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C OA C H S P E A K| EXCERPTS FROM JAMES FRANKLIN'S WEEKLY PRESSER Last month you mentioned your concern over Christian Hackenberg developing bad habits because of the pressure he's been under. Do you still have those concerns? How do you think he's holding up physically and mentally? Really good. We had a meeting yester- day, had a really good meeting, dis- cussed a wide variety of topics. It's been a transition. I mean, it's been a transi- tion for him, really, from the last couple of years through the recruiting process and everything. I think he's handling it well. There are areas that I think he can handle better, and we discussed those honestly in both directions. But I think we're in a really good place. I know he's excited about getting out there today and working with the guys, getting better, and maybe taking a little more of an active role in some things when it comes to leadership. We have to remember, all of us, that he's a true sophomore. He's a true sophomore and he's out there on the field as our offensive captain with our other captain, Miles Dieffenbach being out all year long. So I think he's handling it well, con- sidering he's a 19-year-old true sopho- more with a lot of external things going on. I'm pleased with him. I know he's going to play really well on Saturday, and we'll do everything we possibly can to protect him and give him time in the pocket. I'm wondering if one of the other things Christian Hackenberg could be better at is demeanor. Do you get bothered by the frustration? Espe- cially Saturday, it seemed he was in a couple of animated discussions with John Donovan and animated discus- sion on the phone, I assume with Coach [Ricky] Rahne. Do you like seeing that? Do you think it shows up well for his teammates and for the head coach? Yeah, that's been a discussion point, no doubt about it. I do think right now because of what's been going on [in] the games, that's being blown a little bit out of proportion. He's animated in general. Talking to the coaching staff about those conversations, they never really felt that way. But I do think there are some things we've seen that need to be better, and we've discussed that, and Christian has admitted that as well. There is some frustration that is showing at times. But, in general, he's an animated guy and he's passionate about what we're doing here at Penn State. He's passionate about this team and finding ways to win, however they have to do it. But that has been some- thing that we've discussed. There is no doubt about it. You've coached a lot of great backs and a lot of good running backs dur- ing your career. Can you describe the challenge of trying to defend a talent like Tevin Coleman? Does he remind you of anyone when you watch him play? It's funny, me and Bob Shoop were just talking about this. He kind of re- minds us of [Darren] McFadden, who used to be at Arkansas, a little bit. He's big, he's strong, he's a one-cut runner. The thing that was interesting, too, I was looking at their offensive line. They've got a massive offensive line, but not only that, they have depth and ex- perience. Their second-team offensive line, I thought it was a typo that we were handing out to the players. Their second-team offensive line has 26 starts, 17 starts, six starts, two starts in the backups, which I thought was really interesting. We discussed why that is. But I think the fact that he's able to do this – and they've been really one-di- mensional since they've lost their quar- terbacks – really speaks volumes about the type of back he is and how well they're playing up front. I've been very impressed with him. I think it's a little bit different aCer you've seen them live. Going back to your first year at Van- derbilt, when you guys hit early No- vember, you were about .500, and had some really close conference losses before you were able to finish pretty strong. I know it's not the same situation now. But what helped get things going for you guys in that spot? Is there anything from that stretch that you can apply here? Yeah, I think there are a lot of things that apply. Bob said yesterday in the staff meeting that the last two years with this staff, we've had the same exact record. We haven't gotten to it in the same way, but we've had a similar record. So I do think all these past expe- riences help, I really do. I think it creates some mental toughness and thick skin. This is a very humbling profession, and you just kind of stick together. I think one of the things that is really helpful is the fact that our staff has been together for a long time. I think that's RIDING THE STORM OUT Franklin, shown here during Penn State's loss to Maryland, its fourth loss in a row, said he and his staff learned lessons while at Vanderbilt that will help them persevere at Penn State. N O V E M B E R 5 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 13 Steve Manuel SEE FRANKLIN PAGE 14

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