Penn State's James Franklin Seeks More Discipline From the Nittany Lions

Franklin said that the unbeaten Nittany Lions make games harder with "silly penalties."

Penn State coach James Franklin on the sideline during the third quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Since Penn State’s season-opening win over West Virginia, head coach James Franklin has been consistently urging his team to clean up one area of its game: penalties. 

After Week 1, Franklin noted how penalties disrupted the team’s rhythm. Ahead of the home-opener against Bowling Green in Week 2, he said decreasing penalties was a “major priority.” Now entering Game 5, Franklin has grown tired of the conversation. He wants to see on-field results.

“We can't just keep talking about it. You guys [in the media] don't want to hear it, the fans don't want to hear me keep talking about it. We want it fixed,” Franklin said Monday. “Ultimately, as coaches, we’ve got to make sure that happens. Also, the players have to make sure that that happens.”

Through four games, the Nittany Lions have been flagged 28 times for 264 yards, an average of seven penalties for 66 yards per game. Penn State certainly isn’t a penalty outlier across the country. Top-10 teams Tennessee, Miami and Missouri average seven per game, and No. 1 Alabama averages 8.5.

So while penalties might seem like a minor issue for a 4-0 team that’s outscoring opponents 145-46, self-inflicted mistakes could become a deciding factor as Penn State inches closer to matchups against ranked conference teams like USC and Ohio State. 

Avoiding a wake-up call

Against Illinois last Saturday night, penalties did make their mark on the final score. Cornerback AJ Harris returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, which was erased by an illegal block in the back call on cornerback Zion Tracy. Franklin made clear that he doesn’t want Penn State to become a team that needs a wakeup call, such as an upset loss, to address those errors.

“One of the things I talked to the team about is the importance of us taking a significant step this week and not having to be one of those teams you see all over the country that have to have a setback first,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to get better each week. Individually and collectively, we have to get better.”

In its first Big Ten game, Penn State accumulated six penalties for 63 yards, while Illinois had nine for 60 yards. Despite outgaining the Illini 376-219, the Nittany Lions could have performed more efficiently had they prevented those small mistakes.

Penn State’s dominance over Illinois and non-conference opponents has allowed penalties to avoid altering the outcome. But the more Franklin has to address the issue, the more his team risks becoming known for threatening itself with flags.  

“Right now, we’ve got a reputation for jumping offsides,” Franklin said Saturday. “The reality is, as good as we played, we made it a lot harder than it needed to be with silly penalties.”

Reaching their potential

Of Penn State’s 28 penalties this season, nine have been from defensive offsides — a preventable issue with proper discipline. And that doesn’t include two declined offsides penalties, one for pass interference and another for holding on the same play. In the grand scheme, Tom Allen’s defense ranks fourth in FBS in total defense, allowing just 226.5 yards per game. Defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas expressed the pride that comes from showcasing the team’s offseason work and talent on the field. 

“When we have an opportunity to show, ‘Okay, this is exactly who we are,’ it's an incredible feeling,” J-Thomas said. “We've had a lot of good defenses in the past, but I really think it's going to be a special year for our defense.”

Even with some outstanding total statistics so far, which are skewed by a 56-0 win over a struggling Kent State team, Penn State’s defense has room for growth. If Abdul Carter continues to demonstrate his versatility at defensive end, and the team cleans up on its flags, it could reach another gear and potentially become one of the most disruptive units in the country. 

To do so, Franklin said discipline will be a significant focus and that he “wholeheartedly believes” instilling discipline in players’ other areas in life, like classes and practices, translates to the field. 

"I believe the more discipline that we have off the field will transfer on the field," Franklin said. "And that's my job."

Penn State, ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25, knows how talented it is. However, continued penalties could limit the team’s ceiling, and quarterback Drew Allar echoed the importance of fixing early season errors.

“Offensively, it's going to be just continuing to evolve our process and not let any mistakes that we've made in the past couple of games carry over to next week's games or practices,” Allar said. “We always have to be correcting mistakes and not allowing mistakes to be a part of our culture. .. It may seem small, but they add up to a lot of big things and to future games.”

Penn State will face UCLA in Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on FOX.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.