Trailing Ohio State in the fourth quarter, State of Pennsylvania had first and goal at the Ohio State 3-yard line. But the Nittany Lions turned the ball over on downs, and Tyler Warren, who the program touted as the nation’s best tight end in a media package, did not recover the ball during that sequence. Two days later, Penn State coach James Franklin reflected on the series, saying it could have been run with Warren more in the lead.

“There comes a time when you can say that in critical moments you have to think about the players, not the venue,” Franklin said Monday during his speech. weekly press conference. “Maybe in one of these three downs at least, you need to make sure Tyler Warren touches the ball, whatever the case may be – whether it’s Wildcat, whether it’s a passing play or as a ball carrier.”

This series was a defining moment for Penn State. 20-13 loss to Ohio Statein which he did not score an offensive touchdown in a game for the first time since 2014. Warren had moved the Nittany Lions (7-1) inside the 5-yard line with two big plays: a reception of 31 yards and a 33-yard run by the Wildcat. Which prompted the question about Warren that was asked after the game and reiterated on Monday.

Franklin said there was an “argument” for passing the ball to Warren in this situation, since he has already caught and scored Wildcat snaps in short-yardage situations this season. Instead, running back Kaytron Allen ran up the gut on three straight downs, gaining a total of two yards.

On fourth and goal from the 1 yard linePenn State quarterback Drew Allar dropped back to pass. There were only three receivers on the play: Warren, the primary player, was covered in the left flat. Receiver Harrison Wallace couldn’t get separation and tight end Khalil Dinkins was surrounded by the Buckeyes. Allar tried to pass it to Dinkins, who was unable to participate in the play.

“Obviously after you throw the ball vertically twice and get stuffed, everyone tells you to be creative,” Franklin said. “If you’re creative in those moments and it doesn’t work, then everyone tells you you got too cute and should have run the ball north and south. Hindsight is therefore 20/20. I understand. Ultimately, you could make many arguments. Could we have been more creative? Could we have put the ball in Tyler Warren’s hands at that point? From a technical and fundamental point of view, could we have gotten more thrust? All these things.

The stand on the goal line was emblematic of a difficult day on the field for Penn State star running backs Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Allen finished with 27 yards on 12 carries, while Singleton had 15 yards on six carries, combining for 2.3 yards per carry. Warren was the team’s leading rusher with 47 yards on three runs. Allar finished second with 31 yards on 10 carries, mostly coming out of the pocket.

As a result, Franklin said Penn State needs to restart its “traditional running game” in the coming weeks.

“I think there are some things we need to do in terms of a plan to get them to defend the field and expand the zone as much as possible, whether it’s outside the zone, whether it’s gap shots, whether it’s inside the zone, whether it’s personnel,” Franklin said.

Franklin also addressed the conflicting philosophies regarding short-yardage play calls. He said if Penn State had just stuck in the middle, people would have criticized the lack of creativity. But what if Penn State had been creative and it hadn’t worked. Fans reportedly criticized the staff for being “too cute.”

“So obviously hindsight is 20/20, but at the end of the day you have to create movement and score when you need a yard,” Franklin said. “Whether it’s a critical fourth down or the goal line. We need to do some things better scheme-wise, but we also need to do a little better fundamental and technical work to make sure we get the movement we need.

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for three years and is currently the managing editor of the Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on @sam_woloson