In Orlando, Franklin details Penn State's plans ahead of bowl game
Penn State is less than one week away from its Citrus Bowl showdown against Kentucky, and the preparation is well underway.
Following some time off for the Christmas holiday, the football team arrived in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday and checked into their hotel. The game plan for the New Years Day bowl is already sketched up, practices are scripted and now it’s time to get to work.
With a maximum of 15 extra sessions at the coaches’ disposal, the early portion of bowl prep was focused inward on team development. The last two before a short Christmas break began gearing more fully toward the opponent. There was an additional emphasis made on special teams before leaving State College.
“Typically when you look at bowl games, it’s ball security and special teams that usually mess people up,” head coach James Franklin said from the Hyatt Regency Hotel. “So we did two special teams-specific practices, got two game plan-specific practices in [before leaving and then] we’ll do our normal week. But the practices will be a little bit shorter – just to make sure our timing is right.”
That means Franklin’s squad will be practicing every day from here on out, albeit for shorter durations. There had been hope that they’d squeeze in a quick tune-up on Wednesday’s travel day. That way, Thursday could have been an off day, thus treating it like an off-Monday during a normal in-season game week.
But by the time Franklin met with reporters Wednesday afternoon around 2:30, time was already running short.
“That’s what we wanted to do, but just this travel day, getting here, the meetings, all the things we have to do as bowl responsibilities, it would’ve been too much,” added Franklin. “That’s why we’ll shorten the practices the rest of the week – just a little bit – because we’re basically going six-straight days.”
While he wants the prevailing focus and attention to be fixed upon preparation for Kentucky, Franklin acknowledged how a warm Florida destination in the middle of winter must also be embraced as a reward for the hard work they have all put in this season.
The coaches ask for acute attention to detail during practice and aim not to overload the players with exhaustive workouts. With a makeshift weight room set up in one of the hotel ballrooms, it’s about maintaining their proper physical condition while polishing the mental intricacies of the game.
On the practice field they’re asking for efficiency. That way when they’re away from it, everyone can enjoy the experience at hand.
“It’s not strictly just a business trip; it needs to be a balance of both,” said Franklin. “We talk all the time about having a mature football team, and I want them to enjoy this. This is a great experience, and they have to be able to balance both. When it’s time to enjoy themselves and have fun, go do that. When it’s time to be in meetings and be at practice, we have to be able to do those things as well. We manage those things as well [as] curfews and things like that.
“Obviously as we get closer to the game, the tighter and tighter our curfew gets. We have to balance it. I want them to enjoy Orlando. I want them to enjoy the bowl experience. I want to limit distractions and then when it’s time to work, it’s time to work.”