Strengths align for interesting Penn State, Iowa matchup: Tuesday notebook

James Franklin spent his Tuesday press conference refusing to indulge in much of the pregame hype that comes with an impending matchup of Saturday's stature.

His Nittany Lions traveling to face a traditionally strong Iowa program, also unbeaten at 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country, in a Kinnick Stadium setting renowned for its intensity, Franklin insisted his program's approach to the game would remain consistent to that of each of its 11 other games on the 2021 schedule.

He also didn't deny the obvious, though.

In an on-field matchup that will pit Penn State's explosive offense against Iowa's stout defense, and the Nittany Lions' stout defense against an Iowa offense that has thrived in the situations in which it's defense has put it, Franklin cited just how "interesting" the game would be.

"It's a tremendous opportunity that we're excited about," Franklin said. "We're going to need to have great practice today and build on it."

Here's a look at how Franklin and the Nittany Lions intend to do so this week:

Franklin left no room for misinterpretation about what his Nittany Lions’ game with Iowa is and is not on Tuesday afternoon.

Through the course of the press conference, the major themes that have dominated Penn State’s 5-0 start to the 2021 season were all there. Sean Clifford’s improvement, the running game and its strengths and weaknesses, the defensive dominance shown at times this season, and certainly the magnitude of a No. 3 vs. No. 4 matchup all garnered the attention of Franklin.

But when asked about Iowa’s proclivity for creating turnovers defensively, the Hawkeyes now accumulating 16 takeaways on the season to be ranked first nationally in the category, tied with Hawaii in one fewer game, Franklin laid out just how important that element will be in the game Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

“Turnovers equate to winning as much as anything,” Franklin said. “Turnovers and explosive plays. When you can do that, you're going to help your team play and you're going to put yourself in a position to play the game for a long time.

“I think everybody knows that's the storyline in this game. Right? They're doing a lot of things well. That's the thing that they're doing right now that makes them special and it impacts their entire team. It helps defensive statistics because they get off the field. It helps offensive statistics because they create short fields and scoring opportunities. It's all of it.”

As Franklin would go on to say, though, the Hawkeyes won’t be the only side looking to create those game-changing plays.

His Nittany Lions not far behind in the category, now creating nine turnovers through the first five games this season, Franklin put the highest importance on maintaining possession in light of Penn State’s 11th place standing in turnovers lost at just three.

“That's going to be the story of the game is, us continuing to do a great job of protecting the football and for us to create a few too,” he said.

Of Penn State’s major shortcomings this season, despite its unblemished start to the 2021 campaign, Franklin acknowledged what it means for the Nittany Lions to be near the bottom of the Big Ten in third-down conversion percentage.

Now converting on just 35.9 percent of their attempts, including most recently failing to convert on five of six third or fourth-down tries of two-or-fewer yards, Franklin said that the category could be improved through two avenues.

“I’d like to be better in that area, third down in general,” Franklin said. “If we'd be a little bit better on third and short, it would help our overall percentage significantly on a situation that you should be pretty high in your success rate.”

To get there, he continued, Penn State is lacking a certain something that he has been trying to bring into the program throughout the offseason.”

“I think more than anything, it's a mentality,” he said. “We have got to be more physical.”

Citing the importance of being able and willing to throw in those short-yardage situations, Franklin concluded that the path that has been carved out so far is one that the Nittany Lions will continue to pursue.

“At the end of the day, if we are who I think we are, we've got to be able to line up and get a yard or two when we need it when everybody in the stadium knows you're going to run the ball,” Franklin said. “We're going to keep chipping away at it and stay positive. I do think we took a step in the right direction last week, maybe not specifically in that area, but in the running game. I believe that will translate over time and we need to take a step this week. That will be part of our emphasis today and tomorrow.”

It’s a notion that Franklin has stressed repeatedly through his now eight-year tenure with the Nittany Lion football program.

But a matchup between two top-five ranked teams provided the opportunity to pound the drum again.

Regardless of the opponent, Penn State will maintain its singularly focused approach on incremental development to best position itself to win.

“Our tone, our approach, our demeanor, our process is pretty consistent,” Franklin said. “It may be a little bit tweaked on Sundays, based on what I think we need to do and the corrections that need to be made. But in general, the process is going to stay the same.

“And for us, they're going to hear enough of outside noise. I want them to come into the Lasch Building and know what to expect and know what to expect. I think the routine is important.”

In an implicit acknowledgment of the quality of opponent Penn State is set to face this weekend, though, Franklin stressed that his message to take advantage of every opportunity for improvement has been significant this week.

“We have to have a complete week of practice and preparation. And everything matters. When you're talking about two opponents coming together like this, and especially with us being on the road, the margin of error is going to be small. And it all adds up,” Franklin said. “So (we are) just intentional about everything we do and very specific about our process.”

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