Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1276571
and the seasons that maybe we did in the past, and then what we've been through here recently, can we morph all these ex- periences together into the purity of the sport and the purity of the game and the purity of Penn State, and just enjoy it? That's what I would hope." Before the onset of the coronavirus, Franklin's hope was a work-in-progress. If we're being honest, it was probably trending in the wrong direction, a return to heightened expectations and a com- placent approach to all but a few games each season that "should be" wins. Dis- appointment permeated the fan base coming off a third loss to Ohio State in as many years. The inability of the team to get over the top, despite reaching the No. 4 spot in the first set of College Football Playoff rankings for the 2019 season, raised questions from the media. And by the time a Cotton Bowl berth was announced against a Group of Five opponent, the outcome was presented as a "no-win" proposition in the minds of many. But as the finale of a season that had begun with many prognosticators ex- pecting nine wins, the victory over the Tigers elicited an appreciation for the opportunity and provided motivation to deliver more success in the future. The question now, as relevant as it had been when the game itself was threatened at Penn State after the Sandusky scandal, is whether or not the current predica- ment engenders that same level of ap- preciation. "I think when people start taking the wins and the season for granted, that's what happens. It's an appreciation," Franklin said. "I want our players to ap- preciate the blessings that we have here at Penn State and the opportunity that they have here in life. If you go through life from a point of appreciation, you're going to be so much happier and you're going to be so much more fulfilled than someone who is always looking at the woulda, coulda, shoulda, and the short- comings." Ahead of a season that's on the brink before it even begins, it's a sentiment worth sharing. ■ 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S The Lions must replace John Reid and the top corner on the team is senior Tariq Castro-Fields. A returning starter, Castro-Fields started the 2019 season strong but had to play through an undisclosed injury during the second half of the year that impacted in his play. Healthy again, Castro-Fields is poised to produce his best season to date. But he'll need help. Penn State will need a minimum of four or five corners it can trust to play at a high level if the defense is to take a step for- ward this season. And fortunately for defensive coordinator Brent Pry and corners coach Terry Smith, the Lions' roster of second-year scholarship corners is very talented. BOB FLOUNDERS PENNLIVE.COM Happy Valley is both a place and a mindset, as the late historian Nadine Kofman pointed out when she wrote of the definitive origin of the phrase, which came from former Penn State debate team coach Pat O'Brien, about seven decades ago. When he and his wife Harriet moved, she said, "from city life to bucolic life." "Looking at it from the viewpoint of the fellow who is credited with coining it," Kofman wrote, "Happy Valley is a positive state of mind." Unfortunately, be you in Piscataway or Columbus or East Lansing, being positive in The Year of the Coronavirus, is a negative. As in not good. In that way, even against our bitterest rivals — in football and in life — we are all in this together. MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM T H E M O N T H I N . . . O P I N I O N S