Penn State football coach James Franklin ‘confident’ as his team gears up for Indiana
The opportunity that James Franklin and his players pushed for is finally just days away. But as No. 8 Penn State gets set to kick off its 2020 campaign against Indiana on the road Saturday, the seventh-year head coach knows there are challenges that come with a season that will be unlike any other in the program’s history.
One of the most obvious of those challenges, with a nine-game conference-only schedule, is the lack of warm-up games that a non-conference slate typically allows. But Franklin is making sure his group is prepared for a battle in Bloomington this weekend.
“I think this is the best Indiana football team that they’ve had in my six years in the conference,” Franklin told reporters on a Zoom conference call Tuesday afternoon. “They’ve done a really good job of building it. They’ve got a bunch of guys back that have played and played at a high level.”
Indiana is coming off of an eight-win season, which is the program’s most wins in 26 years. And, though the Hoosiers are just 1-22 all-time versus the Nittany Lions, the last two matchups between the teams have been decided by a combined 12 points.
So, Franklin doesn’t want to get caught looking ahead to Week 2 against Ohio State. He wants to ensure his players focus on the task at hand, too.
“This is a tough league,” he said. “Our side of the league is really tough. And you better be ready to play, week in and week out. And Indiana has won a bunch of games, and they’ve played a lot of people really tough. … You better have all your T’s crossed and your I’s dotted, and you better have the right mentality when you play Indiana.”
Franklin added that he’s been “confident” in his team’s process and preparation during this extended offseason. With not having a season this fall being a very real possibility just over a month ago, players aren’t taking the opportunity to play for granted.
“There hasn’t been those days where you feel like you’ve gotta pull it out of them to practice the way you need to practice,” he said. “Guys are flying around, having fun. There’s a real sense of appreciation of being out there.”
Even though Franklin believes in the potential of this Nittany Lions group — he pointed to the “significant amount of depth” on the roster compared to previous years — he knows that making a statement in a Big Ten with four other ranked opponents will be no easy task.
“I do think we’re a talented team,” Franklin said. “... But I also know there’s really talented teams in this league.”
FIRST DEPTH CHART RELEASED
Penn State also released its Week 1 depth chart on Tuesday.
With news already having come out Monday night about the uncertainty of star running back Journey Brown playing this fall, there weren’t any other major surprises. But true freshman receiver Parker Washington being listed as a starter was certainly notable.
Franklin said he’s been impressed with the way Washington has carried himself this offseason, despite being only a freshman.
“He’s a very mature young man,” Franklin said. “He’s a very smart young man. The offense kind of makes sense to him, and he can kinda connect dots with some things. He’s got a mature approach to meetings and practice.”
To go with what Franklin described as a solid mental framework, Washington’s “elite ball skills and body control” have also stood out. The head coach said that Washington made an impressive one-handed catch a few days ago in practice, which has become normal for his teammates to witness.
“Usually when a guy makes a one-handed catch, everybody goes crazy,” Franklin said. “But he’s done it so many times that it’s almost like it’s the expectation for him now.”
Another notable depth chart change is redshirt freshman Joey Porter Jr. starting opposite of senior Tariq Castro-Fields at cornerback. While Franklin said the 6-foot-2, 193-pound corner was frustrated at first by the decision to redshirt him last season, he used that year to make major improvements, and is now “playing at a high level with a lot of confidence.”
“I think he’s a great example (of how) everybody’s journey is different,” Franklin said. “Some guys come in as freshmen and they’re ready to jump on the field right away, and other guys, it takes a year.”
NEW NCAA ELIGIBILITY RULES
At the end of August, the NCAA announced it would grant blanket eligibility for all college football players this fall — no matter if they participate or choose to sit out any portion of the season.
With certain hits to Penn State’s roster — like former star linebacker Micah Parsons having opted out, and now the potential loss of Brown — Franklin will be able to use the added flexibility to play as many players as he wants without burning any redshirts.
“There really is no redshirting this year, because this year doesn’t count,” Franklin said. “If you need to play a guy, you play a guy, whether that’s one rep or whether that’s one game. … So, everybody needs to be preparing as such.”
Franklin added that there have been no discussions with any of his players about redshirting. Ideally, he’d like to get all the players on his roster at least a little bit of in-game experience.
When the Big Ten announced it would reverse course and play this fall, it also rolled out stringent COVID-19 guidelines. For instance, if a player tests positive for the virus, the earliest he can return is 21 days following that positive diagnosis.
With much uncertainty about who could be available on a week-to-week basis, Franklin said that the ability to play as much of his roster as needed could be crucial.
“It’s just allowed us to open our roster up,” Franklin said. “And that may be a luxury some weeks, and it may be a necessity other weeks based on how we continue to handle this COVID challenge.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 4:29 PM.
