Penn State football: Live updates from James Franklin's Purdue press conference
Hello from Beaver Stadium where James Franklin, Rob Windsor and Steven Gonzalez (UPDATE: Gonzalez has an academic conflict so it'll just be Franklin and Windsor today) are set to speak shortly. Keep it locked here for updates, and feel free to share any thoughts or questions in the comment section below.
12:30 p.m. -- James Franklin is here, and so are the HBO cameras.
JF: Obviously, very proud of the guys of how we played on the road in a tough environment. The film really showed the same thing that we thought after the game. Probably the most impressive thing was the level that the first, second, third and even fourth team units played all four quarters.
Players of the week from Maryland:
Offense -- Michal Menet and Sean Clifford
Defense -- Tariq Castro-Fields and Ellis Brooks
Special Teams -- John Reid
12:33 p.m. -- JF on Purdue: Lot of 11 personnel on offense. No. 1 passing offense in Big Ten and sixth in country. Freshman DE George Karlaftis jumps out on defense.
12:35 p.m. -- JF on depth at linebacker: Micah's doing some really good things obviously, but it's impressive when Micah gets ejected from a targeting call and Jesse Luketa goes in and doesn't skip a beat. Jan Johnson and Ellis Brooks are now splitting reps almost 50/50.
12:39 p.m. -- Q: Any changes on green, yellow, red lights with freshmen?
Lance Dixon has moved from green to yellow. "We're going to hold his games for later in the year or if there's an injury," JF says, but he's not getting enough reps right now for it to be worth burning a redshirt. Caedan Wallace has moved from red to yellow, as well.
John Dunmore, TJ Jones and Tyler Rudolph could see some time on special teams.
12:41 p.m. -- JF on development at WR beyond Hamler and Dotson: "I've been really pleased with the group. Justin Shorter continues to gain confidence and is making plays...Daniel George, we're very pleased with. Cam Sullivan-Brown, as well." Also some praise for Mac Hippenhammer, Weston Carr and Dan Chisena.
12:45 p.m. -- On backup QB Will Levis: We've been very pleased. Levis is a guy we've been very excited about since we recruited him. School, if he doesn't have a 4.0 he's got to have something close to it. He prepares like crazy, he's very talented. If you look at the film, Maryland pretty much had their No. 1 defense and offense in for the whole game. He's a big body kid who can run. We couldn't be more happy with him and really his whole family.
12:48 p.m. -- On the California Fair Pay to Play act and if it's good or bad for college football: "Obviously, there's a lot going on about this right now and obviously our administration here at Penn State as well as the Big Ten is following this closely and we're going to have to continue to follow it closely. I think everybody is very aware of it and will continue to track it and come up with some plans that are specific for Penn State as well as the Big Ten."
12:53 p.m. -- JF on Rondale Moore: "From what we've heard, we're happy because it doesn't sound like it's a season-ending injury. He's a special, special player. Very talented. Fun to watch. I think our players and our staff have an unbelievable amount of respect for Purdue and their personnel. I don't know whether he's going to travel this weekend or not but if he does I'd love to tell him what a fantastic player he is."
Also added that he wished that Moore would have played this weekend because Penn State's players and staff want to go up against the best.
12:57 p.m. -- JF on Noah Cain and Devyn Ford and the four-RB rotation: "I think they're doing great. I actually think the way we're using all four of them helps them slowly but surely keep developing without putting too much on their plate."
12:58 p.m. -- JF says he doesn't need to sign off on things like Sean Spencer's Wild Dogs dog bone or the Lawn Boyz chain.
"When you're in a leadership position, it's not like we have 100 rules. Our coaches and our players and our staff kind of understand what we're all about from a cultural perspective. Everyone knows what fits in that culture and what doesn't. There are times where I get asked, 'Are you okay with this?' But it's not like I'm signing off on everything...I would hope after six years that we have built up some credit with our fans so they know that we're putting a priority on academics, community service and developing these players to become leaders."
1:02 p.m. -- JF says he wasn't a big fan of the fact that Micah Parsons tweeted from the locker room, but that he's proud of how Parsons handled the ejection by running off the field and having a positive attitude in the locker room.
1:07 p.m. -- JF, asked why they passed on the HBO show in the past: "A few years ago, obviously we were in a different point in the program. Where we're at in the locker room right now, our chemistry, our depth, our recruiting...I think we're in a good place right now and we can handle it."
1:11 p.m. -- JF on why he felt that the Maryland game was one of the most complete performances of his tenure: Guys were fresh and well-prepared coming off the bye. Special Teams have been clutch.
1:15 p.m. -- Asked about a possible early start for the Michigan game, JF says that he likes early games the best and thinks that most coaches feel the same way.
"Our fans are getting more and more excited about the 12 p.m. games because we're embracing the breakfast tailgates...We're starting to kind of flip this thing."
That's all from Franklin. Steven Gonzalez apparently won't be here today because he has an academic conflict, but Robert Windsor is set to speak in a few.
1:23 p.m. -- Rob Windsor is here.
His thoughts on the HBO series: "I think it's going to be fun to watch but nothing's really changed. Everyone's kind of going about their business as usual."
1:24 p.m. -- Windsor on the offensive line: "They get better every week. It's good vs. good every week. I'm getting them better and they're getting us better."
1:28 p.m. -- Windsor, Will Levis and Ellis Brooks have each been asked about their favorite part of this weekend's alternate uniforms. All three said the white cleats.
1:29 p.m. -- Windsor on Juice Scruggs, who is back on the field after getting injured in a car accident during the spring: "We're happy to see our teammate get healthier. He's putting in the work."
That's all from Beaver Stadium for today. I'll be posting videos from today's presser of both Franklin and Windsor, so stay tuned for that later in the day.
