Tuesday Roundup: Penn State vs. Iowa
No. 10/9 Penn State hits the road for a pivotal Big Ten matchup with the No. 17/18 Iowa Hawkeyes. This series has been decided by just eight combined points during the last two meetings. Here's what we learned from Tuesday's press conference ahead of Penn State's Saturday night's primetime showdown.
Opening Statement
To open Tuesday's press conference, head coach James Franklin addressed the media with a powerful message surrounding his program. "I would like to open up with a statement. Something that I was thinking about laying in my bed last night that I put together that I wanted to put out there," head coach James Franklin stated. "The football that I know, and love brings people together and embraces differences. Black, white, brown. Catholic, Jewish or Muslim. Rich or poor. Rural or urban. Republican or Democrat. Long hair, short hair, no hair. They are all in that locker room together. Teams all over this country are the purest form of humanity that we have. We don't judge. We embrace differences. We live, we learn, we grow, we support and we defend each other. We're a family.Penn State Football, Penn State University, and Happy Valley provide the same opportunities to embrace one another 12 Saturdays each fall. PSU Football brings people together like very few things on this planet. 110,000 fans from all different backgrounds throughout our region, from all different parts of the state; and they are hugging and high-fiving and singing Sweet Caroline together.This is my football. This is the game that I love and most importantly, my players that I love and will defend like sons. Ultimately this is the definition and embodiment of what we are all about."
— Jonathan Sutherland (@jay_suth) October 8, 2019
"I think that any time we hit some adversity, such as things like this, it brings us closer together," junior offensive lineman Will Fries said on Tuesday. "As far as [Jonathan] Sutherland, he's really the gold standard of character in our locker room. He's an outstanding, not only player, but just human being in general. He's always working out, doing extra stuff, extra treatment, and like I said, his character is extremely high. He takes pride in academics and things like that. He's my locker neighbor and I'm proud to be next to him because he's an outstanding human being."
The Environment
Shifting towards Penn State-Iowa, there's no doubt Saturday's atmosphere inside Kinnick Stadium will be Penn State's toughest road test to date. "Obviously going into Kinnick Stadium is going to be a challenge," head coach James Franklin stated. "We look forward to being able to wave to the children and the Children's Hospital, one of the special traditions in all of college football.We also know how successful that they have been playing in these type of games: Ohio State, No. 3; Nebraska, No. 17; Michigan, No. 2; Michigan, No. 15; Michigan State, No. 5. We know how successful they have been in these types of games."
Sophomore linebacker Micah Parsons added: "I hear Iowa is one of the best in the country, so I'm looking forward to really experiencing it. From what the guys said when they went out there, comeback, last-drive victory, they said it was nuts. I can't wait to experience it."
Championship Chaos
During their week five content with Purdue, Penn State recorded 10 sacks making it the highest mark since 1999. When it comes to creating chaos, the Nittany Lions lead the nation with sacks per game and tackles for loss per game. "We pride ourselves in rushing the quarterback. Those D-Linemen do it every day in practice. When we're practicing and we have guys like Yetur [Gross-Matos] and Shaka, it's like, no wonder," Micah Parsons said. "Those guys are impressive as hell, and they push me to get better, even every time I go up to rush. They help me get better."
James Franklin added during Tuesday's press conference: "We're one of only two programs in the country that are ranked in the top five in scoring offense and scoring defense. So, I think we're playing at a really high level on both sides of the ball, and I think one compliments the other.You know, creating explosive plays and eliminating explosive plays, both on offense and defense, are important. But you know, it's hard. It's hard to find a whole lot of things to be critical about with our defense right now.I think the one area we could improve on is turnovers, getting a few turnovers. We'll see. Last time I gave a little bit of criticism in this meeting was against the defensive line and they weren't really happy about it, but they have responded fairly well."
Game Information
No. 10/9 Penn State takes flight for its second Big Ten matchup of the season. The Nittany Lions will face their first ranked opponent this season in-front of more than 65,000 fans. The game can be found on ABC or on the Penn State Sports Network. Check out GoPSUsports.com following the game for exclusive interviews and more.