James Franklin shares his halftime message against Northwestern

Undoubtedly, the first half of the Penn State vs. Northwestern game was frustrating to watch. If you’re a Nittany Lion football fan you understand the first-half road struggles. Especially, on the offensive side of the ball, the team struggled to find a rhythm whether it was Drew Allar missing a wide receiver or a receiver’s lack of separation. But after the first half Penn State went on a 31-3 run, so what exactly did James Franklin say to his team?

James Franklin shares his halftime message against Northwestern

It was hard not to be frustrated with the result of the first half against Northwestern. But at the end of the day, the team still won by 28 points and they moved on to the bye week. It felt like there was a different energy on the field once the Nittany Lions took the field. After the game, James Franklin spoke about his halftime message.

Franklin said, “That was my message to the team, first half is gone let’s play really well in the second half. And I think it ended up 31 to 3 in the second half.”

It’s a great philosophy to have as a football team. There is no time to dwell on what they should have done better in the first half. Flush it from your mind and go and dominate Northwestern. The Penn State football team found a way to do that.

The offensive line needs the bye week

JB Nelson was carted off the field on the BTN broadcast yesterday. Following the game, James Franklin provided an update on Nelson and Kaytron Allen who also left with an injury. To me, the offensive line has not lived up to the off-season hype thus far. Northwestern allowed 184.5 rushing yards per game entering yesterday’s game. It did not feel like the line got enough push against one of the lesser Big Ten teams. They need to bye week to get healthy but also clean up some of their mistakes as well.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!