a Gopher, Ibrahim represents a challenge to the Nittany Lions. And, importantly, it’s a challenge Penn State is determined to tackle.

“I got a ton of respect for him as a player and his production throughout his career,” Franklin said. “He’s one of the big four. They got four guys that have come back for their sixth year of football. And that guy, you could make the argument he may be the most productive back in the country over his career. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of argument there. 

“The reality is, you’re not going to stop him. You got to try to limit his impact on the game as much as you possibly can. Kind of who they are, how they’re wired, and what they do. He’s gonna get his carries and he’s gonna make some plays. We got to try to limit the impact as much as we possibly can. And it starts with respecting him and understanding their identity as an offensive and what they’re trying to do.”

Told by the questioner that Ibrahim was hungry ahead of this game, Franklin offered a final retort. 

“I will also say that our defense is fairly hungry after last week, too,” Franklin said. “And I’m not talking trash. He’s hungry. We’re hungry. We’re all hungry.”