Post Penn

The first thing I need to write, and I said this to myself repeatedly throughout the game, is I am now a James Franklin fan.  Certain folks associated with Penn State will respond “That does it.  Now we are certain he has to be fired.”

First, those people do not get to make these decisions.

Second, there are many things, like millions of dollars, at stake.

Third, and this is my opinion, Penn State looked good, played well, and Franklin and the team were aggressive yet composed.  Franklin’s demeanor, and his team’s play, is what sticks out to me.

I have learned to tune out the announcers; the Christian Hackenberg talk is a distraction.

Mark Dantonio said “There is no secret to building a great team, you do it one by one, position by position.”  James Franklin, in year two, is working largely with players he inherited.  And, there are natural ebbs and flows in college football, like a senior-filled line, etc.  Penn State went through tough times that were as close to the death penalty as you could get.

Bill O’Brien left, and I’m not trying to paraphrase it, because of a great offer and a sense of real frustration.  Nothing he did was good enough.  Even when winning, it was a no-win situation.

Penn State did play conservatively.  These are tough games and that is usually the way they are played.  (EDIT:  Ask Urbz.)

Franklin and Penn State are sitting right smack in the middle of football utopia.  And Franklin appears to be at ease with the situation—of course he is going to get heat—and relatively accepted by the enormous fan and recruiting base.  They are better than last year.  Things are looking positive in Happy Valley.

Many Penn State bloggers were writing before the game about how their team is going to fizzle or blow it.  What can you say?  That is true, but…

Key play?

Jourdan Lewis’ kickoff return.

Key play, maybe, from a Penn State fan’s perspective?  If Hackenberg stays down and is removed for a play they probably have a better shot at a fourth down conversion.

UPDATE:  There was much news from Columbus including this from Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott:

"We should have run more power," he continued. "We stopped calling plays that worked. Disappointed by lack of effort from coaches."

Finally, PA is deep.