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James Franklin, Drew Allar, and Nick Singleton speak to the media after a heartbreaking 27- 24 loss to Notre Dame in the CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl #WeAre #PennState #CFP #OrangeBowl #NotreDame
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0:00
um I want to thank our fans for the
0:04
support that we got all year long was
0:07
phenomenal um could not be more proud of
0:11
these two young men that are sitting
0:13
next to me and really all those guys in
0:15
that locker room we played our tals off
0:19
tonight and really played our tals off
0:22
all season um obviously we need to give
0:26
Notre Dame uh and Marcus a ton of credit
0:30
they they did a great job we knew it was
0:31
going to be a fourth quarter game and
0:33
come down to a possession and that's
0:36
exactly what happened so give Notre Dame
0:39
a ton of credit I wish him the best of
0:41
luck moving on to the National
0:44
Championship um but I love every guy in
0:47
that locker room I love every person in
0:49
that locker room proud of them played
0:51
our tales off tonight um obviously we
0:55
made too many
0:56
mistakes um that were costly so
1:00
give Notre Dame credit and we'll learn
1:03
from this and uh we'll be better opening
1:06
up to questions all right we're going to
1:08
first start with questions uh only for
1:10
our student athletes and we'll have just
1:12
a few minutes of questions with them
1:14
then we will open it up for questions
1:17
from coach Franklin so now we'll open it
1:18
up for questions uh for our student
1:20
athletes if you have a question please
1:22
raise your hand our microphone will be
1:24
brought to you please state your name
1:26
and affiliation before asking your
1:28
question so the first question is right
1:32
here Johnny mcgonagal pen Live question
1:35
for Drew can you just walk us through uh
1:38
the
1:39
interception yeah I mean I was going
1:41
through my progression uh got to the
1:43
backside and honestly I was just trying
1:45
to dirt it at his feet but I it just I
1:49
should have just thrown it away when I
1:51
felt the first two progressions not open
1:53
just because of the situation we were in
1:55
but I was just trying to dirt it atari's
1:57
feet so but just didn't execute what I
2:00
was trying to
2:02
do question to our left Daniel G L 247
2:07
Drew can can you evaluate your
2:09
performance tonight what what worked and
2:10
what they might have done to to make
2:12
things more
2:13
difficult I mean we didn't win the game
2:15
so it wasn't good enough I mean I think
2:17
it's plain and simple so I'll learn from
2:19
it I'll just do everything in my power
2:22
to get uh get better from it and just
2:23
grow from
2:25
it our next question
2:31
right question for Nick uh you had a
2:34
three touchdown performance um just
2:36
thinking about uh where you played at
2:38
this year um I know you're a junior but
2:41
I know the national championship game is
2:43
uh next year down here in this Stadium
2:45
um have you used that as motivation just
2:47
to get back here in the same location
2:49
for another
2:52
chance um yeah um really I'm not even I
2:56
don't even know yet what I'm doing next
2:57
year right now but you know I'm worried
2:59
about you know being with Drew coach
3:01
fragging you know all my teammates right
3:03
now just spend the time you know because
3:05
again it's not going to be the same team
3:06
as last year so whenever that happens it
3:09
happens but right now I'm enjoying the
3:10
time with my
3:11
teammates question to the left Audrey
3:14
CER the athletic Drew what did this
3:16
season mean for you to kind of become
3:19
the vocal guy one of the leaders on this
3:21
team what have you maybe learned about
3:22
yourself during that process uh I mean I
3:25
mean I learned a lot about myself and I
3:27
think it's a credit to the coaching
3:28
staff for just allow me to be me um I
3:31
think I I grew a lot uh on the field off
3:34
the field so just looking forward to
3:37
continuing to grow learn more about
3:38
myself get better in anywhere I can on
3:41
the field off the field so just looking
3:43
for the opportunity um definitely going
3:45
to learn from this but yeah I'm just
3:46
going to learn from it and you know move
3:48
on and and take it on the chin right now
3:51
going to have two more questions for our
3:53
student athletes our next
3:56
question right here Adam rber with the
3:59
SPN third down was big on both sides of
4:01
the ball what did you see them doing or
4:03
or or why was it so so hard to convert
4:05
those third Downs tonight uh I mean I
4:08
mean coming into the game I think they
4:09
were uh I don't know what they were but
4:11
they were definitely one of the top
4:12
defenses in the nation uh in terms of
4:14
just third down conversion percentage
4:17
against them but I think it came down to
4:19
just executing uh I thought we had a
4:21
really good plan I thought coach Kane
4:23
and the offensive staff had a really
4:24
good plan for normal Downs third down in
4:26
Red Zone but um I missed a couple throws
4:28
on it so it comes down to just execution
4:31
so I I mean a credit to nor Dame for
4:33
making it tough for sure but I think if
4:35
we just execute those moments that we
4:38
would we would have been put ourselves
4:39
in a better position and it starts with
4:41
me you know hitting some of those
4:44
throws one more question for any of our
4:46
two student
4:51
athletes okay we're going to allow them
4:53
to uh head back to the locker room again
4:56
realizing um the the the game was very
4:59
tough
5:00
and uh it's very tough on them to be
5:01
here with us now but we appreciate them
5:03
coming and joining us and we're going to
5:05
allow them to leave now at this time and
5:07
then we'll have questions directly to uh
5:10
coach
5:12
Franklin proud of you guys love you
5:14
thank
5:19
you
5:21
[Music]
5:27
sorry all right we'll have questions for
5:29
coach Franklin right
5:32
here back and new we get to you I'm
5:34
sorry James you guys really got the
5:35
running game cranked up in the first
5:37
half second quarter spe especially did
5:39
they do anything to maybe slow you down
5:41
in that area in the second half no I
5:44
mean I I think your point is is a good
5:47
one right you know the the two biggest
5:49
points of the game are in my opinion
5:51
what you guys just brought up third down
5:53
we weren't effective enough on third
5:56
down and then the middle eight um you
5:59
know that that field goal right before
6:01
the half was big we had almost had a
6:03
chance to a fumble recovery right there
6:04
off a strip sack um and then to open the
6:09
second half with them going down and
6:10
scoring a touchdown and us going three
6:12
and out you know th those things those
6:14
things that was significant in the game
6:17
um you know you looked at you looked at
6:19
Notre Dame when we studied them they
6:21
were one of the better middle eight
6:23
teams in the country so were we um but
6:26
that that was a major factor in the game
6:29
and then on top of that you know I would
6:31
say big plays just we know we we'd make
6:34
them earn it we'd make them earn it we'd
6:36
make them earn it and then you know they
6:38
they capitalized with a big play which
6:40
is again something that we've done
6:43
really well all year long is making
6:44
people earn it and they had a good plan
6:47
give their coaches a ton of credit their
6:49
players made plays at specific times um
6:53
but that was probably the biggest the B
6:55
two biggest points in the game from my
6:57
perspective question down front uh F
7:00
flounders pen L James I know it's I know
7:02
it's a tough loss um you got a lot you
7:04
asked a lot about the offense just your
7:07
thoughts on what Abdul Carter was able
7:10
to do in this game obviously he wasn't
7:12
100% but he was out there a lot and he
7:15
was very disruptive and also Deni Dennis
7:17
Sutton uh against the run and against
7:20
the pass uh made he made one one of the
7:23
one of the most incredible plays to kind
7:24
of give you a chance to win the game
7:25
just those guys overall and your defense
7:28
overall yeah yeah you know um those two
7:31
guys are warriors and they've been
7:33
Warriors all year long um Abdul I'm
7:37
really proud of him um you know he
7:40
gutted it out today showed tremendous
7:42
mental and physical toughness and and
7:44
was disruptive in the game um and deny
7:47
is a guy that really has done everything
7:49
right since he stepped on campus and to
7:52
see him be able to make some big plays
7:54
tonight at critical moments uh was huge
7:57
really gave us you know a chance to go
7:59
win that game so um proud of our offense
8:02
proud of our defense proud of our
8:04
special teams but they're two guys that
8:06
you you signal out um they deserve a ton
8:09
of credit you know and really and not
8:11
just tonight all year
8:13
long on our left James Tyler James from
8:16
inside IND Sports hey you didn't have
8:18
any completions to wide receivers
8:20
tonight what was that doing defensively
8:22
that made that so difficult yeah we uh
8:25
we tried a couple early on in the game
8:27
and and weren't able to uh you know
8:29
weren't able to convert them tightly
8:31
contested coverage they're a man
8:34
coverage
8:35
team um but yeah that's that's that's
8:38
that's a storyline of the game that's
8:40
one of the story lines I don't I don't
8:41
think there's any doubt about it but
8:42
early on we had some throws tightly
8:45
contested balls that that we didn't come
8:47
down with so again give them
8:49
credit question in the rear please James
8:53
after the Ohio State lost your players
8:55
talked about wanting another crack
8:56
needing to handle their business so they
8:57
would have a chance to play late into
8:59
the season seon what can you say about
9:00
the player-led leadership of this team
9:02
and what they may be proved with a run
9:04
like
9:09
this yeah you know
9:11
um you know when you're talking about a
9:14
16-week season now that we have in
9:16
college football there's opportunities
9:19
to uh bounce back from setbacks uh Notre
9:23
Dame you know was able to do it um and
9:26
we were able to do it you know kept
9:28
getting better as the season went on got
9:31
better especially the second half of the
9:33
season um some big wins some adversity
9:37
that we were able to
9:38
overcome uh and the guys just kept
9:40
battling so I'm just I I could not be
9:43
proud of the young men in that locker
9:44
room and the staff and how they
9:46
represented Penn State in the Big 10 all
9:48
season long um so they deserve they
9:52
deserve a ton of credit and obviously we
9:55
would have loved an opportunity to get a
9:57
win
9:57
tonight uh and then be able to watch the
10:00
game tomorrow night and figure out who
10:01
our next opponent was going to be but uh
10:04
again very very proud of our
10:07
guys on the left please James Adam with
10:10
the SPN you could see the emotion
10:11
obviously on on Drew's face uh with
10:13
everything that he's done for you guys
10:15
how do you think he'll respond and and
10:17
what's going to be your message to him
10:18
going forward yeah I
10:21
mean Drew is a passionate guy he invests
10:25
so much into his development but also to
10:30
his teammates and to Penn State and
10:33
he'll handle this like he handles
10:35
everything else um with first with a
10:39
first class approach and uh with an
10:42
investment level that's as good as
10:45
anybody in the country his jump as a
10:48
year one starter to a year two starter
10:50
was significant he's got a chance to
10:52
take another step next year
10:56
um but he'll handle the right way he
10:58
he's hurting right now right should be
11:00
hurting we're all hurting you know this
11:03
ain't easy to get in here right after
11:04
the game and uh have a conversation
11:07
after you just poured your guts out on
11:10
that field um and really did it all year
11:13
long so you know he'll handle he'll
11:17
handle it great he'll be hurting tonight
11:20
he'll be hurting tomorrow he'll hurt a
11:23
little bit less the next day and so on
11:25
and so forth um but he's a he's a
11:29
committed guy that's going to do it the
11:31
right way and he said it it may not feel
11:34
like it right now but but he'll learn
11:36
from this and he'll be better for it and
11:37
so will
11:40
we Mr rhen hey James Bill Ren ask just I
11:46
know you've got a lot to to
11:48
unpack but I'm just wondering how you
11:50
feel I mean you've been doing this for a
11:52
long time and you get this close play a
11:55
great game um you ever get how do you
11:59
feel just just as the head coach yeah I
12:02
just I wanted it for the guys like you
12:07
know I just I wanted it for our players
12:10
I wanted it for the staff I wanted it
12:13
for patcraft and neie bendy who've been
12:16
awesome um and I've been doing this long
12:19
enough to know when we have the support
12:22
from our athletic director and president
12:24
that's been phenomenal so I wanted it
12:26
for them um but most importantly I
12:29
wanted it for the guys in the locker
12:31
room and and the staff
12:36
um so that that's that's as you could
12:39
imagine there's a thousand different
12:41
emotions going on and and uh and
12:44
feelings but as the head coach I got to
12:47
put on the right face for the guys in
12:48
the locker room for what they need right
12:50
now um and for my
12:53
family and
12:56
um the sun will come up tomorrow
12:59
and the one thing I want to make sure
13:01
that all those guys do is walk out of
13:03
that locker room with their heads high
13:05
and their chest out because they have a
13:07
ton to be proud of there's
13:12
about 28
13:15
teams that would give the right arm to
13:18
have the season that we just had tonight
13:20
that we just had this year so doesn't
13:24
feel that way right now but there's a
13:26
ton to be proud of on our left please
13:30
James um along those lines how you doing
13:33
when you know things change in in this
13:36
era of college football so quickly and
13:38
next year will look vastly different
13:39
than things do right now but when you
13:41
look big picture this type of season to
13:44
be at this point in the year for your
13:45
program what do you think this does in
13:48
the big picture for Penn State to be at
13:51
this point in the season well obviously
13:53
it was a tremendous experience for our
13:56
guys and they know they can play with
13:58
anybody
13:59
and there's a lot of young guys in that
14:01
locker room who played there's a bunch
14:03
of young guys that just were able to
14:05
experience it it's an experience that
14:07
they'll remember for the rest of their
14:09
life um this season and how it went uh
14:13
and there's going to be a ton of guys
14:14
coming back for next year that are going
14:17
to be hungry and are going to be
14:19
motivated for more you know they they'
14:22
they've gotten a taste of what this what
14:24
this feels like what it looks like and
14:27
what it smells like and um we'll all be
14:30
better for it in including myself we
14:34
we'll we'll be better from this
14:36
experience because there's so many guys
14:38
in that locker room that have a chance
14:40
to come back and use this as fuel and
14:47
experience to get back here next year
14:49
and years after that two more questions
14:53
here's the first or our final two James
14:55
you talked about the guys that are
14:56
coming back there's there's a lot
14:58
there's a lot of guys
15:00
game uh for and for Penn State play well
15:03
for a long move your hand up the mic
15:05
there go yeah and played very well for a
15:07
long time at Penn State whether it's on
15:09
the defensive side some sixe guys but
15:12
given the season that he had and what
15:14
he's meant to Penn State what has it
15:16
been like for you to coach a guy like
15:18
Tyler
15:20
Warren yeah that that's that's the hard
15:23
part right
15:25
like we've been approaching this since
15:27
the playoffs started you a lot of
15:29
coaches are talking about a four game
15:30
season or a three- Game season or
15:32
whatever it may
15:33
be but we didn't approach it that way it
15:36
was a it was a 65 play season average 65
15:39
plays on offense 65 plays on defense and
15:42
about 27 on special teams in a
15:45
game and how you approach and and
15:49
treasure those 65 plays gives you an
15:51
opportunity to play another 65
15:54
place um and that's the hard part right
15:57
like
15:59
like Tyler Warren you know big gangly
16:03
kid from Virginia that that we recruited
16:06
as a basketball player and was committed
16:08
to another school quarterback and he
16:10
shows up here and you know we go down as
16:14
one of
16:15
the greatest tight ends in college
16:18
football history you know uh pretty cool
16:21
to watch his total development graduate
16:23
from graduate from Penn State just get
16:27
better you should be the first tight end
16:29
taken in the in the draft just had a
16:32
phenomenal experience right and uh I'm
16:36
proud of him because he's up to like 27
16:38
words at Penn State he hasn't know he
16:39
said
16:40
anything um you know Devon Elise you
16:44
know didn't want to come off the field
16:45
I've been with you know Devon's been
16:47
playing for us for six years and two
16:50
years recruiting recruiting them and
16:52
knowing all these guys families and
16:55
their moms and dads and brothers and
16:57
sisters that's the hard part right like
17:01
that's that to me is what it's all about
17:04
I mean I love I love the winning and I
17:07
know how important winning is at Penn
17:09
State trust me that's been made very
17:11
clear to me time and time again
17:15
um but to me it's it's about it's about
17:18
the guys in the locker room and it's
17:20
about it's about their development I
17:22
take so much
17:24
pride in um in how our guys go about
17:28
their business how they grow how they
17:30
develop academically in a time in
17:32
college football where that's being
17:35
challenged um but I but I I take a lot
17:39
of pride in how our guys conduct
17:42
themselves how they carry themselves the
17:45
degrees they get the type of men that
17:47
they're going to be the type of leaders
17:50
fathers
17:52
um maybe I'm maybe I'm old school I
17:55
don't know when I became the Old Coach
17:57
but I did at some point um
18:00
but we got a throwback program with
18:03
throwback uniforms and I still coach
18:06
them and love them
18:09
um I guess like the dinosaur I've become
18:12
at some point I don't know when that
18:13
happened but um to me it's it's about
18:17
the guys it's about the guys and and
18:20
their development so um I want them to
18:23
get drafted as high as possible I
18:26
understand the transfer portal is a part
18:28
of college football now and nil is a
18:30
part of college football and we'll
18:32
Embrace those things too but um I want
18:36
this experience to be so much more than
18:38
a transactional experience I want it to
18:41
be transformational so
18:45
um again you know that that's what it's
18:48
all about for me so our final question
18:51
on the left thank
18:54
you James your first scoring job you
18:56
guys got down to the four but had this
18:58
setle for a field goal what what went
19:00
wrong that you guys weren't able to
19:01
punch it in there because you guys were
19:02
able to punch it in when you got close
19:04
to the end zone later in the game well I
19:07
I don't need to talk about you know I'm
19:11
not going to talk about specifically
19:13
obviously you know what happened um on
19:16
that play but first of all you got to
19:18
give you got to give Notre Dame a ton of
19:20
credit Al golden uh Penn State grad you
19:25
know
19:26
um you got to give him uh a ton of
19:29
credit we watched them on tape we had so
19:32
much appreciation for how they play
19:36
defense and they make you earn it and
19:38
and we had some opportunities that that
19:40
we didn't capitalize on and we'll go
19:42
back and watch the tape and and struggle
19:45
with it and be upset because there's
19:47
things that we could have done
19:49
better um
19:52
but but again it's it's the game of
19:55
football is about execution you know you
19:57
call your defense you call your offense
19:59
and whoever executes it better um on the
20:03
specific play call they have success on
20:06
that play and the more plays you put
20:08
together like that the better uh they
20:09
got a ton of talented guys on
20:11
scholarship as well just like we do um
20:14
and we came up just a few seconds and a
20:18
few inches shorter than than they did
20:20
but but you to your point I mean you
20:23
know I I think in in games like this at
20:26
this point of the season
20:29
everybody wants to pick out a specific
20:31
play there's probably eight to 12 plays
20:34
in that game
20:36
that if if we could have found a way to
20:39
make a few more plays in that game and
20:41
we're that close right it's a game of
20:44
inches so I'm not going to you know call
20:47
out or talk about specific plays or
20:50
specific players
20:52
because there's a there's a ton of plays
20:54
that we're going to look back on from
20:55
them game from that game that we could
20:58
have did better
20:59
and that we should have did better and
21:00
that we could have called better um so
21:04
it's it's all of it but it starts with
21:05
giving Notre Dame credit that's a good
21:07
football
21:08
team we lost to a good football team
21:11
that's that's led by a good man I don't
21:14
I don't know Marcus very well but he's a
21:17
class act after the game um one of my
21:21
good friends Jared Parker work for him
21:23
he he thinks he thinks he's the best
21:25
thinks he's a great guy so if you're
21:28
going to lose to somebody
21:30
[Music]
21:32
um I don't want to lose anybody to be
21:34
honest with you but um but you got to
21:37
give Notre Dame credit and and I know
21:39
Marcus will do a phenomenal job and and
21:43
uh I'm happy for him and at their
21:45
University coach Franklin uh we thank
21:48
you for giving up your time I know this
21:50
was not easy for you as well but we do
21:53
thank you for being patient with us uh
21:55
this is a Class Act ladies and gentlemen
21:57
and I thank him for his time and thank
22:00
him for bringing his team to our Orange
22:02
Bowl thank you coach you're a classic
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