Penn State head coach James Franklin took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and punished himself with 15 push-ups on the sideline

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Penn State head coach James Franklin took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and punished himself with 15 push-ups on the sideline
James Franklin does push-ups on the sidelines during a game against Maryland.@CFBONFOX / Twitter
  • Penn State rolled over Maryland on Saturday, taking a 30-0 win at home at Beaver Stadium.
  • Head coach James Franklin was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the game.
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The Penn State Nittany Lions rolled to victory on Saturday, shutting out Maryland for a 30-0 win at home at Beaver Stadium.

While the game was safely in hand for the majority of the day, Penn State head coach wanted to keep everyone on his team accountable — including himself.

In the second quarter, Franklin was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after trading a bit of language with the referees on the sideline. The penalty cost his team 15 yards of field position.

Not long after the flag, Franklin dropped to the ground to do his penance.

For Franklin, the pushups were a simple matter of accountability.

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"I did 15 pushups because everybody is held accountable around here," Franklin said after the game.

"I had my first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in 12 years as a head coach. I was embarrassed by it. I did my pushups, and everybody is held accountable. I think they thought I was yelling at the officials, and I wasn't, I was yelling at our players, but either way I got an unsportsmanlike conduct, my first one in 12 years."

With the win, Penn State moves to 8-2 on the season, with their only two losses coming against undefeated Michigan and Ohio State.

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