Penn State coach James Franklin on Tuesday again took responsibility for the Lions' final play call in Saturday's 27-26 loss to Ohio State.
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Franklin also addressed the struggles of the defense late in the game after the Buckeyes racked up more yards and points in the fourth quarter than they had in any of the three that came before it to complete a comeback effort.
"I think number one, we played our first-teamers at a much higher rep count than we have in the previous games, and that put us in the position we were in, but I also think we ran out of gas a little bit in the fourth quarter," Franklin said. "They got great players and great depth, and have had that for a number of years, and I do think come the fourth quarter, we've had guys play a lot more reps than they've ever played, and we started to wear down, and that showed.
"We held one of the most explosive offenses in the country way under their points total. We're always going to be improving to get better on our fundamentals and techniques. Obviously, based on how the game went for three quarters, I think our plan was pretty good."