What did Penn State coach James Franklin say during his last news conference of Northwestern week?

Penn State coach James Franklin held his final news conference of Northwestern week on Wednesday. The first question he took focused on whether or not Anthony Donkoh would be playing more at right tackle this week and if that position would feature more of a rotation moving forward after the first-team right guard took most of the second half snaps at right tackle in the Lions’ loss to UCLA.

“Yeah, the plan was to get him some work at right tackle as part of the rotation,” Franklin said. “He’s had some bumps and bruises that he’s been dealing with. So that’s just part of the entire plan. We want to be able to get [Nolan] Rucci a few series out and get Donkoh in there for depth, durability, for all of it. But then also, you know, the rotation that we had with TJ [Shanahan] and Cooper [Cousins] as well, just a combination of trying to get more guys on the field, the same seven guys we’ve been talking about.

“If we’re healthy, we would have liked to [rotate more] all year long. If we’re healthy enough to do it, yes.”

You can read everything else Franklin said Wednesday night below. You can also watch his news conference by visiting Blue-White Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

On the defense playing faster and if it’s about guys learning things vs. making the system easier to learn

“It’s both,” Franklin said. “Ultimately, it’s on us to give them enough that they can go out and play winning defense. Because if it’s too simplistic, that’s going to be a problem as well. And it’s also those guys trusting their training and letting it fly. It’s a combination of both.”

On the home Penn State crowd likely being angry Saturday after two losses

“We try to control the things that we can control,” Franklin said. “We’ve had this in the past. I obviously don’t want it. Nobody wants it. I want the players to have a great experience. Want the coaches to have a great experience. I want the fans to feel good and be excited. And I know that we impact their mood for the week and the year. So, I get it. Do I like it? Am I happy about it? No, but I get it. This is a place that’s got high expectations and high standards. I get it. But again, it’s outside of our control, and we try to pour all of our energy on the things that we can control.”

How does James Franklin know when it’s time to make a significant personnel change?

“I think it depends on the history, right? If it’s a newer player that doesn’t have significant history and credibility built up within the locker room and with the coaching staff, then it’s different,” Franklin said. “You can make a decision,  pretty soon, pretty early. If it’s a guy that’s been around and been successful in the past, then you’re a little bit more patient, because you’re giving everybody, you know, the benefit of doubt. You know, so every situation is a little bit unique and specific to the scenario based on past success, experience, those types of things.”

What’s holding the young linebackers back and developing depth there?

“Yeah, it’s kind of what we’ve talked about,” Franklin said. “They’re less experienced guys already. We got a new defensive system. It’s a little bit more complex than we’ve used in the past. So when you put a linebacker or safety on the field at those positions in really any defensive scheme, but magnified in ours, and they’re not able to run the defense and make the communication on a consistent basis; like [safeties coach Anthony Poindexter] talks about all the time.

“You make a mistake at safety. It costs you seven points. And if you’re making mistakes at linebacker and can’t run the defense, then it’s hard to execute, no different than at the quarterback position. So those positions it’s a little bit more magnified, but obviously it’s going to be important for us moving forward as well.

On getting Kaytron Allen more touches

“Yeah, there’s been discussions that have happened with the players,” Franklin said. “There’s been discussions that have happened with the coaches. Obviously, Kaytron is doing some really good things and deserves an opportunity to get more touches.

What is the RB3 situation for Penn State?

“Yeah, I think we still have two running backs,” Franklin said. “Obviously, there’s conversations about who should be getting more touches, but then there’s a gap to that third back. And then on top of that, we’ve had some bumps and bruises with guys, really, throughout that third position, whether it’s been Cam [Smith] or other guys that have limited their development, their practice reps, all those things.”

What does it look like in the locker room when Penn State talks about accountability?

“It’s all of us,” Franklin said. “It starts with me, and that’s important that everybody understands that. I understand that very, very clearly. That’s hard conversations in the Lasch football building with the football staff and having discussions about things that we need to do better, things that we need to adjust, things that we need to limit.

“And I would also say this to be honest with you: Most are doing that on their own, without me in the corners even having to say that, right? Everybody’s doing that. And then I think the players, for the most part, the same way. they’re being critical of themselves, and the coaches, when appropriate, are doing that with them too. So it’s everybody within the building. Trust me, we feel the pain. Trust me, we feel it internally. And as much as I’d like to limit the external, they feel that too. So, it’s all of it.”

What has James Franklin learned about himself during the losses?

“I think it all starts, first of all with being honest with yourself, being honest with the staff, being honest with the players,” Franklin said. “And as much as I try to be honest with you guys, which is hard to do sometimes, and that’s the first step. I think after that, it’s some of the, obviously, off-season changes that we’ve had with staff changes and the adjustment that that takes. It’s all of it, but it starts with all of us looking in the mirror and making the adjustments we can make, and owning it, and then moving forward in a positive direction.

“And, you know, reminding the players that we’re closer than maybe it feels right now, and that it’s being reported. It’s never as bad as you think. It’s never as good as you think. Although it feels bad right now to everybody, I get it.”

Will James Franklin be more hands-on with play calling on offense and defense?

“I’m going to be hands-on every single week as much as I have to to support Jim [Knowles], Andy [Kotelnicki], [Justin Lustig], and the rest of the coaches, the strength staff,” Franklin said. “But again, we’ve had a process here that’s been pretty consistent at a pretty high level for a long time. So what we’re also not going to do is overreact. I’ve hired really good coaches with really good experience and really good background. So at the end of the day, I’m going to let them do their jobs. But I’m going to be supportive and step in and have the conversations I need to have when appropriate.”

On facing a Northwestern defense that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes

“I know this is a new regime at Northwestern, but there’s still a lot of similarities with how they’re playing, how they’re constructed, how they’re built,” Franklin said. “This staff has gone to the transfer pool more. I don’t know if there’s just changes there to allow them to do that or what. But in terms of how they play and the head coach being a defensive guy, the tree that they come from’ they do a really good job.

“They play hard. They’re usually an old team. They don’t do a lot. What they do, they do well, and they got a few wrinkles to keep you honest. And they’re going to make you earn it, right?

“You look at them statistically, their statistics are pretty interesting. I’m not talking about necessarily in the conference, but by game, they’ve won a bunch of categories. Obviously the turnovers early helped them, but we had a lot of respect for these guys on film, and they’ve pretty much done that each week.”

Is it hard to evaluate the young Penn State receivers without getting them game reps?

“Obviously, we’re in a position right now where we don’t have plays and drives to just throw somebody out there and see how it goes,” Franklin said. “We got to get our best guys on the field. Every rep is like gold. Every drive is like gold. And we got to maximize that. And if we feel like guys give us a better chance based on what we see in practice, then yeah, we would do that. But if not, we’re not in a position right now to just put guys out there to see how they do. That’s what practice is for.”