Nov. 4, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-4) head on the road this week for a matchup against Indiana (3-5, 0-4) on Saturday at noon (BTN).
Head coach James Franklin previewed the matchup against the Hoosiers on Tuesday afternoon inside the Beaver Stadium Media Room.
The Nittany Lion defense again turned in a dominant performance on Saturday, limiting Maryland to 194 total yards of offense, including just 33 on the ground. Penn State leads the nation in rushing defense (77.1 ypg) heading into the Big Ten East Division tilt against Indiana.
"Defensively, we're doing a nice job stopping the run and eliminating the big plays," said Franklin. "We need to get more turnovers. That would be helpful for us. Third down, we were excellent (last week)."
This week, the Nittany Lion defense will face a stiff test matching up against the nation's top rusher. Indiana's Tevin Coleman is No. 1 in the nation in rushing yards per game (162.5), rushing yards per carry (8.02) and yards from scrimmage per game (180.0). As a team, Indiana is ranked third in the Big Ten at 274.5 rushing yards per game. Franklin and the Nittany Lion defense are looking forward to the challenge.
"It's funny, me and Bob Shoop were just talking about this. It kind of reminds us of McFadden, who used to be at Arkansas, a little bit," Franklin said. "He's big, he's strong, he's a one cut runner. The thing that was interesting too, I was looking at their offensive line, they've got a massive offensive line, but not only that, they have depth and experience."
Core value No. 1 for the Penn State Football program is approaching all facets of life with a positive attitude. That being said, the team is looking ahead with great confidence. The mindset for Franklin and the Nittany Lions will never change and the level of enthusiasm towards getting better each week will never waver. That could not have been more evident listening to Coach Franklin on Tuesday afternoon.
"(We are) in a great mood. Excited about getting out to practice today and getting better and continuing to work with these guys," Franklin said. "(We've) Got a tremendous opportunity. Myself, the staff, the players are more determined and more optimistic than we've ever been."
Correcting the little mistakes on the offensive side of the ball is on top of the priority list moving forward. Franklin is seeing progress each week, but he is looking for the unit to clean up the small mistakes this week at Indiana.
"Offensively, it really just comes down to execution," Franklin said. "There are too many little things. Whether it's footwork, whether it's assignment that we're not doing consistently, and it's not one person; it's one person this play, it's a different person that play. So we have to do a better job there."
The Nittany Lions and Hoosiers are slated for a noon kick on Saturday. The two teams have met 17 times in a series dating back to 1993.
Press Conference Notes
- Ryan Keiser injury update
"I don't want to get into the specifics and details unless there is something to really be told. But he is doing extremely well from everything that we're told. We have a staff meeting every morning at 7 a.m., and that is part of the discussion. I've talked to Ryan's mom multiple times. I've talked to Ryan's wife multiple times. Our training staff as well as our doctors have been involved every step of the way. I think Tim Bream, our head trainer went down yesterday to visit with him. From everything I'm hearing and everything I know he's doing great."
- Franklin on the Indiana offense:
"They're averaging 274 rushing yards per game, number three in the Big Ten, and number 10 nationally. I think that's what this game is really about. Our rush defense versus their running back, who is leading the country in rushing right now. They return seven starters. They're a spread, no huddle, tempo offense. The last three games they've had 11 big plays. Ten runs, one pass for a total of 615 yards. Explosive offense. That's what you watch them, they may go zero yards, one yard, zero yards, two yards, and then an 80 yarder. That's kind of who they've been."
- Franklin on the Indiana defense:
"They've improved dramatically over the last couple of years. They've got nine starters returning. They're a three four defense. Really big up front. I think they were starting to develop some depth as a four three defensive line. Now they're only playing with three defensive linemen on the field, but you look at them, they've got 300-pounders almost three deep. You look, they're a cover four defense. They do a really good job in the secondary running around. They're a multiple pressure defense."
- Franklin on the Indiana special teams:
"They have a really fast slot receiver as well as specialist, Shane Wynn, No. 1. That's kind of who they are on special teams as well. Shane Wynn is their punt returner and kick returner. Their kicker has a really strong leg. He's made a 58-yard field goal this year, and that is 21 touchbacks. "