James Franklin, Penn State look to enforce their identity in Iowa City

Penn State's James Franklin said he admires those who believe in themselves, no matter style or appearance.

He talked about that leading up to Saturday's most important Big Ten season-opener in Iowa City. It's a subject that directly relates to his high-expectation Nittany Lions, who, understandably, are still finding themselves a bit after last season's sudden rush to success.

"I've always been attracted to people who own who they are. They are either really cool (or) they are really, really weird, and I love those people," Franklin said. "I love the people on the extremes ... who are very comfortable in their own skin, and I think that's what we have to do on offense and defense and special teams.

"That doesn't mean you can't identify weaknesses in areas you say you want to get better at, but also, owning who you are. Owning how you're going to handle situations at the end of games. ... I think there's a lot of value in that."

Certainly, the Nittany Lions should learn more about themselves against the undefeated Hawkeyes. They still aim to be a high-powered, never-stop offense fueled by big plays.

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So far, though, the going has looked awkward at times despite outscoring their first three opponents by a combined 141-14. Their more experienced offensive line, for example, has failed to open consistent holes for Heisman Trophy candidate tailback Saquon Barkley, even against downgraded competition. 

The defense has bent quite a bit without breaking.

At least quarterback Trace McSorley did look comfortable again throwing last week and home run wideout Saeed Blacknall finally got involved.

Will the offense continue to ramp up on the road or will the Hawks, embarrassed by Barkley and company last fall, find ways to frustrate? Iowa doesn't own bundles of speed but does feature a strong, resilient defense led by by All-America linebacker Josey Jewell.

Saturday offers an important gauge for both teams as they grow into themselves — just in very different ways. 

"One of our big off-season studies was how do we get better with our four-minute offense?" Franklin said. "You read all the coaching books from the beginning of time and you go to all the clinics, and four-minute offense is, you run the ball, you milk the clock and you win the game on your terms.

"Well, I think one of the mistakes that we made last year is we tried to be a (typical) four-minute offense ... and that's not who we are. You can't say at a critical time of the game, 'We're going to now become something we never are.'"

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The Lions were so prolific in the second half of last season, in part, because their young, mix-and-match offensive line fared better than expected. It's been a bit slow-going this year as missing parts return (seniors Brendan Mahon, Andrew Nelson), others move to new spots (sophomore Connor McGovern) and still others break into the rotation (freshman Will Fries).

Plus, defenses have had a year to study ways to fight back. For now, they are run-blitzing and overloading blockers to slow Barkley.

"Is there still area for improvement? Is there still area for growth? There's no doubt about it," Franklin said about his blockers. "We have got to limit the negative yardage plays. We've got to be cleaner. We've got to be more physical. We've got to be able to impose our will a little bit more consistently."