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Penn State

Watch James Franklin's postgame press conference

Screen Shot 2021-11-15 at 6.02.01 PMby: BWI Staff11/11/23

By Ryan Snyder

It was a familiar story for Penn State on Saturday. Following a loss to Ohio State last month, Nittany Lion fans were hopeful that a home game against No. 3 Michigan would give them the marquee win that this program has struggled to get over the past few years.

That didn’t happen. Penn State once again struggled to put up points on offense, ultimately falling 24-15 against the Wolverines. Although the Lions did manage to produce two solid drives in the first half for 66 and 75 yards, Michigan held quarterback Drew Allar and the offense to just 47 yards in the second half and a turnover on downs leading up to Michigan’s final score. The Lions did drive the ball 75 yards on eight plays after that, but a failed two-point conversion attempt rendered the ensuing onside kick inconsequential.

Takeaways: Penn State’s offense fails to come through in another big game

“We’ve been really good in the third quarter all year long, but we weren’t able [to continue with that],” Penn State head coach James Franklin said during his postgame press conference. “Obviously, the turnover in the third quarter was a significant play in the game. Up to that point, we were in a heck of a game, heck of a dogfight, between two of the best defenses in college football and two of the best teams in college football.”

Franklin was asked about Allar’s performance; the sophomore completed 10 of 22 attempts for 70 yards and one touchdown. The Nittany Lion head coach pointed to other things that were out of his control.

“We’ve got to do a better job of calling a game to allow a quarterback to get into rhythm. That is critical,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to find easy completions for a quarterback to get into rhythm. That’s what everybody does. We’ve got to do a good job of that. On top of that, although there weren’t sacks, there were too many pressures and too many times where we’re not creating separation.”

Statistically, Penn State’s defense held Michigan to its lowest yardage of the season, with the Wolverines totaling just 287 yards, but third-down conversions were once again a crucial statistic. Michigan converted 6 of 13 attempts, while Penn State converted just 4 of 14.

Coming into the game, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was considered one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. The Nittany Lions held him just 60 yards passing on the day, but he did complete 7 of 8 attempts. Similar to last year, it was the rushing attack that Penn State struggled to stop, with running back Blake Corum totaling 145 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

Penn State fans can watch Franklin’s postgame press conference above.

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