Sept. 8, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Head coach James Franklin talked with the media on Tuesday to preview Penn State's home opener against Buffalo.
The Nittany Lions (0-1) and Bulls (1-0) are set to collide on Saturday at 12 p.m. (ESPN2) inside Beaver Stadium to kick off a string of five straight weeks of home football in Happy Valley. Franklin offered his take on the season opener at Temple and looked forward to the week ahead for the Lions during his weekly meeting with the press.
Communication is the big point of emphasis for Franklin and the Nittany Lions this week. When asked about things that stood out while watching the game film, Franklin said the team needed to do a much better job communicating with one another in all three phases of the game.
"If you look offensively, obviously the sacks were the big story line on the offensive side of the ball. Everyone had a role in them, the offensive line, the quarterbacks, the receivers, we had communication issues in all three phases, offense, defense, and special teams," said Franklin.
On defense, the Nittany Lions will be without one of their most vocal leaders, senior linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White, for the remainder of the season. The middle linebacker position is a natural spot for leadership, and the coaching staff is looking at a trio of options moving forward.
"I think Wooten is an option for us at middle linebacker, I think Jason Cabinda is an option at middle linebacker, and I think Jake Cooper is an option at us for middle linebacker," said Franklin. "We're going to spend this week trying to figure that out. That's based on what we get from the injury reports, and that's also based on what guys do at practice and how they take over that leadership role."
Cabinda and Wooten combined for 10 tackles and a tackle for loss in the season-opener against the Owls. Sticking on the defensive side of the ball, Franklin pinpointed senior defensive end Carl Nassib as a player who stood out on film.
A former walk-on, Nassib took full advantage of his first career start and turned in a superb outing for the Nittany Lion defense. Nassib tallied a career-high 10 tackles and had 2.5 TFLs and a sack in the opener.
"I thought Carl Nassib played really well defensively, a guy that's been as locked in and as focus and had as committed as anybody in our program," said Franklin. "I think our commitment levels is high across the board, but he's been a guy you have heard me talk about a lot for the last year and a half. I'm really proud of him and how he's played, and I expect him to continue to play well."
Moving forward, more consistency in the trenches on both sides of the ball will pay big dividends for the Nittany Lions. Controlling the line of scrimmages is a recipe for success, and that's what the Lions are looking to build on this week on the practice field. Consistent execution in the trenches lends itself to more efficiency on both sides of the ball.
"You can build an offense or a defense around your front," said Franklin. "The better you are up front the more flexibility and the more creative you can be in terms of attacking the defense in terms of solving problems in terms of dictating the style of play. There is no doubt about it."
The Nittany Lions will practice in pads on Tuesday and Wednesday before the final complete pre-season session on Thursday. Saturday's home-opener will kick at 12:01 p.m. on ESPN2.
Press Conference Notes:
- Coach Franklin on Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold.
"I think Coach Liepold does a great job, he has an amazing background. You look at his record and he has a lot of amazing things he's been able to do in his career. They have seven offensive starters returning, three defensive starters returning, one on special teams."
- Akeel Lynch rushed for 78 yards on 10 carries and had a 42-yard touchdown run at Temple. Coach Franklin's thoughts on Lynch thus far in 2015:
"I thought Akeel did some nice things on Saturday. He's going to continue to have opportunities in practice and the game to show us that he's 'the guy.' Right now he's listed at the top of the depth chart, and I think from an experience and from a mental standpoint he's ahead of the rest of the guys. I would love for him to take control of that job and say, 'I'm the guy' and be a difference-maker for us. He's shown flashes."
- Safety Jordan Lucas on playing his first game at safety after three seasons at cornerback.
"I felt great, you know, the first game is a first game. For a lot of people it's working through the Kings, getting through training camp and being very anxious, excited to get out there and play somebody else other than your teammates. But we got rid of our first game jitters, I know I did especially and playing a new position, it wasn't really too much for me. I'm a football player, I will go out there and just play football."
- DaeSean Hamilton on kicking off the home portion of the schedule this weekend against Buffalo.
"Being back in Beaver Stadium is always exciting. Playing in front of the fans in a comfortable atmosphere. We're all looking forward to that."