Penn State head coach James Franklin on John Lovett, playing Villanova and more
Penn State utilized one of its running backs for the first time Saturday against Auburn, and he could become a bigger part of the team moving forward.
Senior running back John Lovett, who transferred to Penn State after playing four seasons at Baylor, took the field for the first time this season and quickly showed he has the talent to make an impact for the Nittany Lions. He only had three touches in the game but was able to gain 27 yards on those opportunities, showing off his speed and power in the process.
During his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon, Penn State head coach James Franklin said the senior running back will potentially have the chance to grow his impact as the season continues.
“You gotta remember, he’s played a lot of football,” Franklin said. “You’re talking about a senior who has played a lot of football. We’ve been excited about him since we got him. ... He’s an intelligent guy, he’s been able to learn the system and the protections and all those types of things. We have felt that way all the time, it was just finding the right time and place to use him. Hopefully that role will continue to grow as the season goes on.”
Lovett brings a skill set not entirely present in the Nittany Lion running back room prior to his arrival. The 6-foot, 209-pound back has enough size and strength to run between the tackles, but adds breakaway speed that the team’s other power rushers don’t possess.
He could bring an added dynamic to an offense that has improved each week under offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. The high point of that appeared to come Saturday when the Nittany Lions scored 28 points against a good Auburn defense and did it with a passing attack that hadn’t been a known quantity through the team’s first two games.
According to Franklin, it’s about the unit taking the games one step at a time and improving each time it has an opportunity to take the field.
“I think we just continue to take steps,” Franklin said. “I think Week 1 we took a step on the road at Wisconsin. ... I thought we took a step in Week 2 and I think we took a step in Week 3 and we’re just going to need to continue to do that.”
Part of the reason for that continued improvement is the continued improvement of starting quarterback Sean Clifford. Clifford played arguably the best game of his career Saturday night, completing 28 of his 32 passing attempts for 280 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing only one interception.
More importantly, Clifford took no sacks in the game, staying poised and composed in the pocket. The type of player Clifford showed to be during the game against the Tigers is who Franklin said he’s always seen in the past.
“There’s ups and downs and twists and turns in everybody’s career,” Franklin said. “But this is the Sean Clifford that I’ve always expected and anticipated.”
Clifford’s continued improvement will be important for the Nittany Lions as they navigate what looks like an increasingly difficult schedule the rest of the season. However, the addition of Lovett to the running back rotation could help mitigate what’s required of the passing game for the offense to succeed the rest of the way.
Lovett did not play for two games to start the season for what the ABC broadcast termed a two-game suspension, but Franklin said he was unaware the broadcast made that declaration.
“I didn’t know there was an announcement on TV like that,” Franklin said. “And I don’t know where they would have got that from.”
Regardless of the reason he didn’t play, Lovett is now in position to make a big impact alongside Clifford the rest of the season.
Guarding against an upset
Franklin took the time during his opening statement Tuesday to list out all of the FBS teams who have lost to FCS opponents this year, including Montana defeating a ranked Washington team during Week 1.
The Penn State head coach also cited several difficult games Villanova has given FBS opponents in recent years and its standing in the FCS to illustrate the need for his program to take the Wildcats seriously this week.
“This is a team that’s played these type of opponents tough,” Franklin said. “So we have to be prepared. ... Got a lot of respect for this club. We gotta have a great practice today. We gotta have a great week of preparation and make sure that we are preparing consistently, week in and week out, up to our standards.”
Franklin said the Wildcats, who are currently 3-0 and are ranked No. 11 in FCS, bring back 20 returning starters and have a staff that puts them in position to succeed.
“They’ve made it to the playoffs 13 times; they’ve won a national championship,” Franklin said. “... I’ve got a ton of respect for them. ... On offense, I really like what they do schematically. We’ve been very impressed with them.”
Quick Hitters
- Franklin listed Jaquan Brisker, Ellis Brooks, PJ Mustipher, Jesse Luketa and Arnold Ebiketie as players who are standing out on defense.
- He added Sean Clifford, Jahan Dotson, the offensive line and the tight end room as groups and players standing out on offense, saying he thought Clifford should have been the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
- Derrick Tangelo — known as Congo to Franklin and his teammates — has been a good fit on and off the field for Penn State, per Franklin, who added that he thought the defensive tackle played his best football against Auburn.
- Penn State still has 1,500 tickets available for the game against Villanova. Franklin wants the game to sell out and start a sellout streak at Penn State.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
