What Penn State football coach James Franklin said about Iowa, his running backs and more
Penn State head coach James Franklin made note several times during his Tuesday press conference of No. 3 Iowa’s defense and how it gets things done. The unit is one of the best in the country — currently No. 5 in ESPN’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency — and has produced an NCAA-leading 16 turnovers this season.
His No. 4 Nittany Lions will have to be ready to go Saturday night when the team travels to Iowa City for many reasons, but the Hawkeye defense stands out among them.
“I think everybody knows (turnovers are) the storyline of this game,” Franklin said. “They’re doing a lot of things well, that’s the thing that they’re doing right now that makes them special. And it impacts their entire team. It helps defensive statistics because they get off the field. It helps offensive statistics because they create short fields and scoring opportunities.”
The turnovers haven’t always been a staple of Iowa’s defenses, which doesn’t change how it plays much from year to year.
The program has had Kirk Ferentz as its head coach since 1999 and hasn’t drastically gone out of its way to alter how its played in the 22 years since his hiring. His teams play with physicality on both sides of the ball with an emphasis on the run game and play-action passing on offense.
That stability has allowed Ferentz’s teams to take on the identity of their head coach over the years and stay true to it throughout.
“He’s been able to deliver a high level football program on a consistent basis that aligns with the university and the community,” Franklin said. “Iowa has something that they can be proud of on Saturdays as well. I think that is the model.”
Franklin made note that the simplicity of Iowa’s strategy is often heralded, but not as a knock on the program. Rather, it’s put the Hawkeyes in a position to master what they do and excel at the things they want to do well.
“That’s what the smartest people in the world do, right?” Franklin said. “They take complex things and are able to present them in a very clear and precise manner. ... They’re going to line up and do what they do. They’re going to know the tendencies. They’re spending their time studying you rather than what all their checks are going to be.”
The Nittany Lions will have to be at the top of their game to take on the physical Hawkeyes in the matchup on both sides of the ball. Playing any other way will open the door for the program to take advantage and wear Penn State down.
And while the play on the field will be physical, the atmosphere surrounding it will likely match that strength with noise. Kinnick Stadium features a small sideline with the fans in the stands nearly on top of those partaking in the action.
That will only make the matchup with the No. 3 team in the country even more difficult for Penn State on Saturday.
“What makes it challenging is the size of the crowd, the intensity of the crowd,” Franklin said. “And then the way their field is set up. The sidelines are tight. They’re right on top of you. Probably like our stadium, you have fans that have had season tickets forever so you kind of start to build a relationship with these people. You know their names and they know a lot about you. It’s a tough environment.”
Examining the running backs
Penn State’s struggles in the running game haven’t been a secret to this point in the season, but the Nittany Lions did manage to take a step forward Saturday against Indiana. They ran for 209 yards on 42 carries with sophomore running back Keyvone Lee accounting for 74 of the yards on eight carries in the game.
Franklin said the team still needs to improve from that standpoint, but believes the step forward it took against the Hoosiers is a positive.
“We’re gonna keep chipping away at it and stay positive,” Franklin said. “I do think we took a step in the right direction last week. Maybe not specifically in (short yardage situations) but in the running game. I believe that will translate over time and we need to take a step this week.”
The Penn State head coach said he wants to establish the run more against the Hawkeyes this week in order to better set up the team’s passing game, adding that the entire group needs to improve for the offense to get where it wants to be.
“I don’t know if you can talk about the running game or the running backs on their own,” Franklin said. “It’s all of it. ... That’s the tight ends, that’s the o-line, that’s the running backs, that’s the coaches, that’s the quarterback.”
That includes the running backs, who have yet to see a player step up in a major way five games into the season. Noah Cain, the team’s starting running back, has struggled to this point in 2021, running for only 187 yards on 59 carries.
Franklin said Cain is dealing with the usual wear and tear of the season after being asked about his starter’s health, and expects him to be a full go against the Hawkeyes.
“I think we’ve all seen what Noah has the ability to do,” Franklin said. “In terms of what he’s working through, that’s part of football. Everybody at this time of year, with the competition that we’ve played, is working through things.”
Quick hitters
- Franklin said the ability to keep three running backs healthy is part of the reasoning for rotating at the position. The team generally has relied on Cain, Lee and John Lovett to carry the load.
- The Penn State head coach believes the Big Ten and other conferences should routinely reevaluate what the best avenue is to maximize the number of teams that make the playoff, after he was asked about the balance between the east and the west in the conference.
- Franklin said Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum is as good as he’s seen and believes the matchup between PJ Mustipher and Linderbaum will play a big part in who is successful in the game.
