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Following are the highlights of James Franklin's Monday press conference:
Saturday's game: vs. UCLA (Noon, Fox)
Records: Penn State (4-0), UCLA (1-3)
Odds: Penn State is a 27.5-point favorite.
Rankings: Penn State is ranked No. 7 by the Associated Press.
Scouting UCLA
The Bruins have been struggling under first-year coach DeShaun Foster, a former All-American running back at UCLA.
Their lone win was at Hawaii (16-13), and they've yet to score more than 17 points this season.
UCLA comes off a 34-13 loss last week to visiting Oregon at the Rose Bowl. Their other losses were to Indiana (42-13) and at LSU (34-17).
Franklin called the Bruins "a team still trying to find their way. They've done some nice things at times."
With a noon start -- 9 a.m. on UCLA's body clock -- the Bruins are expected to arrive Thursday. Penn State is facing a similar travel challenge next week when it heads to Los Angeles to face USC.
That game also will start in the noon hour on the west coast (3:30 eastern), and the Lions will fly out Thursday to get acclimated.
More discipline
Franklin made a reference to his dissatisfaction with the officials after the win over Illinois, saying, "I just want to feel like it's being called both ways."
He tempered that Monday, but said the usual communication with the Big Ten office took place.
"We turn in the plays we disagree with," he said.
The Lions were penalized six times against Illinois and have been flagged 28 times this year.
"We have to do a better job with the things we can control," Franklin said, adding he would like to see his team embrace a more disciplined approach on and off the field. "Discipline that shows up on game day is tied to discipline in practice, in class, in study hall and at meals. That's a correlation. We need to get all those things buttoned up."
Illinois rehash
Franklin defended his decision to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Lions' 42 in the first half Saturday.
"It was obvious the stadium wanted us to go for it," he said. "But when you're playing a Bret Bielema team, it's a field-position game, and you want to force them to go to a long field."
He also said he was proud of how the Lions outrushed the Illini 239-34 because "they're a team committed to stopping the run."
Injury report
Redshirt freshman running back Cam Wallace has a "long-term" injury that could cost him the season. Wallace was carried off the field with a lower leg injury against Kent State.
Franklin expects to have linebacker Dom DeLuca, guard Sal Wormley and corner Jalen Kimber back this week. They missed parts or all of the Illinois game.
Personnel report
Competition for the placekicking duties will resume in practice this week.
Sander Sahaydak missed two 40-yard field goals Saturday and is 2-of-5 on the season.
"Are we kicking better in practice than a game? Yes," Franklin said. "Sander won the job (in fall camp) - all the data backs that up."
He said the practice data, along with game results, will be considered on this week's decision.
Ryan Barker kicked the last extra points against Kent State and Illinois, and Tulsa kicker Chase Meyer transferred to PSU in the offseason.
There are three true freshmen who are likely to burn their redshirts by playing this week -- tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and safety DeJuan Lane.
Notable ...
n Former Penn State assistant coach Brian Norwood, who coached Penn State's secondary from 2001-07, is UCLA's assistant head coach and safeties coach. He joined the Bruins' program in 2020.
n Abdul Carter, who had 3.5 tackles for loss vs. Illinois, was named the Big Ten's defensive player of the week.
n Kaden Saunders remains the Lions' punt returner but has dealt with injuries. The backups are Jake Spencer and Zion Tracy.
n Kickoff for the Oct. 12 game at USC will be at 3:30 p.m. for CBS, it was announced Monday.
Compiled by Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror. He can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.