Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
3 4 N O V E M 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 J ust as the nation's college football pundits expected, Penn State went into its bye week sporting an un- beaten record. The Nittany Lions had been listed seventh in the pre- season Associated Press poll, and for the most part, noth- ing happened in the team's first five games to throw that ranking into question. The Lions took care of business in September — sometimes decisively (Iowa, Delaware), sometimes less so (Illinois, Northwestern). But even though there were a few lackluster stretches in the first halves of their two road games, the Lions headed into their nonconference finale against Massachusetts on Oct. 14 with all of their preseason goals still attainable. That's what coach James Franklin had hoped to see. There are almost always growing pains at the start of a new season, especially when you're breaking in a start- ing quarterback, but the idea is to keep winning while the growth and maturation are taking place. "We work really hard to hopefully improve without needing to have a major setback to do it," Franklin said during the bye week that followed a 41-13 win at North- western on Sept. 30. "Sometimes, people need a setback, and they feel that was good for them the rest of the season. It's really hard to do that in college football [while still competing for championships]." Whether sixth-ranked Penn State has made enough im- provement to overcome Michigan and Ohio State, which were ranked second and third, respectively, in the AP poll as of Oct. 8, is a separate question entirely. The Nittany Lions' trip to Maryland on Nov. 4 looks tough, too, with the Terrapins off to their best start since 2001. Penn State's Oct. 21 visit to Columbus is fast approach- ing, and the home game against the Wolverines will follow three weeks later. Here's a look at how Franklin's team was shaping up as it prepared to head into that gauntlet. With his team's 5-0 start, coach James Franklin ran his record at Penn State to 83-36 overall and 52-30 in Big Ten play. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL PENN STATE AT M I DS E A S O N M I DS E A S O N The Nittany Lions earned solid grades in the first half of their 2023 campaign, but the toughest tests still await B W I S T A F F | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M