What They Said After the Big Ten Championship Game

James Franklin said his team's resume matches any in the country after the Nittany Lions lost to No. 1 Oregon.

Penn State coach James Franklin talks on the headset during the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks in the 2024 Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS | Penn State coach James Franklin pivoted quickly in the locker room after the Big Ten Championship Game, pointing his team directly toward the College Football Playoff. Following a 45-37 loss to Oregon, the Nittany Lions are pointed toward a first-round home game Dec. 20 or 21 at Beaver Stadium. But first they have to process Saturday's result.,

"Do I think our resumé matches up with anybody in the country? Yeah, I think it does," Franklin said after the game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Meanwhile, Oregon celebrated a Big Ten title in its inaugural conference season. Here's what Franklin and Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the game.

Penn State coach James Franklin

Opening statement: First thing is, you've got to give Oregon and Coach Lanning credit. They did a really good job. Created some challenging situations for us on offense, defense and special teams.
But I'm proud of our guys. We played the No. 1team in the country and had a chance to win the game at the end. One of the things I talked to the guys in the locker room about is this is a new college football. And especially to veterans like Dvon, you have to understand that this is new college football. And there's a 12-team playoff, and our season has just begun. And we'll find out tomorrow whether it's a home game in 16 inches of snow or whether it's an away game on the road. We'll be excited about whatever opportunity comes and we'll be prepared and ready because we have two losses this year, two top five teams. Had a chance to win both of those games. Learned a ton from it. Same thing tonight.

On the penalties and turnovers: Early on the four penalties were significant. Four penalties for 15 yards [each]. We had another penalty for 15 yards, and you can't do that against the No. 1 team in the
country and expect to win giving those type of yards away. Penalties are one thing; 15 yards is another. I can deal with the face mask penalties. They're going to happen sometimes when you're just playing. That's going to happen from time to time. The other things [unnecessary roughness] we've got to get eliminated. And then the turnovers, two turnovers to zero. We won pretty much every major statistic besides that. But since the beginning of time, turnover ratio is significant, maybe the most important stat in all of college football.

On Oregon's offense: They've got a challenging scheme. They've got really good players. We knew going into the game, 15 was going to be a problem. Tez Johnson, had ton of a respect for him. He ended up having a heck of a game. I thought our defense really came together there in the second half, gave us a chance there with a big stop to win the game at the end. But we weren't able to get it done. The area that probably for both offense and defense, which I think was a critical point in the game, was the start of the second half. We've been great in the third quarter. We gave up points on defense, and we didn't get any points on offense. That was a really important segment of the game that we didn't capitalize.

On going for 2 after scoring a touchdown to cut Oregon's lead to 38-30: The 2-point play, we spend a ton of time on the analytics. We were having a tough time stopping them. We knew we were going to have to score points, and we wanted to try to win the game in regulation. So going for two to give us the best chance to win in regulation, we thought was the plan that we needed to take and the approach that we needed to take. When you don't pick it up, obviously that's going to get criticized. I get it.

On Penn State's playoff path: I'm fairly confident that we're going to be in the playoffs. I can speak on that. And I know these guys and myself and the rest of the guys in the locker room will be excited about the opportunity that comes. Do I think our resumé matches up with anybody in the
country? Yeah, I think it does. Again, we lost by one possession to the No. 1 team in the country. And I thinkearlier in the season we lost to the No. 3 team in the country at the time, if I remember correctly. Is that correct? And a one-possession game as well. So I don't think there's anybody in the country that's got that type of resumé in the Big Ten, arguably the best conference in all of college football.
So, again, I'm not in that room. We don't make those decisions. We'll be waiting eagerly to find out who we play and then we'll take all the necessary strategies and planning to put ourselves and our team in the best position to be successful.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning

Opening statement: I don't know what to say except for how proud I am of these guys. We've talked about moments this year where guys had to put each other on their backs. I thought the offense tonight did an unbelievable job. I thought the defense made a critical stop when it mattered most.
But I'll say this, the belief in our team throughout the game, it never wavered. We have a bunch of guys in there that love each other and worked their tails off tonight to come out on the other side of victory. Kudos to them. That offense is really hard to stop. They do an unbelievable job over there. It was a battle, a battle to the very end.

On Phil Knight being involved in the celebration: He loves this university. He means the world to this university. I think so often Phil gets acknowledged for what he does for the football program, but when you talk about a philanthropist and what he does, him and his wife Penny, what they do for the greater good of the world, what's college sports look like without Phil Knight? And what's athletics in general look like without Phil Knight? And what's cancer research look like without Phil Knight?
I don't know that you can put that into words. We're grateful for his contributions. And certainly a big part of us having success is making sure that we get the opportunity to acknowledge him.

On quarterback Dillon Gabriel: This guy deserves every single thing that comes his way. I told him that earlier this week when he got player of the year in the Big Ten. If anybody can't watch that performance and recognize how special he is. And maybe the most special play to me was the
third-and-one when he wanted it in his hands to get that tough yard. This team believes in them. They're grateful every day they get to step on the field with them. He's about connection and people first. But the poise he shows in big games is unmeasured. I haven't been around players like Dillon. I'm really grateful that I get to share the field with him.

On receiver Tez Johnson, the game's MVP: He's special. He knows it. I think when you're around a talented individual, you appreciate it because just the person he is, he's electric, and when he gets the ball in his hands, he's going to make a play. But more than that, you appreciate the person. As
everyone knows, I've played football for a long time. And when you're around people that love the game, love life, and do what they do in a special way, you appreciate that. And Tez is a huge part of what we do. And him being on the field makes us a lot better. I'm proud of him. I'm proud of the leader he is. I'm proud of the way he fights through adversity and a guy that we've been through a bunch
together within a year's time, but the growth together is enormous.

On scheming against Penn State's Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter: I think they had moments that maybe they missed. We have to acknowledge that. They have an unbelievable scheme. They do a really good job there. I will say that we wanted to make sure we always knew where 44 was at. And certainly we always wanted to know where 11 was at. Credit to our offensive line. Credit to [offensive coordinator Will Stein] and the job he did there, and credit to our guys on defense, knowing where he was at. But there's a lot of room for improvement for us. That's what I'm really excited about, is the opportunity to attack that growth.