Remain Calm, It Won't Last Forever

I’m going to remain positive after Penn State’s 28-16 loss to Michigan on Saturday. If you’re not one of those people, one of those optimistic people like myself, this probably isn’t what you’ll want to read.

When the sanctions were handed down and they mentioned the loss of scholarships, anyone who knows football knew that those were the most devastating out of all the sanctions. People who don’t know football fail to realize what the impact of those lost scholarships meant; it meant that we couldn’t bring in full recruiting classes, which meant we couldn’t recruit the players that we needed to fill spots left vacant by players who transferred, graduated, or left early. Which, at the end of the day, meant we had to play guys in positions they had never played before or play guys that weren’t ready for the college game. If you can’t do the math that adds up to playing freshman and sophomores against juniors and seniors, and in the Big Ten Conference, that’s less than ideal.

When Bill O’Brien took the job at Penn State in January of 2012 not too many people knew who O’Brien was, they just knew he had a blowup on the sidelines with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady when OB was with the Patriots. A month after he stood at the podium and was named Penn State’s 15^th head coach, he got perhaps the biggest commitment in Penn State history aside from Derrick Williams in 2005, quarterback Christian Hackenberg. When you watched the tape of Hackenberg in high school you saw why NFL scouts were already drooling over this baby-faced 17-year old, 6 foot 4 quarterback. He could make every throw, he was a big kid, and he was the mold of a Tom Brady-like quarterback, which made him and O’Brien the ideal combination. The dream of having both O’Brien and Hackenberg around for the duration of the quarterback’s college career was just that, a dream. After just two seasons in Happy Valley O’Brien was named the head coach of the Houston Texans, and left the burden of saving a major Divison-1 program who had just been to hell and back on the shoulders of a kid, and he was just that, who already had lofty expectations of a Heisman Trophy and the number one pick in the NFL Draft. The story of Christian Hackenberg after Bill O’Brien left is something Penn State fans should never forget.

James Franklin was named Penn State’s 16^th head coach almost two years after O’Brien. He came from Vanderbilt where he made the Commodores relevant in a powerful SEC Conference. O’Brien still had a core of players who had been around for a while, and who were comfortable playing together, Franklin did not. Getting Penn State to where it used to be and to where it belongs is a major project and to say James Franklin doesn’t know that is absurd. To also say that the sanctions cannot be used as a crutch anymore is also absurd; from day one everyone knew this was going to take 4-5 years for whoever was coaching to fully get what they needed. This is year 2 of 5. It’s going to take time for James Franklin to get his team in and get his players in and establish his program.

College football fans are some of the most impatient fan bases in all of sports and Penn State fans are no different. I’ve learned over the years that patience is a virtue and that if you trust in the system good things do happen. I’ll take you back to 2005 real quick; Penn State had won 7 games the previous two seasons in 2003 and 2004, they even lost to Iowa 6-4 in State College. The only thing on the mind of fans was that Joe Paterno had to go, he was too old and had to get out of his own way before he drove the program into ground. That was until an 18-year old kid by the name of Derrick Williams got a visit from Paterno and made a promise to him that he could change the face of Penn State football if he gave his commitment, Williams pledged to Paterno and at the end of the 2005 season the Nittany Lions were 11-1 and had beaten Florida State in one of the most iconic college football games of the 2000’s.

James Franklin isn’t going anywhere anytime soon; as upsetting as that might be to some fans, the University has invested everything they have into the 43-year old coach. This is a process that fans need to trust. It’s going to be hard to watch at times, like it was Saturday against Michigan, but that is part of the process. In three years when James Franklin is holding up the Big Ten Championship trophy in Indianapolis, I’ll be the first to say, “I told you so”.

Michigan Preview

There are plenty of storylines heading into the final game at Beaver Stadium for the 2015 season. The Nittany Lions are 7-3 heading into their matchup against Michigan but have had some questions throughout the season. Here are just a few of those questions.

Is this the last game for quarterback Christian Hackenberg? This has been the biggest question mark for Penn State over the last two seasons. People have had their opinions of the junior quarterback due to the LOFTY expectations he had coming out of high school. Hackenberg committed to Bill O’Brien and Penn State in February of 2012, about a month after O’Brien was named head coach and almost a year before he’d sign his National Letter of Intent. Many believed that the 6 foot 4, pro-style quarterback would transfer after the NCAA handed down the infamous sanctions in wake of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal. He didn’t. He has stuck around longer than many believed he would. Most quarterbacks of his caliber who sign to a program are asked to put up huge numbers, win games, and ultimately win championships. Hackenberg on the other hand was asked to essentially save a program along with O’Brien, and when O’Brien left for the NFL, it was on Hack’s shoulders. He hasn’t had the numbers many hoped he’d have, Penn State hasn’t won any championships, but for what he has done for Penn State as a whole, that’s something most quarterbacks have never done. If it is indeed his last game at Beaver Stadium we should all stand, wherever you are, and applaud when he walks off the field at the end of the game because we all owe him a collective, “thank you”.

What can we expect from the offense after a bye week? It’s no secret that Penn State’s offense has struggled this season. There hasn’t been a game where they’ve put it all together for 60 minutes and if there was ever a game where they needed that, it’s Saturday against a stingy Michigan defense. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines rank second in the country in total defense and are allowing just 100 yards a game on the ground. If Penn State wants to have any shot at pulling the upset of the #12 ranked Wolverines, they’re going to have to establish a running game. Indiana last week ran up 307 yards on the defense, 238 of those yards coming from Jordan Howard. Running back Saquon Barkley has had a week off to get as close to 100% as he can and will hear his name called plenty of times if Penn State is going to get the win. IF, and that’s a big IF, Barkley can get going that should open up some sort of passing game.

Which defense will show up? I mentioned Michigan having the 2^nd ranked defense in the country; Penn State isn’t far behind at number 13, but they’ve had games where they struggle against both the pass and the run. Three weeks ago against Illinois the Nittany Lions allowed just 167 yards in a 39-0 victory. The following week they gave up 227 yards on the ground, 396 overall to Northwestern in a 23-21 loss. It’s a defense that leads the nation in sacks (42), second in tackles for loss (93), and tied for first in forced fumbles (17). They also have arguably one of the best defensive players in the country in Carl Nassib who leads the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss. In his final home game at Penn State, Nassib will be called upon along with the rest of the defense to bring the heat on Michigan’s offense.

Fans who are in attendance don’t have to worry about watching Christian Hackenberg for the final time at Beaver Stadium. He’ll be back. At the end of the day, Penn State comes away with the win over the maize and blue. Saquon Barkley hits the 200-yard mark for the first time in his Penn State career and Carl Nassib adds to his sack and total for loss total. The good guys win, 24-20.

Illinois Recap: Finally A Turning Point?

It’s not secret that Penn State has struggled on offense over the last couple of seasons. It’s also not a secret that fans are testy and voice their opinion quite often after games. Last Saturday against Illinois might have been the most complete game and the most comfortable Penn State has looked since they played Wisconsin at the end of the 2013 season, pre-James Franklin era. The Nittany Lions weren’t heavy favorites against the Illini, the spread was only 8.5, but the final score would suggest otherwise. A 39-0 beatdown in Beaver Stadium gave the team, most importantly the offense, a huge momentum boost heading in their clash this Saturday in Evanston against 21^st ranked Northwestern.

Running back Saquon Barkley has missed two
game but still has rushed for 716 yards. 

If you actually watched the game Saturday you noticed that quarterback Christian Hackenberg looked more comfortable in the pocket than he has in any game the past two seasons. He moved around and was able extended plays, which for the most part this season he’s been hesitant to do for obvious reasons. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns. He even caught a touchdown pass from running back Nick Scott. The running game was also clicking; Saquon Barkley carried the ball 20 times for 80 yards and included this impressive touchdown. It was an all-around performance for the offense and if they continue to produce like they did and play with the confidence they’re playing with, a 10-win season could be on the horizon. Oh, Hackenberg hasn’t thrown and interception since September 19^th.

The defense held Illinois to just 167 yards including just 37 on the ground. They had their first shutout since 2013 and recording their sixth game with 4 sacks. Carl Nassib added to his nation-leading sack total with one more against Illinois bringing his season total to 13.5. You rarely have to worry about Penn State’s defense but they had given up 69 points the two previous games, so the 39-0 score probably felt pretty good.

Every game is a ‘big game’ and James Franklin is only concerned about going 1-0 each week, but this week against Northwestern is the most important game yet. The Nittany Lions received votes in the top 25 polls and the team looks to be in those top 25 polls for the first time since 2011 if they can get by Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats. A win will also keep alive the hopes of a good bowl game.