STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- James Franklin laughed at the thought of the Nittany Lions' three-game stretch after this week's bye, knowing all too well the Big Ten's schedule-makers gave his team one heck of a challenge.
"They love us. They love us with that schedule there's no doubt," Franklin said Tuesday afternoon during the Big Ten coaches teleconference. "We did what we needed to do, we got to the bye week in a good situation from a heath perspective and from a win perspective and we've got to take advantage of this week and then find a way to come out here and play with confidence at home against Michigan."
The No. 3 Lions play No. 17 Michigan for next Saturday night's White Out game and then hit the road the next two weeks with games against No. 9 Ohio State and No. 21 Michigan State. While they round out the regular season against Rutgers, Nebraska and Maryland, it's the upcoming heart of the schedule that will likely determine whether or not the undefeated Lions are ready to make a run at their Big Ten title defense and potentially a trip to the College Football Playoff. The Lions' list of objectives for the bye week includes plenty of preparation for the road ahead, specifically self scouting of their own weaknesses.
What did they find?
The Lions self scouted on Monday and will get a head start on Michigan preparation starting Tuesday, and then will hit the practice field Tuesday afternoon. During the self-scout phase was there anything that jumped out to Franklin about the Lions' offensive line, a group that's surrendered five sacks in each of the past two games? Well, if anyone is looking for starting guard Brendan Mahon to move to the Lions' troubling right tackle spot, a position he's played in the past, don't look for that to happen.
"The problem is you do that and now you're going to be moving multiple guys," Franklin said. "Instead of just getting one area resolved now you may be creating two because whoever is going to go into guard now -- whether that's [Will] Fries or whoever that may be, [Michal] Menet -- now you've got one guy playing a different position and inexperience at another. Right now we're going to leave the model that we have."
So, that means Chasz Wright, Fries and maybe Andrew Nelson, should he return to full health in the latter portion of the season, are the team's options at right tackle moving forward.
QUICK HITS
• Penn State's players of the week for the Northwestern game were Trace McSorley, Grant Haley, Christian Campbell and Blake Gillikin. The Lions' punter has taken home the special teams honor quite a few times this season and his performance on a windy day in the Windy City certainly made him deserving.
• It was the Michigan game last September where the Lions' season looked like it was going to bottom out. What came of it after the 49-10 loss was a complete turnaround, sparked by player-led film sessions during their off day on Monday, something that was floated as an idea on the team's plane ride back from Ann Arbor and still continues this season.
"That loss obviously gave us a shot in the gut and I think everybody took a hard look in the mirror and saw what we needed to do to take a step forward," Franklin said. "But I think that loss, as well as 100 positive steps in the right direction, everything just kind of came together at the right time and then we were able to get the win against Minnesota and keep building."
• Franklin will meet with the media Wednesday night following the Lions' developmental scrimmage at the Lasch practice fields. I'll have an update from there, and it's usually a chance to see many of the Lions' freshmen who are taking a redshirt in action. The older players certainly get into it as well, cheering and screaming from the sidelines.