Winning is something that should never be taken for granted. Especially in a sport like college football where the expectation is you have almost to go undefeated to make the College Football Playoff. Penn State football head coach James Franklin does a great job of making sure his players understand how hard it is to win in this sport. We saw last weekend, how close the Indiana game was in the 4th quarter but the Nittany Lions found a way to finish the job. In this week's episode of Quiet Franklin with LaVar Arrington James Franklin opens up on his messaging to the team. 

Coach Franklin's Message on Winning

James Franklin often speaks about how challenging it is to win football games. We saw an example of a game this past weekend. His first-year starting quarterback threw an interception late and Indiana tied the game. But instead of crumbling under the pressure the team responded. When asked about his team's ability to rebound Franklin has a perfect message.

He said, "We talk about it every Sunday in our team meeting and I show them examples of people that did not respect winning and what winning takes. We talk about that every single week. We go on the road and lose to the team that is the No. 1 team in the country and we had a chance to win that game. So, I think the biggest message that we try to get across to the staff as well as the players is every week it is difficult to win, it's challenging to win. To sustain it over an entire season with bumps and bruises and scheme challenges and matchup issues whatever it may be. So, not taking that for granted. People may call it an ugly win and a the end of the season they don't call them that way. You just have to keep stacking them, so I was pleased with how we battled and how we found a way to win. But obviously, we have to learn from the last two games and take the next step."

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At the end of the day, the coaches and players are putting in the time and effort to make everything work out. Without their heart and soul going into this game we would not have as strong of a team. So, yes some weeks might not go as smoothly as we as fans would like. But at the end of the day, a win is a win. Penn Sate finds itself in a great position to control its destiny

Exclusive player insights, presented by HVU On-Demand

If you enjoyed this exclusive content, stay tuned for more exclusive insights throughout the 2023 season. HVU On-Demand will be providing exclusive access to player interviews and other content throughout the fall as part of the brand-new partnership between Happy Valley United, Up on Game, and Basic Blues Nation.

This initiative aims to promote NIL opportunities for the over 800 Penn State student-athletes represented by Happy Valley United and provide you with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from your favorite Nittany Lions.

To donate, please visit Happy Valley United’s website. We Are!