Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1193094
tions in a big game. It's an insane reaction, and it underscores the challenge that Franklin has been facing: He needs to en- sure that fans continue to passionately sup- port the program – "You don't fill up a 107,000-seat stadium without passion," he said – but he also has to keep people from losing their minds when the best-case sce- nario doesn't come to pass. Because if every season is playoff-or-bust, there are going to be some disappointing seasons to come. At a recent news conference, Franklin talked about the need to focus on the posi- tive, even though the program has still not accomplished its ultimate goals. "I don't want my answers to ever come off like I'm satisfied, because I can guarantee you I'm not," he said. "I'm not, and neither are our players, neither is the staff. "But I do think there comes a point where you look at the big picture and you say, wow, there's a lot to be proud of. There are some programs that are doing it football- wise but maybe not academically, and there are some programs that are doing it foot- ballwise and academically but maybe not socially. I think we're doing it in all those areas at a pretty high level. "We want to get better. We want to get to a 100 percent graduation rate, because it's never OK for one of our guys not to gradu- ate. We want to get to a point where there are no issues. I get emails when there are noise disturbances in the dorms or we had too many guys in the elevator. I want to get rid of all those things, too. Our guys make mistakes, but I think over my time here, it's been pretty good. And then we want to be successful on the field. Thinking big-pic- ture and holistically, I'm proud of what we've accomplished, but I'm not satisfied. And I think 96, 97 percent of our fan base feels the same way." With the 2019 season drawing to a close, a new decade will soon dawn, and with it comes the hope that the program will con- tinue making progress toward all of the goals Franklin has outlined. The forecast for the years to come isn't all cloudless skies and gentle breezes as Penn State makes its bid to join the truly elite programs in the game. There's sure to be some stormy weather up ahead. But now that the Lions have come this far, they might as well keep going. ■ P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >>