Penn State football’s biggest week in years is upon us.

With their 44-7 win against Maryland, the Nittany Lions secured a matchup against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

James Franklin held a 30-minute press conference via Zoom on Sunday to discuss the upcoming game. Here’s everything you need to know about what he said about the affair.

On The Quick Turnaround

Ohio State’s loss and Penn State’s win put the Nittany Lions in the conference title game. Franklin didn’t inform his team it would be practicing Sunday because they were heading to Indianapolis until after the game, but “nothing has really changed,” with how it’ll prepare for Oregon despite the quick turnaround.

“We’re going to follow our normal week prep,” Franklin said. “Not a whole lot will change, except for the normal adjustments you make late in the season where you’re trying to do as much as you possibly can to have the guys ready to play, but also making some adjustments and some modifications as the season goes on, to make sure that we’re as fresh and healthy as possible.”

However, Franklin did add things changed “dramatically.” He said Penn State was supposed to have Sunday off, and that this week would’ve been a rest and recovery week.

“We always have to be prepared for all these different scenarios. And we were so right after the game, I told them they were ready to go,” Franklin said.

On top of this, early National Signing Day is Wednesday. Franklin said he’ll step away from game-planning for “maybe an hour or so” to welcome commits.

On Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is taking the Ducks “to the next level,” Franklin said. Oregon was already one of the most respected programs in the nation before his arrival, but Lanning could be on course to become the best coach in its history. He is 34-5 over three seasons in Eugene, and his 87.2% win rate is a program high.

“They’ve done a phenomenal job. It’s also a place with tremendous resources as well. And then they built that thing to compete at the highest level,” Franklin said. “They’re committed to winning at the highest level and have been that way for a number of years now. So Dan and his staff have done a phenomenal job. But just like all of us, it takes a major commitment from everybody involved, and they’ve done a very nice job.

“I think also Dan’s background and experience in the SEC I think also helps. I think he’s able to bring together two different worlds and the experiences he’s learned from both.”

The 38-year-old was Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021, a run that included the program’s first national championship victory since 1980.

On Preparing To Face Oregon

Franklin said it was “early in the process” of preparing to face the Ducks and installing a game plan. He typically goes into significant detail about Penn State’s opponents at his weekly press conference, which is at noon every Monday.

However, he’s generally aware of Oregon’s successful recruiting and play, specifically in the trenches.

“I haven’t had the time to watch Oregon thoroughly enough to have strong opinions, but obviously I know how they’ve recruited, and I know how they’ve developed, and I look at statistically where they’re at, and I’ve seen a little bit of game film on them. But I think Dan comes from a similar background that I come from, and the belief that you start up front, you got to win football games up front, on the O-line and D-line,” Franklin said.

On Penn State’s Run Game

Nick Singleton has been productive recently, with 87, 63, and 40 rushing yards, and four touchdowns on the ground in the last three games. This has coincided with less success from Kaytron Allen, who hasn’t eclipsed 50 rushing yards since November 9 against Washington.

Franklin believes Singleton, who has struggled with injuries this season, is at or near full health. He added the coaching staff will look for ways for both running backs to be successful against Oregon and in the College Football Playoff.

“It’s pretty obvious that Nick is back as close to 100% as he’s been in a long time, and you see the burst and the acceleration on tape. We’re going to try to be creative each week with our guys and put them in the best position to be successful. And there’s some things that Nick [Singleton] does really well, there’s some things that Kaytron [Allen] does really well,” Franklin said.