Penn State football is entering a week of practice off of a loss for the first time this season. 

Both sides of the ball had issues during the Nittany Lions’ 20-13 loss to the Buckeyes, but James Franklin was focused on not letting the losses add up.

“Obviously, we have some things that we’ve got to continue to work on,” Franklin said on Monday. “Most importantly, we’re onto Washington, and we’ve got to find a way to get a win this week.”

Franklin said the team and the coaching staff handled the week leading up to Ohio State better than they have in the past. During his postgame press conference, Franklin said there would be corrections made and issues identified immediately after the game, but eventually, they would have to move on.

“Flushing” a loss such as the Nittany Lions suffered on Saturday can be tough. Couple the tight game with the passion of the fanbase and the takes on social media and around campus, and the focus on Washington can be hard to maintain. After the weekend, Franklin was happy with the way the program responded.

“We’ve got to make sure that one loss doesn’t turn into two,” Franklin said. “That’s controlling the things that we can in our building.”

During the week of practice leading up to Saturday’s White Out against Washington, Franklin planned to keep the routine the same. Ohio State is in the past, and the Huskies are the next opponent.

Franklin said that while other programs might tighten up after a loss, he doesn’t have the issue of being “loose” in the first place. 

“We run a tight ship, and the guys do a really good job,” Franklin said. “They understand what the expectations and standards are.

“If the process is the right process, it shouldn’t change a whole lot week-to-week, and I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been so consistent.”

After an emotional game like Saturday’s, Franklin said that along with making the immediate corrections, there also has to be a period of looking at themselves for the Nittany Lions. During his postgame press conference, Franklin said there was no one “looking in the mirror” more than he was. 

“It causes everyone to be introspective, and it starts after the game,” Franklin said. “The best teams, they start looking at themselves. That’s players and coaches, that’s the offense, the defense, and special teams.”

Along with the way his program is run, Franklin liked the culture in the locker room. According to him, bad cultures can lead to pointing fingers and increased division after a tough loss.

His locker room didn’t react that way, though, and showed poise through the tough situation. Franklin specifically mentioned Dvon J-Thomas as a leader in the locker room after Ohio State but was proud of all of his seniors and veterans on the team for the messaging postgame.

The loss stung, with Franklin mentioning at both his postgame conference and weekly conference that no one was more frustrated than his guys in the locker room. But, just like after every game, there are areas for improvement before another Big Ten matchup this Saturday.

“At the end of the day, we lost to a top-five team that is one of the best programs in the country,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to find a way to get it done. That starts with me, but I’m also very proud of where our team has been consistently, and I think most programs in the country would be envious of where we’ve been on a consistent basis.”