Tuesday Roundup: Penn State vs. Idaho
Following their largest season-opening victory since 1926, Penn State welcomes the Buffalo Bulls to Happy Valley for a non-conference clash under the lights. Here's what we learned from Tuesday's press conference with head coach James Franklin, safety Jonathan Sutherland and wide receiver Daniel George.
Areas of Growth
Despite collecting over 600 yards of total offense and limiting Idaho to just seven points, head coach James Franklin acknowledged critical areas of focus for the week ahead. "Obviously, we've got to be better on third down. Although offensively we didn't put the ball on the ground, the ball was in jeopardy a few times," Franklin stated during his Tuesday press conference. "Defensively, I thought for our first game, probably the best first game execution we've had since we've been here. We have some things we've got to get cleaned up. Some of our signals and our check-with-mes, in terms of getting all 11 guys when the offense checks and we want to check, we've got to make sure we're getting all those things communicated. I thought our effort and I thought our tackling was good for an early-season game, and I thought our young guys performed really well on the defensive side of the ball."
Nick Eury
A product of Shavertown, Pennsylvania, Nick Eury has dominated the headlines in State College early this week. Following an electric run that sent his teammates into a frenzy, Eury has received messages from the likes of NFL Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley and heard plenty of feedback from his teammates. "He's just a guy that comes to work every single day. He's got a huge smile on his face. He's very appreciative and goes out and gets his team better every single day by the way he practices, whether that's in drills, whether that's on our developmental squad, whether that's for the defense, whether that's for the offense," said Franklin. "I don't know when it was, but there was a camp a few years ago where we had some injuries, and literally we wouldn't have been able to have camp without Nick Eury.He took like every rep in practice. We built water breaks in for him because he was the only one going.So again, he's just one of those guys, how he's been academically, how he's been socially, the type of teammate he's been. He's just been phenomenal. So I think everybody recognizes when you get guys like that and maybe their name is not in the newspaper, they're not getting playing time or so on and so forth, when those guys are able to have some success and get in the game, it means a lot."
The junior running back is a prime example of what it looks like to put in the work, keep your nose to the ground and answer the call when your number is called.
Things to watch
The Buffalo Bulls return to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 2015 when the Nittany Lions collected a 27-14 victory. Senior cornerback John Reid is the only returning player from either roster to have played in that game. When it comes to the Bulls and their current roster, watch out for reigning MAC Freshman of the Year Jaret Patterson and a talented secondary. "I know Buffalo is a really good team. They have pretty good DBs and they won the MAC last year with them," Daniel George said while being asked about their matchup with Buffalo. "I feel like the main thing will be us staying focused and playing our game, living up to what we want to do on the field. That will be the main thing to help us get the win this week."
Game Information
No. 15/14 Penn State continues its non-conference slate against the Buffalo Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The game can be found on FOX or on the Penn State Sports Network. If you're attending the game, check Game Day Central on GoPSUsports.com for all your game day information.
