James Franklin Crushes Push-Ups On Sideline After Getting Flagged For Unsportsmanlike Conduct During Three-Score Game

James Franklin doesn't just hold his players accountable. The Penn State head football coach also holds himself accountable.

That was on full display during the Nittany Lions' game on Saturday.

Maryland traveled north to Happy Valley and could not get anything going on either side of the ball in the first half. Penn State's defense stifled the visitors and kept them from scoring through the first 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the Lions offense hung 24 points in the same timeframe.

However, the score differential might have been larger if not for a penalty on Franklin.

Late in the second quarter, the Nittany Lions had 1st-and-10 at the Terrapins 29-yard-line. The proceeding play went nowhere and Franklin began fuming on the sideline. Although it is unclear exactly who he was yelling at, the 50-year-old was screaming at somebody.

It may have been the referee, it may have been the opposing players, it may have been his own players.

Whomever it was that Franklin was berating, the officiating crew was not going to allow it. They flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct and he cost his team 15 yards.

Ultimately, Penn State had to settle for a field goal on the penalty-hindered drive.

As soon as the ball went through the uprights, Franklin walked back onto the sideline, got down on all fours and knocked out 15 push-ups. One for each yard.

This is not uncommon practice in sports by any means. Players often do push-ups when penalized or make a mistake. Usually not during the game, since that would be a poor use of energy, but definitely during the proceeding practice.

Rarely, though, does the coach do push-ups. In a light-hearted moment that set a good example for his team about accountability, James Franklin did.

The question is whether Franklin would have done the push-ups if the script was flipped and Penn State was losing by 21, instead of winning by 21. Probably not.