James Franklin describes emotional Penn State locker room after overtime win at USC

James Franklin and Penn State football traveled to Hollywood and created a little show-stopping drama of their own, defeating USC in walk-off fashion 33-30 in overtime Saturday afternoon. Battling back from a 14 deficit, the Nittany Lions outscored the Trojans 27-10 over the final 30 minutes and change to remain undefeated.

An electric scene from the moment Ryan Barker’s 36-yard field goal went through the uprights, the celebration continued well after the Nittany Lions left the sizable Penn State contingent for the bowels of the LA Coliseum.

In his postgame press conference, James Franklin described the emotion inside the Penn State football locker room.

“Yeah, you know, in some ways, it was really cool. But the visiting locker rooms make it hard because they’re so small, there’s no space,” Franklin said. “Like most home lockers, you got space where you can enjoy it all together, and the visiting locker rooms are broke [sic] up and divided and small, so it’s hard. It’s not it’s not the same.

“But as you can imagine, it was awesome in there. And to me, that’s what it’s all about. For me at this point in my career, I just want to see the players achieving their dreams and having fun and being rewarded for all their hard work. The same thing with the staff. So that’s what it’s all about for me at this point in my career. I want to see them achieve their dreams and goals. So really, really cool for me.”

Can Penn State football use Saturday’s win as a springboard into the second half of 2024?

As ugly as the picture looked for the Nittany Lions early in the first half Saturday, that’s as pretty as the Nittany Lions are sitting after defeating USC. Likely to move up to No. 3 in the AP Poll following Ohio State’s loss, the Nittany Lions stand right along No. 2 Oregon with complete control of their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff fates.

But there is still plenty of road to travel, even if it may be from the driver’s seat. Penn State will return from its bye week with a road trip to Wisconsin on October 26, followed by a clash with the Buckeyes on November 2.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

And while they may be among college football’s elite at the moment, more than any other game this season, USC exposed vulnerabilities for the Nittany Lions on both sides of the ball. But, if channeled correctly, Saturday could also serve as a launching pad for the stretch run of the season.

“It’s going to make for a great ride home,” James Franklin said of the win. “It’s going to make for a great bye week. And, you know, there’s a ton of things I think we’re going to be able to learn from this game, and we need to learn from this game because we’re far from perfect. But we’re also 6-0 and 1-0 this week, and we’re going to take it and run.”

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