‘I’m not gonna apologize for winning’: Penn State coach James Franklin responds to scrutiny surrounding his team

Penn State coach James Franklin started his Tuesday media session by saying that sometimes it takes an “ugly game” to key needed improvement. The Nittany Lions got one such game against a bad Indiana team, winning, 33-24, thanks to a late touchdown.

Franklin ended his availability on Wednesday with a long and passionate rant about that same topic.

Franklin took exception to a question about whether his team was galvanized by losing at Ohio State and battling for a win against the Hoosiers and responded, “I’m not gonna apologize for winning.”

“There’s teams that are ranked No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 in the country, and they struggle to get a win. And no one talks about that,” Franklin said. “But when we struggle to get a win, or it’s not as pretty, then everybody, like, is overly concerned, in my opinion. It’s a long season. You’re not gonna dominate every single week.”

He cited bulletin-board material he gave to his team in a PowerPoint presentation this week: three teams previously in the AP top 25 fell to unranked opponents (No. 6 Oklahoma, No. 11 Oregon State and No. 17 North Carolina).

Franklin has tried to drive home the “winning is hard” point for some time now. He has said it in his opening statements after many nonconference games.

“You gotta find ways to win, however you do it,” Franklin said. “And then you got to learn from the wins. And you got to learn from the challenges. And you gotta learn from the setbacks and be very honest and transparent with yourself and your team. When we don’t play as well as people think we should but still win, I’m not I’m not gonna get into that. I’m not gonna apologize for winning.”

Franklin was asked after the Indiana win about the mental toll a Big Ten schedule, including a disappointing loss at Ohio State, has on players and staff. He promptly responded, “Nobody cares.”

He expounded on that point Wednesday night in a follow-up to his nearly three-minute response to the “galvanized” question.

“As much as at Penn State we value education, the complete experience, the well-rounded student-athletes, the well-rounded individual, society from every direction is telling you that it’s win and win at all costs,” Franklin said.

“So my point is, is all that other stuff that you’re talking about, is it real? Yes. Does anybody want to hear it from me? No,” he continued. “And to me, I think there’s just a ton of examples, and in some ways, it’s sad that if you’re winning, none of that other stuff matters. And the opposite is also true.”

» READ MORE: Deion Barnes is thriving as Penn State’s defensive line coach. So is the Lions’ defense.

Penn State’s next chance to buck some of that scrutiny comes in a trip to Maryland on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Fox29). The Terrapins (5-3) played new No. 1 Ohio State neck and neck for three quarters on Oct. 7.

There is a lot of familiarity at play, with Franklin having coached two stints at Maryland, at one point alongside current Terps head coach Mike Locksley. Maryland offensive coordinator Josh Gattis also was Franklin’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator from 2014-17.

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has given Penn State bugaboos at times, including one of the three all-time wins the Terps hold over the Nittany Lions thanks to a three-touchdown performance in 2020.

The career record holder in just about every passing stat at Maryland, Tagovailoa finally was slowed down by Penn State a year ago. The Nittany Lions sacked him seven times and shut out the Terrapins.

Still, Maryland provides a challenge for a Penn State team — especially defensively — looking for a stronger performance in Big Ten play.

“Great team, Maryland,” safety Kevin Winston Jr. said Wednesday. “If we leave those skillful guys out and free, if you give them anything, they’re gonna make the play. So we gotta make sure we’re on top of everything.”

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