INDIANAPOLIS — No. 3 Penn State misplaced to No. 1 Oregon 45-37 within the Big Ten championship recreation Saturday evening at Lucas Oil Stadium.
James Franklin recapped the loss for the Nittany Lions (11-2), who will almost certainly host a first-round recreation as one of many top-seeded groups with out an computerized berth within the College Football Playoff. The full CFP bracket might be unveiled Sunday.
Below is a transcript of Franklin’s postgame press convention.
JAMES FRANKLIN
Like all the time, I need to thank the media, the Penn State media, that got here out and lined us. We recognize it. Also need to thank the followers who got here out and supported us. We really recognize that and don’t take it as a right.
First factor is you’ve received to offer Oregon and Coach Lanning credit score. They did a very good job. Created some difficult conditions for us on offense, protection and particular groups.
But I’m happy with our guys. We performed the primary workforce within the nation and had an opportunity to win the sport on the finish.
One of the issues I talked to the fellows within the locker room about is this can be a new faculty soccer. And particularly to veterans like Dvon, you need to perceive that that is new faculty soccer. And there’s a 12-team playoff, and our season has simply begun.
And we’ll discover out tomorrow whether or not it’s a house recreation in 16 inches of snow or whether or not it’s an away recreation on the highway. We’ll be enthusiastic about no matter alternative comes and we’ll be ready and prepared as a result of we’ve two losses this yr, two high 5 groups. Had an opportunity to win each of these video games. Learned a ton from it. Same factor tonight.
I sort of regarded again on the recreation earlier than I actually examine it intimately. Early on the 4 penalties have been vital. Four penalties for 15 yards. We had one other penalty for 15 yards. And you’ll be able to’t try this in opposition to the No. 1 workforce within the nation and anticipate to win giving these kind of yards away. Penalties are one factor; 15 yards is one other. I can take care of the face masks penalties. They’re going to occur typically if you’re simply enjoying. That’s going to occur every so often. The different issues we’ve received to get eradicated. And then the turnovers, two turnovers to zero.
We received just about each main statistic apart from that. But because the starting of time, turnover ratio is critical, possibly an important stat in all of school soccer. We additionally received the second-most essential stat in all of soccer which was explosive performs. But on the finish of the day, we didn’t do sufficient to beat the No. 1 workforce within the nation.
But I’m happy with our guys. We’re going to be taught from it. We’re going to flush it. We’re going to maneuver ahead. We’re going to get higher due to it. We will get higher due to this. And we’ll be able to play whoever they inform us we’re enjoying Sunday.
Proud of those two guys. They’ve been superior. Dvon’s been superior for all 11 years that I’ve had with him at Penn State. He’s been with me your entire time. I’m happy with him. And Drew’s been phenomenal, too. Great leaders for us and nice gamers. Again, give Oregon credit score, however extra importantly, I’m happy with everyone in that locker room and the way we competed tonight.
Q. Can you touch upon the protection? And additionally what was your considering on the two-point play?
JAMES FRANKLIN: First of all, once more, we knew that was going to be a difficult workforce. Three large receivers, a quarterback that’s performed a ton of soccer and received a ton of video games. So we knew it was going to be a difficult match-up.
And, once more, I believe early within the recreation we didn’t begin out the way in which we’re able to beginning out and the penalties didn’t assist.
I believe we had a face masks penalty, a face masks penalty once more, which these will occur. Then we had a private foul after which pointless roughness. So that made it onerous.
But they’ve received a difficult scheme. They’ve received actually good gamers that — we knew going into the sport, 15 was going to be an issue. Tez Johnson, had ton of a respect for him. He ended up having a heck of a recreation.
I believed our protection actually got here collectively there within the second half, gave us an opportunity there with a giant cease to win the sport on the finish. But we weren’t in a position to get it accomplished. The space that most likely for each offense and protection, which I believe was a crucial level within the recreation, was the beginning of the second half. We’ve been nice within the third quarter. We gave up factors on protection, and we didn’t get any factors on offense. That was a very essential phase of the sport that we didn’t capitalize.
Then the two-point play, we spend a ton of time on the analytics. We have been having a troublesome time stopping them. We knew we have been going to have to attain factors, and we needed to attempt to win the sport in regulation.
So going for 2 to offer us the perfect probability to win in regulation, we thought was the plan that we wanted to take and the method that we wanted to take. When you don’t decide it up, clearly that’s going to get criticized. I get it. The subsequent one, you may make the argument, you go for 2 once more. But in the event you don’t go for 2 at that time, then you definately’re a two-possession recreation on the finish. So going for one the following landing allowed us to place ourselves able, yet another landing permits us to go for 2, ship it to time beyond regulation and go from there.
But the technique is about successful the sport in regulation. We felt like we wanted to be aggressive. So that was the technique we took.
Q. Do you are feeling such as you’ve earned the suitable to host a recreation this week, on Saturday? And would you be shocked in the event you don’t?
JAMES FRANKLIN: Yeah, I’m going to be sincere with you, I don’t spend a ton of time on that. We actually spent your entire week on Oregon. And for me to sit down right here and really feel like I can perceive or predict how these issues are going to go if you received all these folks in that room and all these personalities, I’m undecided.
I’m pretty assured that we’re going to be within the playoffs. I can converse on that. And I do know these guys and myself and the remainder of the fellows within the locker room might be excited concerning the alternative that comes.
Do I believe our resumé matches up with anyone within the nation? Yeah, I believe it does. Again, we misplaced by one possession to the No. 1 workforce within the nation. And I believe earlier within the season we misplaced to the No. 3 workforce within the nation on the time, if I keep in mind appropriately. Is that right? And a one-possession recreation as properly. So I don’t suppose there’s anyone within the nation that’s received that kind of resumé within the Big Ten, arguably the perfect convention in all of school soccer.
So, once more, I’m not in that room. We don’t make these selections. We’ll be ready eagerly to search out out who we play after which we’ll take all the mandatory methods and planning to place ourselves and our workforce in the perfect place to achieve success.
And wherever the sport is, we’re going to wish our followers. If it’s a house recreation, which might be phenomenal, we’re going to wish that place rocking prefer it’s by no means rocked earlier than. And we’ll go from there.
Q. You talked about the primary sequence out of the primary half. Did you take into account going for the fourth-and-5 earlier than the missed discipline aim? And what was the thought course of there?
JAMES FRANKLIN: Yeah, if it could have been fourth-and-3, every thing that we mentioned forward of time we’d have went for it. We talked about that on the headset when it comes to sequencing, how one can name it. But when it was fourth-and-5, I believed the sector aim was the suitable method to come back out with factors. Barker had been kicking very well all yr lengthy. You make that discipline aim, you’re in a a lot completely different state of affairs transferring ahead with an opportunity to win the sport.
But, once more, if you don’t decide it up, I get it. I get the query. When you don’t make the sector aim, then everyone says ought to have gone for it. I get it.
Q. There have been a pair completely different timeouts the place you have been talking with the officers on the sector. Looked such as you have been a bit aggravated. I used to be questioning what these interactions have been about. And how you’ll assess that space of the sport tonight?
JAMES FRANKLIN: There was a pair calls that we didn’t get that I believed we must always have. One of the calls that I believed was a crucial level within the recreation was the two-minute drive with a catch on the sideline to Omari, I believed was a catch. And wanting on the Jumbotron, it regarded prefer it was a catch.
I get you’re going to overlook some calls, but it surely’s two minutes. So everyone says, okay, properly, decelerate to allow them to assessment the drive. It’s a 2-minute drive; we will’t decelerate. In a crucial recreation like that, for my part, they need to have buzzed down and checked that.
We’ll watch the video of it. Maybe I’m unsuitable. But what I noticed on the sector and on the Jumbotron, that was a catch. And you’ll be able to’t miss these calls in all these video games, particularly if you’ve received replay. Just buzz down. It’s too essential.
So I believed we might have gotten a few these calls. There was a time late within the recreation the place I believed they wanted to guard Drew the place he was hung up in a pile and sort of received slammed down late. There was one other time the place you’re not supposed to tug folks off the pile.
It is what it’s, however the catch on the sideline, to me, that’s a crucial second within the recreation and it was shut sufficient that it ought to have been buzzed down and no less than reviewed. It is what it’s. We’ll management the issues that we will management. And then clearly that’s not certainly one of them. I used to be being requested if you wish to problem it. In a 2-minute drive, it’s onerous to do this. It’s onerous to cease and burn a timeout if you want these timeouts on the finish of the sport. To me, that must be managed by them.
Q. James and Drew, why have been Nick and Kaytron so productive in the present day. You ran for nearly 300 yards?
DREW ALLAR: I believe it begins with the kind of gamers they’re. They’re two particular backs. Obviously they’re particular gamers however they’re particular teammates and people usually.
But I believe that’s the credit score to the offensive line as properly, particularly getting the engine happening our entrance aspect of our, simply mid-zone to outdoors zone performs, and permitting Nick and Kaytron to not get hit till they have been on the second and third degree.
And after they get momentum going, they’re actually onerous to carry down. And there was a pair occasions the place they bounced off guys on the line of scrimmage and made one thing out of nothing. I believe it’s a credit score to the kind of gamers they’re after which additionally the offensive line having a very good day up entrance.
JAMES FRANKLIN: I might say, to your level, Oregon entered the sport twenty second within the nation in rush protection, giving up 112 video games per recreation. And we rushed 292 yards in the present day on them. Kaytron averaged 8.9 yards per carry and Nick Singleton averaged 10.5. Both went over 100 yards.
Like Drew stated, it’s a credit score to the O line and tight ends and clearly these two younger males. I additionally suppose it was the steadiness and our potential to each run and cross all through the sport.
And then you definately’ve received to offer Coach Trautwein and Ty Howle, Ja’Juan Seider and Coach Kotelnicki a ton of credit score as properly. That’s a really well-coached workforce. And we discovered a approach to manufacture yards and factors.
Again, we simply made it tougher than it wanted to be within the first quarter of the sport. And it’s onerous to do this in opposition to any such opponent and anticipate to win.
Q. The 4 passing touchdowns by Gabriel, probably the most by any quarterback in opposition to a high 10 cross protection, one of many highest effectivity numbers as properly, what have been they doing to maintain him that environment friendly and specifically within the first half and their tight ends?
JAMES FRANKLIN: Again, he’s a very good participant. He’s began as many video games as there’s in faculty soccer. He’s been very, very profitable. He’s very environment friendly. I used to be very impressed with him on movie watching how poised and relaxed he’s.
He will get the ball out fast. He’s decisive. He’s received three receivers that may make performs and have made performs in opposition to just about everyone. They received one of many higher tight ends in faculty soccer as properly. And they do a pleasant job. You’ve received to offer them a ton of credit score, which we’ve. And clearly there’s some issues that I believe we might have tightened up as properly.
I believe the opposite factor that factored in is we weren’t in a position to get as many sacks and tackles for loss on this recreation that we’re used to and get them off schedule. I’ll have an interest to look at that movie as properly, and with Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton we’ve been in a position to produce sacks and strain, in addition to Dvon and the boys inside.
And I may very well be unsuitable, however there wasn’t one holding name within the recreation. That might be attention-grabbing to look at. And I don’t need this to come back off the unsuitable method: I give Oregon a ton of credit score, however the penalties have been fairly lopsided, and I’ve extra of a difficulty with those that would have been reviewed. The nonreviewable ones, they’re going to occur. But those that have to be reviewed, have to be reviewed, for my part.
— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup publication.
