ALTOONA, Pa. -- James Franklin is nothing if not consistent. Which makes him predictable in a lot of ways.
It was, therefore, undeniably predictable that Franklin would fall back on his 1-0 mentality when asked not one, not two, not three, but about a half-dozen different questions Tuesday concerning Penn State's quarterback situation.
And the bottom line appears to be, based on Franklin's numerous responses, that sixth-year veteran Sean Clifford will remain the starter for the Nittany Lions. Freshman Drew Allar, therefore, will just have to keep waiting for opportunities.
Franklin didn't come flat out and say that Tuesday. Instead, he kept coming back to his 1-0 approach of doing everything he can to help the team win the next game, as opposed to trying to build toward the future.
"It almost comes off to me when when I've gotten that question multiple times as if this game is not really important," Franklin said when asked if Allar will get a longer look now that the Lions have two losses.
"So for us, we're gonna look at who gives us the best chance to be 1-0 this week and go from there. And whoever that is based on this week's practice and preparation, we'll go with. And that's really kind of how it's been all year long."
While that may seem to keep the door slightly open for Allar, the 1-0 mentality has led to Clifford starting for four years, and that's unlikely to change now.
One thing that's for certain, Franklin isn't going to just turn the page and start playing Allar merely to help prepare for the future. The coach's only concern is Indiana, not developing a quarterback right now to help try and beat Ohio State and Michigan next year and beyond.
"I guess that's where I struggle a little bit with (these questions)," Franklin said. "There's still a ton of football left to be played, and whoever is going to give us a chance to be 1-0 this week and have a chance to win a bunch of games this year for all the guys in the locker room, that's who we're gonna go with.
"But I just -- the question and similar questions like that -- I don't necessarily love the tone of it. But I get it. ... To me it's it's an interesting question."
And the questions about the quarterback stuff continued. A good one came in the form measuring the value of eight wins versus 11 wins and trying to put your best foot forward each and every game.
"I have a responsibility to the guys in the locker room as well as the coaches to give us the best chance to win as many games as we possibly can," Franklin said, "... and what you'd like to do at the same time is getting better and building for your future. And I hope that you can do those two things together. I don't think they're exclusive of one another. Obviously, there's going to be a lot of factors that play into that, that are gonna allow you to maybe prepare for the future a little bit more. But I just think there's a balance between the two.
"Ultimately," Franklin added, "I gotta do what's best for Penn State to be 1-0 this week."
At that point, I followed up by asking Franklin about how different it is with the quarterback position than other positions, because only one guy can play at a time and there's usually not a rotation that can get other guys experience.
Because in reality, coaches face a far more difficult situation trying to prepare a backup quarterback, who may rarely if ever see the field in games, compared to backup linemen or linebackers, who can still get playing time with rotations.
"At other positions you do more rotation, there's no doubt about it," Franklin acknowledged. "You do more rotations, you get guys in and out. I think that's a fair point. It's harder to do (at QB). That's why the practice reps and the practice experience is so important. And then also the number of games that you're able to get your backups in the game, which which we've been able to do that a decent amount of this year. Hopefully we can continue to do that."
Franklin was asked if he's opposed to playing two quarterbacks, and he answered that the team has indeed done that already this season with Allar appearing in five games. Still, none of that was really with the game on the line in a meaningful situation, save for one series at Purdue when Clifford had to go to the locker room.
There were several more questions about the quarterback situation, each trying to find more pieces of the puzzle.
One centered around how Allar has looked in practice. That was a good one because, for all we know, the kid might not be anywhere near as good as we all think he is based on limited playing time.
"He's done a nice job in practice. Obviously, there's a lot of excitement about him."
And rightfully so, based on what Franklin said later on about Allar's skill set.
"He's a giant human being with a quick release that can get the ball out and make all the throws, so he's got tremendous arm talent," Franklin said. "Some guys that are big, strong-arm guys are not very accurate. He has shown to be accurate. He can throw from different launch points and angles. And for a young kid -- and I think Sean's been a big part of this -- but for a young kid, I think he's doing a really good job of of preparing."
Franklin then closed that answer with a very telling line.
"He's doing a lot of things well, but again, he's still a true freshman," the coach said.
That would indicate Allar still has areas of growth that, in Franklin's mind, would prevent him from naming him the starter right now.
One other important thing Franklin said was that the decision about the quarterback situation will be hashed out not just by him, but through discussions with others on the staff.
Franklin noted he's already talked about it with offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, as well as former NFL head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who is an offensive analyst for Penn State, and another offensive analyst, Danny O'Brien.
"It's not a decision that I make on my own," Franklin said of Allar's playing time. "I want to know, whenever there's big decisions like that, I want to make sure that I'm not too close to it. ... So, talk to the guys that either been a college or NFL head coach before, also talked to a guy who played the position, as well got got everybody's thoughts."
