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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> go exactly as you want them to go, you look and you evaluate and try to see how you can get better." For the 38-year-old Rahne, who is in his 15th year as a college assistant coach, there have been more of those evaluations than he or his boss, James Franklin, had hoped for when he was hired to replace Joe Moorhead last December. The con- cerns initially centered on the Lions' fourth-quarter letdown vs. Ohio State, but they intensi6ed following the loss to Michigan State, narrow victories over In- diana and Iowa and the near-shutout in Ann Arbor. Naturally, criticism has focused on the new play caller. But it's the check-with- me o8ense that Penn State now runs that in7uences who gets the ball and who doesn't – not always the o8ensive coor- dinator. On most occasions, no matter how many minutes are on the clock, the quarterback's read at the line of scrim- mage is what determines the actual play. As Franklin recently explained, "There aren't a whole lot of straight-called runs in our o8ense." That's why the pre-snap read is crucial, and it's also why an e8ec- tive pass game is necessary for the run- ning game to succeed. Lately, that balance has been lacking. Adding to the complexity, the calls that get the most attention aren't necessarily the ones that have the biggest in7uence on the outcome of the game. A missed opportunity in the 6rst quarter might have changed the way the rest of the game unfolded if it had been seized. "Obviously, there are play calls that I wish I could have back – whether it was in the last drive of the game or the 6rst drive of the game," Rahne said. "As a play caller, if you ever go into a game or a season and think that you're going to call every play exactly how you want it to go, I think you're going to be sorely mistaken. There are plays I want back in the 6rst drive, just the same as those that I want back in the last drive. I need to continue to get my guys in the best op- portunity and best position to suc- ceed." Rahne fully ac- cepts responsibility for some of the costly miscues. Without getting into speci6cs, he admits to some ga8es. "I don't know if I'm ready to tell you ex- actly which plays I wish I could have back," he said, "but I'll tell you this: They're not always the most critical plays in the game." Rather, they might have disrupted a 7ow that otherwise could have been fruitful. They are decisions, he said, "where I say to myself, that play call and that rhythm wasn't good for our team. I shouldn't have done it. Those are the things that I need to continue to grow and get better at and try to make one or two less of those play calls every game." PSU PLAYMAKER Rahne has been eager to find ways of getting the ball to Sanders in open field. "He can make plays in space," the Lions' offen- sive coordinator said. "It's my job to get him in those spots." Photo by Steve Manuel

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