Unbeaten Penn State Brings 'Good Vibes' Into Midseason Bye Week

The Nittany Lions turn toward the season's second half in a good spot, coach James Franklin said.

Penn State coach James Franklin locks arms with players as they head on to United Airlines Field for the game against the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Penn State brings “good vibes” and “good mojo” into its second bye week of the season, according to coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions returned from Los Angeles with a thrilling 33-30 overtime win vs. USC, and Franklin said the team has a chance to learn and improve during the off week. The Nittany Lions coach also emphasized that they “shouldn’t need a setback to take a step forward.” 

“We’re able to work on some things that I think we’re going to need to work on moving forward,” Franklin said Tuesday after practice in State College. “We’ll get a chance to do that tomorrow as well, and then obviously get into actual game week and be able to build on it even more.”

With the win over the Trojans, Penn State moved up to No. 3 in the AP Poll, marking its highest ranking since reaching No. 2 spot in 2017. Even with College Football playoff projections and a huge game against Ohio State looming, Franklin said the team hasn’t talked about the outside noise at all. The Nittany Lions’ focus is solely on improving during this bye and then preparing for a road game against Wisconsin on Oct. 26.  

“We don’t spend any time talking about those things. We just focus on trying to get better,” Franklin said. “And I think so far our guys have done a pretty good job of that, and we’re gonna have to do that again this week because coming up we’re gonna be going on the road, night game in another tough environment. … Really good program, well-coached, so we’re gonna need to take another step this week because these road games are challenging.” 

One of the biggest storylines in Penn State’s 6-0 start has been the development of quarterback Drew Allar. Franklin said Allar is more comfortable and confident as a leader and has gotten a big assist from quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki playing to Allar’s strengths when calling plays. 

Another beneficiary of Kotelnicki’s scheme has been tight end Tyler Warren, who’s coming off a monstrous 17-catch, 224-yard outing against the Trojans. One of Warren’s best plays saw him snap the ball as a center, then run downfield and snag a touchdown catch with a defender draped all over him. 

“It’s been really good,” Franklin said of Kotelnicki’s offense. “I think it’s magnified when you’ve got a really good player [Warren] who’s also really smart and also was a high school quarterback. All those things help and they kinda play into it.” 

Franklin also touched on the punt-return position, which Zion Tracy took over full-time against USC. He recorded only one return for one yard, but Franklin said Tracy did a good job of catching the ball. 

Tracy is starting in place of receiver Kaden Saunders, who’s been dealing with a lingering injury throughout the season. Jake Spencer has also fielded punts for Penn State and his previous team, Colgate. With neither in the lineup, Tracy got the next opportunity. 

“I do think as he gets more comfortable and more confident in doing that, then he’ll have the ability to make some more plays for us,” Franklin said. “Hopefully we’ll be getting Kaden back at some point. Hopefully Zion continues to grow, which I think he will. Hopefully we get Jake Spencer [back], … and then there’s other guys that are working on it too.”

More Penn State Football

Ryan Barker goes from walk-on kicker to walk-off hero

Julian Fleming gets the chance to prove himself again at USC

What we learned from Penn State's overtime win at USC

The Penn State first-half report card

Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson