Penn State Nittany Lions College Football Pregame Quote, 12/31/2024

COACH FRANKLIN: First of all, like always, I want to thank especially the Penn State media that come out and follow us all the time and cover Penn State football. We appreciate you.

I want to thank the fans. It’s a long season. And our fans, the support that we get, how they travel, is phenomenal. Obviously, also good being on the West Coast, and maybe some of our fans that don’t normally get a chance to see us live. That’s special.

I want to give Boise a ton of credit. I think it’s a really, really good football team. They’ve been winning there for a long time. Coach [Spencer] Danielson has done a phenomenal job. Obviously, could go on and on about their players.

We talked a lot,- these guys are sick of me talking about their running back Ashton Jeanty. Ton of respect for him and what he’s- done in his entire career is special.

But at the end of the day, we played a complete game, offense, defense, and special teams, complementary football. Did some special things tonight. I’m just proud of our guys.

We talked in the beginning of the season about our guys having these types of moments and these types of experiences and these types of opportunities. Love the fact that these guys were able to find a win against a really good opponent here, and these two guys obviously leading the way.

Just a couple of things I’ll say, 13 wins, first time in program history. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton both surpassing 1,000 yards in the same season. First time we’ve ever had two 1,000 yard rushers in the same season since joining the Big Ten.

Then 34 wins over the last three years. We’re very, very proud of that. Consistency is hard to do, and our guys have done a great job at it. The maturity they’ve shown has been impressive.

8-0 in Fiesta Bowls. Penn State loves the Fiesta Bowl. We’ll come every year. So appreciate it and open up to questions.

Q. Coach, you mentioned your running backs [Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton]. Can you just explain how they were able to do what they did today? What did you think of their overall effort?

COACH FRANKLIN: A couple things. Everybody wants to talk about their running backs. But one of the things we talk about all the time is the game of football starts up front. Always has, always will.

I thought our d-line was disruptive today and was a major factor in the game. I thought our Oline was able to control the line of scrimmage. We talk about the o-line, tight ends, obviously the running backs.

That’s Kaytron. Kaytron breaks tackles. He runs people over. He’s a physical, physical back.

Nick, obviously, if you give him a crease, he has got a chance to go 80 at any minute. So, they’re really good complementary backs. They’ve been playing together for a long time.

When we’re able to get the outside zone going like we were able to do today, kind of opens everything else up and gets people running sideline to sideline, which creates creases.

I’m happy. Nick was grinding it out, grinding it out. We weren t having as much success. Then all of a sudden, he was able to break the big one, which was huge. You love to see that happen.

Then like I said, Kaytron is just a workhorse.

It starts up front with the o-line. They don’t get enough credit, but it’s great to see those two backs have success.

Q. How would you describe your approach to dealing with their running back [Ashton Jeanty]? What do you think you did that worked to sort of corral him? I mean, he got 100 yards, but sort of corral him.

COACH FRANKLIN: I think we did corral him. Not “sort of.” I think we did corral.

They got some yards there at the end. And I think defensively, I think our team was sick of me talking about him. I think we got the point across about the respect that we have for that young man and the type of running back he is.

Even today, I think our defense would say they have a ton of respect for him and how many tackles he was able to break and how strong he is and the contact balance. He’s an impressive guy.

But we’re pretty good on defense. Thought our d-line did a really good job of being disruptive and getting in the backfield. I thought we did a really good job gang-tackling. There were a few times where we didn’t wrap like we should have. But for the most part, our defense played lights out.

It was numbers in the box. Obviously being able to play man coverage also helps with that, because you’re able to drop a safety down there and get an extra man to add numbers.

But really good back. We made them earn it today.

I think the other thing that our guys have heard about is the records that he had a chance to break today, too. It was a highly motivated group.

Q. Can you shed any light regarding Abdul Carter? I know he couldn’t finish his game. It looked like he was favoring his left arm or his left shoulder. Can you talk a bit about that? For the players, you guys have been tested away from Beaver Stadium a lot of times in the regular season on the road, winning tough games. When this game got chaotic, how much did those experiences maybe help you not get rattled because you’ve been in a lot of these situations throughout the year?

COACH FRANKLIN: With Abdul, I don’t know a whole lot. We’ll get that checked out and see. Obviously, number one, the safety and health and welfare of our guys is priority number one.

But then, I know Abdul will want to play next week and he’ll do everything in his power to play next week, if he’s able to. We’ll find out more. I don’t have a whole lot more information than that.

Then in terms of being tested, yeah, I think the Big Ten – -you guys have heard me say this a lot. I’ve been a head coach in the SEC. I’ve been a head coach in the Big Ten. I’ve got tremendous respect for both conferences. I think I have a perspective that most people don’t- have, right?

But I think the Big Ten has prepared our guys. We opened the season at West Virginia. Had a tough Big Ten season. Had to overcome adversity and challenges from the top to the bottom of the conference. I think those things are valuable.

I think when you’re playing in arguably the two best conferences in all of college football, it prepares you for games like this.

I think Boise is a really good football team. I’ve got a ton of respect for them and how they go about their business. It’s been that way for a long time.

I think these guys will tell you, we were not taking them lightly. I know they came with those shirts, “Count us out.” We were not counting those guys out. They had our attention. I think that showed up today.

We talk about the maturity of our football team; I think that shows up. When things don’t go well, our guys don’t panic. The coaches don’t panic. We learn from it and then we get on to the next play.

When you’re playing really good teams at this point in the season, they’re going to make plays. They’re going to do some good things. You just got to weather the storm and battle back.

Q. I don’t know if you were watching the bowls earlier today, but the Big Ten had a good day. Now you guys and either Ohio State or Oregon will be in the Semis. How important is it for the conference when your teams have postseason success like this in terms of everybody’s perception and reputation of the Big Ten?

COACH FRANKLIN: Obviously, we want to represent the Big Ten, and that’s important to us.

But ultimately, I’m worried about Penn State. I’m worried about Tyler Warren and Zakee [Wheatley] and Penn State and the guys in that locker room. I want them to have an unbelievable college experience. I want them to go on and have a chance to reach their dreams. That’s my focus.

I got respect for coaching in the SEC because I’ve been there. Take a lot of pride in representing the Big Ten. But ultimately, I’m worried about these guys, the guys in that locker room; our fans; the lettermen; Pat Kraft, my boss; Neeli Bendapudi, my boss boss; David Kleppinger, my boss boss boss. He’s chairman of the board.

Then sometimes it feels like all the media and people on blogs, I feel like I work for them sometimes, too. I don’t spend a whole lot of time on that. I’m focused on our guys.

Q. Coach, wanted to reach out and ask you about some of the throws that Drew Allar made today. I feel like they were NFL throws. Some of these balls were going really high in the air, coming down right into the receiver’s breadbasket. Talk about his confidence level playing games like this, letting it rip. I feel like I have seen a different kid than we saw in the last couple of years. It seems like his confidence has really taken the next step.

COACH FRANKLIN: They get better, right? Last year was the first year starting. Won a bunch of games and did some really good things. His touchdown-interception ratio is phenomenal.

Obviously, when this guy gets turnovers and puts the ball back in the offense’s hand, and this guy more times than not, you can just chuck it up to him, he’s going to come down with it.

But Drew makes bigtime throws. He’s a big-bodied kid. He was able to plays with his feet, which I think has been a huge part of his development and our offense’s growth.

But Drew has had a phenomenal college career, and I think it’s only going to get better. We’re going to need that.

But makes bigtime throws. Obviously, we started out the game on fire. And then we made things more difficult than it needed to be with penalties and things like that. There were a ton of penalties in this game, really, for both teams. We made it a little bit harder than it needed to be.

You guys should ask these two questions, because they’re what it’s all about.

Q. Tyler and Zakee next week will be your 16th game of the season. What will go into the recovery process for making sure you guys are both healthy and ready for what’s been a really long season for you?

TYLER WARREN: We’ve had processes all through the season, so kind of going off those. We do have more time, being out of school and not having the extra stuff to worry about. Really, it’s just taking that extra time. Instead of going home, maybe spending 30 more minutes doing something to make your body feel better.

Everybody is at this point, and everybody is going to be hurting. It’s not really an excuse or something you can lean on and say it’s an issue. You just got to handle it and make sure it’s not an issue in the game.

ZAKEE WHEATLEY: Pretty much what Tyler [Warren] said. But I would just say using the resources we have in the facility, keep homing in on your routine and stretching and doing what you got to do.

Q. Coach, could you share your early thoughts about getting to face Georgia or Notre Dame? What do you think about both of those programs?

COACH FRANKLIN: I appreciate the question, and I love your accent.

Honestly, I want to enjoy this Boise win and this Fiesta Bowl win for a couple hours. We’re going to enjoy the new year. We’re going to enjoy this win for a couple hours, and then obviously we’ll start to get a little bit of a head start on these teams.

But obviously, two great programs. Won a bunch of games. History, tradition, talent, coaching. At this point in the season, you’re going to play really good people, and we’re excited about that opportunity.

But tonight, we want to enjoy this for a couple of hours. There will be plenty of time, and hours, to get focused on those next opponents.

Q. Zakee, ever since you got to Penn State, you’ve kind of been viewed as a playmaker, whether it’s in practice. You’re always around the ball. Showed up again tonight with a couple of turnovers. Could you just talk about does the ball find you or do you find the ball?

COACH FRANKLIN: Yes. Yes, both.

Q. Can you talk about your turnovers tonight that you’re able to create? Kobe [King] really helped you out on the fumble. What did you think was the key for the defense? Two, you guys made the running back [Ashton Jeanty] work for his yards. He needed, I think, over 30 carries to get over the 100-yard mark. And he just wasn’t really as impactful as he had been in just about every other game this season.

ZAKEE WHEATLEY: First, I would like to start out with a shout-out to Kobe King who forced the fumble to allow me to get that.

Then also Jaylen Reed, on that same play I caught the pick, I think it was 30-20. He pretty much told me, go to the post, let me take it down, tight end, go ahead and run and do what you do. That very same play, that happened.

That just shows you how teamwork and trusting each other and how things can play out.

In terms of the record and 130 yards, that was a big motivation. We knew what we were going against today. We knew we all were going to have some ball every single play. Any play you could break one, and we did that the whole game. Did what we had to do.

COACH FRANKLIN: The guy is a turnover machine.

When you’re able to recruit guys out of high school that come from great high school programs. Kyle Schmitt, who played for me at the University of Maryland, has done a phenomenal job. He’s one of the best high school coaches in America at [Archbishop] Spalding High School.

Zakee [Wheatley] played wide receiver as well as defensive back. Probably could play wide receiver at Penn State. When you get guys like that, that have got so many different skills, speed, range, athleticism, confidence. He started out at corner, I think that helps him. He’s very confident in covering people. He’s very confident in attacking the ball. He’s just a talented, talented guy. He’s gotten significantly better every single year, every single year. I don’t think he’s talked about enough on a national scale.

This guy [Tyler Warren], everybody is talking about him and deservedly so. But we need to get more people talking about this gentleman right here.

Q. There are a lot of ways to motivate, a lot of ways to message. You have to pick one. Years ago, you picked 1-0. Why is that? What do you do right to get 13 of those?

COACH FRANKLIN: Obviously, I wouldn’t say it’s overly unique, but I’m a big believer in being present. One of the things I just got on the guys in the locker room, a bunch of guys are on their phones. I get that that’s this generation now. Twitter, Instagram, whatever it may be, I get it.

But what I do know is PJ Mustipher and Jesse Luketa, all the guys that were on the sideline kind of supporting our guys, they would die to be back in our locker room. I just think being present is such an important quality for all of us, right? That’s what 10 is all about, right? Whether it’s the game, whether it is the exam or the class, and even for myself, sitting with my wife and kids and my phone is going off, pushing the phone away and being present. I know I got to be better about that.

It’s just an important trait and quality that I think you have to have. I think it could be a differentiator in today’s society and specifically in college football. The fans all look at our schedule and they want to talk about certain games. We understand the importance of certain games, I get it. But it’s also a big part of consistency in college football.

There’s teams that get a big win against a certain opponent, and then they lose to somebody the next week they shouldn’t do. For the most part, we haven’t done that. I think our guys have embraced it. We have reinforced it over and over and over again. As you know, I’m a big believer in routine, and I’m a big believer in consistency and consistency in message.

For a lot of our guys, it’s helpful when things are going crazy, they’re being pulled in a thousand different directions and you can take a deep breath and focus on whether it’s 1-0 or our core values. Those types of things, I think, are important.

Q. Tyler, out of the half, you guys came out a little bit slow. But when Drew [Allar] threw you that touchdown, how much did that build on your confidence for really the rest of the game?

TYLER WARREN: I think part of the problem when we first came out was just self-inflicting penalties. We had two big holding calls and two big runs that kind of started us in a bad position. But I think that drive, just getting it going again and getting six points is really important and not ending in a field goal.

But really having the running backs going like that all day was awesome for us as an offense. I was really happy that we broke off that long with Nick [Singleton]. I know after grounding and pounding for a little bit, to see that was just awesome to see. My happiest moment from the game was probably when he broke that offense. Just looking over at the sidelines and seeing everybody celebrating.

Q. James, just the running game down the stretch, you’ve been able to lean on it whenever you need it against some really good teams, too. The Oregon game didn’t go your way. SMU in bad weather, lean on the running game. Drew [Allar] did start hot, but then there were some up and down moments there. To be able to rely on that, you talked about the offensive line, the blocking of the tight ends, and the way that Kaytron [Allen] especially ran tonight. He ran about as angry as I’ve ever seen him run. How important is that to the success of the season, but also just moving forward? Because you’ve done it against some good teams.

COACH FRANKLIN: Running game and defense travels, that’s going to show up throughout a season. That’s going to show up in bad weather. That’s going to show up when you’re trying to run four minute like, there at the end of the game, there was a lot of time left, and we kind of went four minute. We were snapping the ball under four seconds. We were trying to take time off the clock. We were trying to keep our defense off the field, trying to keep their running back off the field.

So when you’re able to run the ball, it is a powerful thing at this point of the season. We want to be able to rely on that. It also sets you up in your play action passes as well; makes them more explosive. Being able to run the ball, being able to control the line of scrimmage, whether it’s your offensive line or our defensive line, is critical. It showed up tonight. To your point, it’s really kind of showed up all season.