James Franklin met Maryland’s Mike Locksley at midfield. Locksley brought him in close and said something in his ear. “If that’s what you think, then that’s fine,” Franklin responded after Penn State’s 44-7 win over the Terrapins on Saturday. The pair of former colleagues turned Big Ten foes were evidently heated postgame. Why?
Locksley was seemingly upset that Franklin chose to score as regulation expired. Instead of running out the clock with 18 seconds remaining, the Nittany Lions opted to pass twice. The first was an incompletion, the second was a touchdown from quarterback Beau Pribula to wide receiver Tyseer Denmark. Then the game was over.
“I asked about his family, Christmas cards, address, all those things,” Locksley said sarcastically. “Bullshit is what it was. I respect the game. I got a lot of respect for James, his program. I think it was bullshit.”
Franklin didn’t seem to think so. He wanted to get his backups, many being true freshmen, some valuable reps. If Maryland couldn’t stop them, he thought, so be it.
“My job is to put the threes and fours in the game. But when the threes and fours get to go in the game, they get to play football. Those guys deserve to play football,” Franklin said. “Your ones are in the game. You’re trying to score, we’re trying to score. On top of that, you’re playing Cover 0. You know what? Play Cover 2. I’m good with it.”
There’s also the reality that the College Football Playoff selection committee weighs scores and margin of victory in determining a team’s seeding. Franklin doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. If scoring another touchdown, if given the opportunity, provides Penn State an advantage in the rankings, Franklin is OK with risking some backlash from an opposing coach.
“There’s also a change in college football. We are trying to play as long as we can, make the playoffs and be seeded as high as possible,” Franklin said. “And scoring as many points and a point differential matters, all that matters. And if you don’t get that, it’s really not my problem. So, W, 1-0. I’m good with it. Anybody that’s not, that’s their problem.”
