Penn State’s football team has done things differently this week.

No, not because of its 0-2 start with losses to Indiana and Ohio State.

But because Tuesday was election day.

The NCAA allowed all athletes to have an off day from team activities to have the opportunity to head to the polls.

It’s an idea Penn State coach James Franklin eagerly embraced.

“We all have a duty and a responsibility to be active in what’s going on in our democracy and in our country,” Franklin said via video conference Tuesday while wearing an “I voted” sticker on his sweatshirt. “It’s a right that we have fought for. It’s a right that we have earned. It’s something that some people in some countries would love to have. I think for maybe a period of time, that we took some of those rights for granted. I also think there’s also probably an aspect where there’s a lot of people that have had opinions on what should be going in our country but really had not used their voice. … That’s something that I think you’ve seen in professional sports and it trickled down to college sports as well.

“Then when the NCAA and the Big Ten and a lot of these conferences made some decisions like making this an off day from competition and practice. It magnified it even more. It led to great discussions and dialogue. And obviously some of the great challenges that are going on in our country and our world probably magnified it as well. For us, we wanted to educate our guys. We wanted to create opportunities for them to be engaged. I’m pretty confident that most of our staff and most of our team went out and voted this morning.”

The opportunity to take part in democracy forced Penn State to adjust its schedule as it prepares for a Saturday’s home game against Maryland at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions practiced Sunday and Monday rather than making Monday an off day. The team will return to practice Wednesday.

“I was concerned about getting enough of the gameplan done to allow us to have an effective practice on Monday,” Franklin said. “And also the guys battling through the bumps and bruises and soreness from the game. That’s usually why Monday is a recovery day for us. I thought the coaches did a great job. It made for a late Sunday and an early Monday to get all those things done and prepared.”

At 0-2, Franklin realizes further change beyond logistics will be required to get his team steered in the right direction.

“You’ve got to look at the complete picture,” Franklin said. “You’ve got to be honest with yourself. You’ve got to be critical of yourself. You’ve got to identify the areas that can get better and should get better. And fix those things. Some things are short fixes you can do immediately, and some are long-term things that you’re going to have to approach as well.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)