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he news conference was supposed to be about Penn State's upcoming Cot- ton Bowl matchup against Memphis, but the focus initially was on something else entirely: the Nittany Lions' hunt for a new of- fensive coordinator following Ricky Rahne's decision to accept the head coaching post at Old Dominion. How's the search going? What are the prerequisites? Who's the interim OC? Will the interim OC be considered for the full- time job? Franklin answered dutifully, and eventually the conversation turned to the Tigers. But later, it turned back to the OC search, and by that point, the Lions' head coach had had enough. "I've told you guys what I can tell you," he said. "When I have the decision made, you guys will know. Giving any more detail about it not only is inappropriate but also can impact the search. I'm not hiring some guy that's sit- ting down at Champs making all the calls after the play was run. Yeah, Johnny Hindsight right here. Most of the people we're talking to are sitting coordinators, whether that's in the NFL or in college. And you've got a few who aren't, who are part of the conversation as well." True to his word, Franklin didn't hire any of the bar patrons in the Johnny Hindsight coaching tree, despite their perfect play-call- ing record. But he did hire someone who really impressed Coach Hindsight a few months ago. On Dec. 26, the Nittany Lions announced Kirk Ciarrocca as their new offensive coordinator. Ciarrocca is a Pennsylvania na- tive, a former Juniata College player and a Temple grad, but to the extent that he's known among Penn State football fans, it's as one of the people who torpedoed the Lions' dreams of an undefeated season and Col- lege Football Playoff berth this past fall. Ciarrocca was one of P.J. Fleck's lieutenants at Min- nesota, and the offense he oversaw caught Penn State flatfooted in November, scoring on four of its first five possessions in a 31-26 vic- tory in Minneapolis. Penn State's armchair offensive coordinators had a field day with that result. The Lions struggled badly in the red zone, coming up with a combined total of six points on four drives that reached the Gophers' 10-yard line. They also tested Big Ten interceptions leader Antoine Winfield Jr., and that didn't go so well, either. Winfield finished with two picks, and teammate Jordan Howden had another, clinching Minnesota's win with an intercep- tion in the end zone on Penn State's final of- fensive play. Minnesota, which was coming off a bye week, was a lot more precise. Quarterback BELABORING THE POINTS Penn State's OC search was a hot topic in December. The coach that PSU chose – Minnesota's Kirk Ciarrocca – will look to keep his new team on the same path that led to a Cotton Bowl romp GROUND CONTROL Jour- ney Brown fights for extra yardage during the Cotton Bowl. He fin- ished with 202 rushing yards in the Lions' 53-39 win. Photo by Steve Manuel T F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K

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