Forget about the euphoria that came last week, in the moments after Penn State trounced Temple and became bowl eligible for the first time since the 2011 season.
Forget about heading on the road a prohibitive favorite this week, or the opportunity to push themselves up the bowl ranks in the Big Ten’s eyes.
James Franklin said Penn State can only be focused on one thing as it gets into the heart of practices for Saturday’s game at Illinois, and that’s why the Nittany Lions’ coach said he isn’t worried about a potential letdown.
“We’re excited that last week is over,” Franklin said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “We talked about those things a little bit once the game ended. ... If people tell us we have an opportunity to go somewhere at the end of the year, we’ll be excited about going there. But we’re focused on Illinois.”
Penn State has two games remaining on its schedule — Saturday’s against the Fighting Illini and next weekend at Beaver Stadium against Michigan State in the regular-season finale — and conceivably could improve its bowl stock with a
pair of victories. But Franklin said his philosophy is to keep players away from looking at the big picture of a football season.
“That’s how you make sure that you’re able to come out and play as consistent as you possibly can week‑in and week‑out, by taking it one game at a time,” he said. “Our message is going to be consistent.”
Still the man
For the first time all season, Franklin faced a question about whether he’d consider benching struggling quarterback Christian Hackenberg even for a brief time during a game if he continues to take steps backward.
The sophomore, who was battered early in the season behind the developing and struggling offensive line, hasn’t regained the form that helped him become the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year in 2013. He has completed less than half of his pass attempts in each of the last three games, and he has thrown 12 interceptions against just seven touchdowns this season.
Still, a move is not in the offing, Franklin said.
“Christian Hackenberg is our quarterback,” he said. “And we love him.”
Incidentally, Hackenberg’s in-game backup would be redshirt freshman D.J. Crook, a walk-on who has played in just one game in his career. True freshmen Trace McSorley and Michael O’Connor are likely to redshirt.
Time to forgive?
Franklin said he has met and chatted with Illinois coach Tim Beckman, calling him “a pretty good guy.”
Beckman, of course, was the Illini coach who arrived on Penn State’s campus after the NCAA sanctions were announced in July 2012, with several players angrily saying he and members of his staff attempted to recruit them to Illinois at their dorms and on their way to class. Only one player, offensive lineman Ryan Nowicki, took him up on the offer. But the move by Beckman was not-so-privately used as motivation by a still-angered former Penn State coach Bill O’Brien the last two seasons.
Getting out early
In an effort to keep his teams fresh down the stretch of a tough college football season, Franklin said starting Tuesday, each period of Penn State’s practices will last one minute less than it did last week, going from five minutes each to four.
It might not sound like much, but Franklin estimates that will shave 10 minutes off of practice. Add that to the 15 minutes taken away a few weeks ago when the staff eliminated a few periods of each practice, and the hope is that it will allow his team to be better-rested.
Franklin also pointed out the staff has gone to more jog-through sessions during practices, and massages and hot and cold baths are more prevalent after Sunday practices, when the team is recovering from its game the day before.
“All of those things are important for the health of the individual, and all of those things are important for the health of the team,” he said.
Nittany notes
Franklin said he’d like kicker Sam Ficken to be “a little more consistent” when it comes to getting the ball higher into the air on field goal attempts. All four of his misses this season have been blocked, and Franklin said three of them were because the kicks were too low. ... Franklin said he’s “excited and hopeful” to get injured cornerback Trevor Williams back this week, but he wouldn’t update his status any further. ... In maybe the most positive news of the week, Franklin opened his press conference with the announcement that senior safety Ryan Keiser, who has undergone several surgeries to repair a bowel tear that resulted from a freak rib injury during a practice last month, has been released from Hershey Medical Center and was heading back to State College. Keiser will miss the rest of the season.