Penn State Coach’s Quote Will Fire Up Ohio State Buckeyes

Penn State head coach James Franklin's quote will fire up the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sep 28, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin stands on the field during a warmup prior to a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes are fired up after taking care of business once again this week to start Big Ten play against the Michigan State Spartans. When everything was said and done, Ohio State ended up winning by a final score of 38-7.

Now, they have been given even more bulletin board material.

Penn State head coach James Franklin and his team defeated Illinois on Saturday evening. After the game, Franklin stated that he doesn't "know if there's a better combination of running backs in the country."

"I don't know if there's a better combination of running backs in the country"

James Franklin credits the offensive line and running back for their performances against Illinois

— Micheal Bolger (@MichealBolger) September 29, 2024

Of course, the Buckeyes have the running back combination of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Those two plaeyrs are widely viewed as the best running back duo in the country.

Granted, it was clear that Franklin was simply hyping his own guys up. He wasn't taking a shot at Ohio State's running back duo. However, it was a quote that will be remembered by the Buckeyes.

Looking ahead at the future, Ohio State will face off head-to-head against Penn State later this year. The two teams are poised to play each other on November 2nd.

In that game, you can bet that the Buckeyes' running backs will be out to prove a point. Both Judkins and Henderson are extremely competitive players. They are going to use this as extra motivation moving forward.

This isn't saying that the Nittany Lions don't have good running backs as well. It's simply a statement that Ohio State has better running backs.

For a team with national championship expectations and goals, the Buckeyes will use any piece of motivation they can get. Franklin's quote will give them just that.

All of that being said, Ohio State has a few games to take care of before having an opportunity to show Franklin that he was veery wrong with his thoughts about the nation's running backs. It will be interesting to see how Judkins and Henderson play in that matchup.