Following practice on Wednesday evening, Penn State head coach James Franklin met with the media to discuss prevalent topics heading into a cross-country matchup at UCLA.
For the last time before the game, Franklin fielded questions from reporters, talking about a key injury to starting linebacker Tony Rojas,
Lacking a linebacker
Franklin confirmed Rojas is out with a long-term injury.
“Obviously, Dom (DeLuca) will step into that role. And then obviously, you know, we’re having the discussions about green lighting, possibly both (Alex) Tasch and Cam (Smith).”
Rojas’ absence creates a gaping hole at a position lacking depth and comes at an inopportune time with Big Ten play heating up. The junior was one of the team’s highest graded tacklers, per PFF, and sat second on the team through four games with 25 tackles. He was also tied for the team lead with two sacks and was credited with a defended pass.
This isn’t Rojas’ first major injury, as he played through a shoulder issue throughout last season and into the offseason.
Amare Campbell has started at Mike linebacker alongside Rojas, the Will, in the Nittany Lions’ 4-2-5 base defense, with Dom DeLuca playing Sam in three-linebacker packages. With DeLuca starting alongside Campbell, someone will need to step up at the third spot.
Tatsch, Smith, Anthony Speca and Keon Wylie are the leading candidates for the job. In addition to playing on the outside, DeLuca spent some time at Mike when Campbell needed a breather. With that no longer an option, Speca has experience in the middle and could serve as the backup.
“Early on, Tasch was getting a little bit more time with the varsity,” Franklin said. “We’re giving Cam an opportunity now as well. You know, balancing those guys back and forth between the D squad and the varsity. But you know, they’re going to have an opportunity.”
No rest out West
Penn State is gearing up for its longest road trip of the season. While Big Ten teams have had struggles when traveling multiple time zones, the Nittany Lions are using it as an opportunity to build camaraderie and hit the recruiting trail.
“It’s a good time to get out of town, for sure,” Franklin said. “These opportunities, you hear from a lot of the former players and NFL players that come back to talk about, these are the times you missed, the time in the hotel, the time traveling.”
The team will bus to Harrisburg before flying to Los Angeles on Thursday, leaving time for their typical “fast Friday” practice while acclimating to the time change. It’ll be a similar travel plan to last year, when Penn State played at USC, resulting in a 33-30 overtime win.
“There’s subtle tweaks that we’ve made, but not a whole lot, because we felt after last year’s trip, we did an after action review and felt good about how we how we planned it, and how we executed the plan,” Franklin said.
He also said he and the staff plan to do some recruiting while they’re in southern California, long heralded as a hotbed of talent. While he declined to give exact details, Franklin said he plans to attend a high school game on Friday night.
Sticking to his guns
Given quarterback Drew Allar’s struggles through four games and, conversely, former Nittany Lion Beau Pribula’s success at Missouri, questions have arisen about which quarterback should be starting for Penn State and which better fits offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme.
Franklin shut down the notion that Pribula would be a better fit, saying he “doesn’t necessarily see it the same way.” He said the staff thought Allar was playing better last year, and if a move were to be made, it would’ve had to happen before the start of the College Football Playoff.
Franklin said Allar “did some really good things last year,” and that they’ve been less consistent this season. Allar’s numbers have dipped in the early going despite playing three relatively easy nonconference opponents. The quarterback has yet to reach 220 passing yards in a game after doing so seven times last season.
Though his rushing yards per game are also lower than last season, Franklin said the team’s usage of read option plays have been “a big part of what we’ve done.”
“I think typically, his game comes alive, you know, once he’s been able to get a couple hits with his running game and making plays with his feet,” Franklin said. “Typically, that’s when he plays his best football. So it’s been good. It’s been an important part of what we’re doing.”
