Oct. 11, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Football head coach James Franklin took time to answer questions from media members Tuesday afternoon on the Big Ten Head Coaches Teleconference. Franklin previewed what the practice schedule would look like for this week's bye week and answered a few other questions from media members.
Check out updates from the Q&A session below.
With the bye week this week and your next opponent Ohio State, how much time will you spend watching that game and preparing for them? Or is more of the focus on trying to get your team better?
"It's a little bit of both. We have to get healthy, we've lost seven linebackers this year so we have to get healthy. Hopefully we're able to get some guys back but it's a little bit of both. We're going to spend time on Ohio State as well, breaking those guys down and getting comfortable with those guys and getting some stuff in practice to get a head start. It's probably equal parts both."
Have you been able to give any thought to how you're going to line up at tackle against Ohio State with Andrew Nelson out?
"We're going to work through that this week. We have some different combinations there. Obviously we have [Brendan] Mahon, we have Paris [Palmer] and we have Will Fries. So those are the three guys that we're kind of looking at to see how we're going to fill that gameday responsibility. We're really kind of on the entry level. Paris actually went in and played pretty well. Chaz [Wright] is a guy who's starting to show some things that we're excited about and then Will Fries is a guy who we are excited about his future."
Have you been able to step back and wrap your mind around what your kicker [Tyler Davis] has done to date, considering how new he is to kicking in a football game?
"He has done a great job. We've been very pleased with him. He did the same thing last year. He didn't miss a field goal or a PAT last year and we talked about that last year, that coming into the season, he probably didn't get enough of the credit that he deserved internally or externally. So I've been very pleased with him I think we've done a very good job of putting him in position to be successful. I think he has really showed his value. He has really showed he is one of the better kickers in the conference, if not in the country and I've been very, very pleased with him.
What has Joe Moorhead brought to your offense and what has he meant to you there?
"I think the biggest thing to be honest with you is leadership. I think the fact that he has been a head coach, he really understands the motivational aspect of it. We talked about this at the beginning of the year, with the personnel that we have, one of the reasons I hired him was that I thought he really fit our personnel well. We still have a developing offensive line that has dramatically improved compared to our first two years from a numbers perspective and from a development perspective. The mobility that we have at the quarterback position with two quarterbacks in Trace [McSorley] and Tommy [Stevens]. I feel like we have depth and talent at wide receiver and at running back. Mike Gesicki is coming on at tight end. It's just a combination of what he did that I thought fit our personnel well and I think the biggest thing is leadership on that side of the ball and having fun and running with it."
How is he showing you that leadership?
"It's being on that side of the ball. Brent Pry being the head coach of the defense and Joe being the head coach of the offense - how he runs leading and how he installs plays. His energy, his enthusiasm that he has at practice every day, like Brent has been doing on the defensive side of the ball. Like what Coach Huff is doing with the special teams. His energy, enthusiasm and his leadership style. Just taking advantage of the personnel that we have and putting them in position to be successful."
I know that getting players back and healthy is a priority but how do you go about getting your guys extra rest this week?
"It's not really like something that's just this week. A number of these players have been out for a number of weeks now so the longer they are out, the more likely they are to come back at some point. Our practices are going to be a little bit different, we are going to do a lot less pounding on them this week and we're going get the young guys a little more involved this week as well. It's a little bit different, you don't have to go out there this week and feel like you don't have enough hours in the day or minutes at practice to get them ready for the game on Saturday. It's a sprint, when you have a game on Saturday, you are sprinting as players and coaches to get everything in to make sure they are ready for the game on Saturday. Physically and mentality ready and peaking at the right time. When it's a bye week, you have the time to focus on our fundamentals and technique. We're going to get the young guys involved a little bit more in practice than they typically have been. Like you mentioned, they have a week of treatment so hopefully that will put you in position to get back for a normal game week."