Urban Meyer defends, praises James Franklin for disciplining Penn State football players after USC win

Penn State football coach James Franklin is earning praise this week from an unlikely source, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, following his actions at the conclusion of the Nittany Lions’ 33-30 overtime win against USC last Saturday.

Storming back from a 14-point halftime deficit, the Nittany Lions outscored the Trojans 24-10 in the third and fourth quarters to send the game to overtime. After standing up the USC offense and forcing a failed field goal attempt, walk-on Ryan Barker nailed a 36-yard kick to keep Penn State’s perfect season alive.

Emotions were riding high after the walk-off West Coast win, especially with a large Penn State contingent remaining in the LA Coliseum long after Barker’s kick went through the uprights. However, the celebration almost got out of hand when a group of Nittany Lions players attempted to plant the “We Are” flag in the USC logo at midfield of the Coliseum’s turf. The move was quickly stopped by James Franklin, who took the flag away before it could be firmly planted in the dirt.

Penn State players just planted a flag at midfield. James Franklin told them absolutely not. Too late. pic.twitter.com/gFi8ccKOI2

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) October 12, 2024

Urban Meyer defends Franklin’s move to stop celebration of Penn State football players

Midfield celebrations, like Baker Mayfield’s famous flag planting at Ohio Stadium in 2017, have become increasingly common in college football. But not everyone believes they belong in the game, including a former on-field rival of James Franklin: Urban Meyer. The Ex-Buckeyes head coach and current FOX commentator supported Franklin’s actions this week on his podcast The Triple Option with Mark Ingram and Rob Stone.

“[I used to tell my players] Act like you’ve been there and those players, and there’s alumni, that pick fights. And I love players having fun, but have fun at your own expense. Don’t have fun at someone else’s expense,” Meyer said. “When I saw that, once again Mark, I believe in players having fun, but have fun at your own expense. I’m such a college football fan; you don’t do that, and I’m glad they didn’t do that.”

“We used to have a rule that whoever scores a touchdown, you throw the ball to the official and you go hug the lineman, because they got you there,” Meyer continued. “So Zeke Elliot was the best at it; I’d show the videos on Sundays of the players celebrating with the offensive lineman.

“And I said, however, if you score and you want to do something nuts, go nuts now. I mean, take your helmet off, jump in the crowd, because it’s your last time you’re going to score in a while. You’re done; you’re not going to play. And the players used to just laugh like crazy because I’d say don’t just dance in the end zone. I mean go nuts, make it worthwhile. I mean, take your shoulder pads off, take everything, throw the ball, kick the ball in the stands, and don’t stop. Keep going because you will not score again for the next four or five games.”

“At the end of the day, you just got off the hook because they [USC] missed the field goal,” Mark Ingram added. “So you could have easily lost this game, man. You’ve got bigger problems on your plate than planting a flag.”

Meyer: James Franklin should be grateful for Nittany Lions’ miscues against USC

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In addition to being only the second Big Ten team at the time to travel across the country and secure a victory in conference play, Penn State’s win over USC also helped to buck the narrative surrounding James Franklin’s inability to win important games.

Urban Meyer believes that the way in which the Nittany Lions won, battling back from a sloppy first half and three total turnovers, will be a building block for James Franklin and his program in the second half of 2024.

“He had that stigma of not winning in the big games,” Meyer said. “And, you know, I think Mark had a good point. When you have turnovers, you’re on the road, and you somehow claw and fight [back to win], on the plane home – I know it’s a long ride home – I would sit in my heart say, ‘I’m glad we had those miscues. Because our team just proved to me we can fight through some bad stuff.’ They’re down at halftime. They’re turning the ball over. And they find a way to win.”

Penn State football returns from its second bye next weekend with a night contest at Wisconsin, followed by a home date with Meyer’s old program, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

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