Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
6 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State football team entered its 2023 season with high expecta- tions. The Nittany Lions were a top-10 team in every media poll imagin- able. They had multiple preseason All- Americans. Some pundits picked head coach James Franklin's 10th PSU team to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. And all saw the program as likely to eclipse its 9.5 win total set by Vegas oddsmakers. Nothing that happened in the first two weeks of the season did anything to diminish the hype surrounding PSU. The Lions blasted both West Virginia and Delaware to start the year. In both contests, sophomore quarterback Drew Allar showed that the extremely high expectations set for him by those inside and outside of the program were valid. The difficulties the Lions had en- countered in the offseason while trying to find a third receiver did not hinder coordinator Mike Yurcich's high-flying offense. Sophomore running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen showed they are in no danger of expe- riencing a sophomore stall. In addition, the offensive line backed up the consid- erable praise it received in the offseason. Defensively, PSU still has some things to figure out, but it looked stout for much of the season's first eight quar- ters, with the obvious caveat being that one of its opponents was from the FCS. Tackling improved between Weeks 1 and 2. The team forced its first 2 turn- overs of the year in the 63-7 victory over Delaware, and there appeared to be fewer missed assignments in the second game than there were in the first. All told, the defense will sometimes bend a little. Fans must accept that. It's the cost of doing business with a style that is predicated on being fast and ag- gressive, which is what coordinator Manny Diaz wants. Even the special teams, which were shaky in the opener, took a step forward in Week 2. Senior Alex Felkins seem- ingly has taken the placement kicking job for good from Sander Sahaydak, who missed a pair of field goals against West Virginia. The rest of coordinator Stacy Collins' unit has been fine but unspectacular, and that's OK. It just can't make mis- takes that cost the Lions possession and field position. So far, so good in that de- partment, but it's still easily the biggest worry facing the team at this moment in time. The old saying about a team reading its press clippings (which, only mostly exists in magazines like this one in the truest sense of the phrase these days) and getting complacent or overcon- fident is an adage as old as time. But it comes up endlessly, and with good reason: Teams can lose focus when they think they have it all figured out. Penn State's coaching staff and the team's player leaders must be diligent to ensure the preparation that occurs from Sunday through Friday does not dip in response to the strong start and outside accolades. The good news for Penn State? De- spite entering the season with a leader- ship void due to graduations, there is no indication that this team lacks direc- tion. That can only be seen as a good thing with so many young players in marquee roles. "We're ready for Big Ten play," red- shirt senior offensive tackle Caedan Wallace said. "And honestly, to get ready for the road, you've just got to hone in and do our simple game plan, and practice being 1-0 every week. That's really the best way to do it." Added Singleton, "We're just playing physical. Like Coach Franklin always says, we just take one game at a time and have good practices. I feel like we're ready [for the rest of the season.]" The 2023 Penn State season will not be judged by these first two weeks. The true test will be how the Lions fare in Big Ten play. After their road trip to Il- linois comes a visit from Iowa for the White Out game, followed by mar- quee matchups against Ohio State and Michigan in October and November, re- spectively. Those games will help decide whether this team can make the CFP. The Lions were happy and healthy after two weeks of play. But weekly tests start now. Penn State showed it can pass them with flying colors. Now, it must go out and continue to do so. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM After A Hot Start, Penn State Must Stay Hungry THE LAST WORD Sophomore running back Nicholas Singleton rushed for 117 yards and 4 touchdowns in Penn State's first two games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL