UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — We know Coach Franklin always preaches “1-0” and repeating the name of their opponent each week.

Today, Coach Franklin took a step back and defended Pat Freiermuth and Jan Johnson for being left off of award lists.

Pat Freiermuth was left off of the Mackey Award semi-finalist list, which is given to the nation’s best tight end, and Jan Johnson was left off the Burlsworth Award list, which rewards the best player to start as a walk-on.

Coach Franklin says preparing for their next game takes precedent, but says both players deserve to be top eight in their respective categories.