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For Penn State's James Franklin, an Accountability Set of Pushups

Penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, a career-first, Franklin dropped and gave the Lions 15.

Mark Wogenrich

In this story:

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford didn't see James Franklin doing pushups after the coach received an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty Saturday against Maryland.

"I saw him yelling at me, though," Clifford said to laughs in the Beaver Stadium media room.

Franklin's set of 15 pushups marked the viral moment of Penn State's 30-0 victory over Maryland. It also marked what Franklin called the first such penalty of his head-coaching career.

Chastened after the second-quarter penalty, Franklin dropped and did 15 pushups on the sideline. He called that being accountable. Franklin also explained that he wasn't yelling at the officials.

"I had my first unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty in 12 years as a head coach and I was embarrassed by it, so I did my pushups," Franklin said after the game. "Everybody's held accountable. I think [the officials] thought I was yelling at the official. I wasn't. I was yelling at our players. But either way, I got an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty."

So who was the target of Franklin's anger? Clifford will take that question.

"I was the cause of that. Yeah, I was," he said. "I'll leave that for him to describe."

Leading 21-0 in the second quarter, Penn State was gifted an extended possession when Maryland committed a roughing-the-punter penalty against the Lions' Barney Amor. Two plays later, however, Clifford threw an incomplete pass under pressure in front of Brenton Strange.

Evidently, that set off Franklin, who proceeded to get Penn State's second unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty of the half. The series ultimately led to a 50-yard Jake Pinegar field goal and a 24-0 Penn State lead.

Franklin also took his punishment from players in the locker room after the game.

"We kind of messed with him a little bit," Strange said. "I've had a couple of unsportsmanlike penalties that I'm not proud of and he's gotten on me about it, so tomorrow I'll probably mess with him a little bit to try to push his buttons."

Still, players appreciated that accountability goes both ways.

"It just shows that he's a players' coach," defensive end Adisa Isaac said. "He's somebody you want to play for. He just brings that energy. He gives us energy, and we feed off it. That's how we should be from the head man on down to the rest of the team."

Watch Franklin's mea culpa here.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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