James Franklin Pushes Penn State's Offense to Make More 'Special' Plays

No. 2 Penn State is spending the bye week seeking to make general improvements across the roster but also to generate something specific. With Oregon set to visit Beaver Stadium on Sept. 27, the Nittany Lions (3-0) are looking for more special plays.

In some cases, that means more explosive plays. Penn State reached its explosive-play goal of 15 percent just once during the non-conference schedule. And the Nittany Lions are tied for 77th nationally in plays of 20+ yards and tied for 100th in plays of 30+ yards.

To get there, Franklin said he wants Penn State's skill players to contribute at least one "special" play per game. And he doesn't count contested catches or "50-50" balls. Toward that end, Franklin assessed the transfer receivers (Pena, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross) like this through three games.

"I would say [they have played] probably up to my expectations, with flashes of above my expectations and a few flashes below," Franklin told reporters in State College after practice Tuesday. "Each one of them has had a game or games where they’ve shown what they really can do. Our job is to help them each week get better so that in the games we’ve got coming up they can have significant roles for us.

"The reality is, we’re going to need Devonte Ross to have a really good season and to have two or three games where everybody is talking about him. And we need Hudson to do the same thing. And what you hope is that you have multiple games where they’re doing it together and you have a few games where they’re doing it on their own."

Checking in on Drew Allar

Allar said he found himself "pressing" in Week 2 vs. FIU but corrected that in the Nittany Lions' 52-6 win over Villanova last week. However, Allar went just 16-for-29 vs. the Wildcats despite that electrifying touchdown pass to Pena.

As Franklin seeks more "special" plays from his offense, he's also looking for more consistency from his third-year starting quarterback. Add that to his list of responsibilities.

"[Offensive coordinator Andy] Kotelnicki puts a ton on his plate in the run game, in the pass game, in protections, and he’s done a really good job of that," Franklin said. "But kind of like what we just talked about with the receivers, there’s been three or four throws that we should be making, and we’ve got to make sure that is happening week in and week out every single game. Then, just like the play he had to Pena, he can make some throws that very few people on the planet can make.

"... We’ve got to make the plays consisrently that we’re supposed to make, then through all of Drew’s hard work and his God-given ability, he’s got to make four or five of those difference-making plays a game, whether it’s with his feet or whether it’s with his mind or whether it’s with his arm. And he is more than capable of doing that."

Sending a message to the young players

Franklin made a comment to reporters Tuesday that wasn't necessarily meant for them. Asked about the bye-week developmental plan for young players, Franklin said this.

"It’s frustration with some guys that I think could help us come the middle of the season on, and the coaches seem to have a greater sense of urgency to get them ready than they do," Franklin said. "And then there’s other guys that are ready to take that next step. For example, Kotelnicki talked about [receiver] Tyseer [Denmark] after practice today. Tyseer looked like a guy who’s very hungry to get on the field and play.

"Then there’s other guys that are complaining that they should playing, and their parents are sending text messages. And they’re going to get in a game and won’t be ready, and then we won’t be ready and we won’t hear anything from anybody. There's a little frustration with that, and there always is. It's a small percentage, but what I want to make sure as coaches, and myself included, is that you don’t get frustrated with the 2 percent compared to the 98 percent who are doing it the right way."

Penn State's bye-week schedule

High school football fans might see a helicopter flying above their weekend games. Franklin already has made some recruiting stops across Pennsylvania this week and will be attending games Friday and Saturday night.

The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, will practice through Thursday before getting Friday and Saturday off. They return to begin Oregon prep week Sunday.

"This is a week to get better," Franklin said. "Tuesdays and Wednesdays are work days, be that a bye week or not. It’s still early in the season. We've got a lot of things improve on fundamentally, a lot of things to improve on from a schematic standpoint."