Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1486024
1 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Yes, PSU Exceeded Preseason Expectations And Raised Hopes For The Future RYAN SNYDER: Coming into this season, I ex- pected a record of 8-4. Following back-to-back seasons that saw Penn State lose more games in conference play than it won, you won't find many who genuinely believed the Nittany Lions would beat Michigan or Ohio State this year. Among my colleagues and fans on our message boards, many of them thought it was more likely that they'd lose to a team they should beat rather than upset either the Wolverines or Buckeyes this season. As it played out, Penn State wasn't able to get over the hump when it came to the two teams everyone judged them against, but they also didn't falter and lose in any of the games in which they were favored. That's not something we've seen very often over the years. I think that speaks highly of the young, talented players who are now taking over this program. Penn State had 10 true freshmen from last year's excellent recruiting class burn their redshirts this year. When you add in the progress we saw along the offensive line and the excitement surrounding freshman quarterback Drew Allar and others, real expectations have returned to this program, and that's something fans should be very excited about in the coming years. Now, having given themselves a chance at a New Year's Six bowl bid, the Nittany Lions can finish with 11 wins for the fourth time in the past seven years. With a 12-team playoff expected in 2024, this pro- gram is on the verge of becoming a major player again nationally. The 2022 season was an important first step. They Should Definitely Be Pleased … But Not Entirely Satisfied MATT HERB: Like Ryan, I picked Penn State to go 8-4 this year. After projecting four losses, it would be awfully unfair to turn around and claim that a 10-2 regular-season finish is anything less than a rousing success. There's a lot to be said for beating all the beat- able opponents on your schedule, especially in a conference like the Big Ten in which there isn't an insurmountable talent gap between the teams at the top and those in the next tier down. Penn State beat all of those beatable opponents this year, an accomplishment that shouldn't be un- derestimated after a two-year stretch in which it lost at least once to each of its East Division rivals. If there's a caveat, it has to do with the Nittany Lions' showing at Michigan, a game in which they were thoroughly manhandled on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines rushed for 418 yards while hold- ing the Lions to 111 on the ground. The final score — Michigan 41, Penn State 17 — was not reflective of how lopsided the game really was. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy said that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told his team in the locker room afterward that it was "a butt kicking in every way that a butt can be kicked." Michigan and Ohio State are the programs that Penn State would like to think of as peers. The Nittany Lions are not going to beat them on their home fields very often — no one does — but they shouldn't be losing games the way they did in Ann Arbor this season. In Michigan's past five trips to State College, it's gone 2-3, with only one of those three losses coming by more than a touchdown. For the PSU program to get where coach James Franklin wants it to go, it will have to be as competitive as Michigan has been in those kinds of hostile, high-stakes environments. Point – Counterpoint Third-year sophomore tight end Theo Johnson scored 2 touchdowns against Michigan State, helping the Lions pull away for a 35-16 win that capped a 10-win regular season. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE Should Penn State Fans Be Satisfied With The Team's 10-2 Finish In The Regular Season?