No. 2 Penn State vs Villanova: James Franklin reveals chaos Wildcats could create originally appeared on The Sporting News
Penn State football will get one final nonconference test before focusing on No. 4 Oregon. The Nittany Lions are expected to roll past FCS opponent Villanova on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium, but head coach James Franklin warned that the Wildcats’ defense could present real problems.
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Speaking with reporters Wednesday evening, Franklin detailed how Villanova’s system is built to create disruption.
“This is different than, like, odd [man front]. This is three-three stack. They are constantly moving, spiking, slanting, twisting, and it’s smart, right?” Franklin said. “Like, a lot of times, it’s hard to get defensive linemen [at the FCS level]. So you can go to this system and then just create chaos and get guys running free. That helps.”
Franklin explained that such movement can cause hesitation in offensive linemen, slowing their reaction and throwing off the timing of the running game.
“If you don’t approach it the right way, it slows down the offensive line, because they’re worried about all the movement. So, then they’re tentative, so now they don’t come off the ball the way you want them to come off the ball,” he said.
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Penn State enters the matchup with an efficient rushing attack, recording six touchdowns in its first two games, but averaging only 172 yards per contest. Franklin compared preparing for Villanova’s defense to facing a wishbone offense, a scheme that can be difficult to manage without constant practice reps.
“It’s like facing the wishbone if you don’t see it all year long,” he said. “There’s ways to get them out of the stack and into an odd front. But they do a nice job, and they’ve been running this system for a while and have had success with it.”
Franklin admitted that the scheme created issues the last time the Nittany Lions played Villanova. That history, combined with a slow start against FIU last weekend, has made discipline a point of emphasis.
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Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Beaver Stadium, where Franklin expects his team to be ready for the Wildcats’ chaos.
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