Penn State Sports Magazine
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he nod from Penn State head coach James Franklin was subtle but un- mistakable earlier this offseason. Speaking to reporters following the Nit- tany Lions' Blue-White Game in April, he was asked about the team's personnel at wide receiver and his comfort with it. At the heart of his response, Franklin expressed his faith in the players' "talent and ability." Crediting the receivers for having taken a step forward in the spring, he expressed confidence that more steps would follow in the summer months. But, needing to translate that devel- opment into on-field production and, in turn, wins, Franklin put words to two linked concepts that will come to define the Nittany Lions' 2024 season. "We have the talent in the room," he said. "The reality is, we've got to take this next step, and we've got to do it on a consistent basis. And we've got to make plays against all the people on our sched- ule." If it's possible for 40 words to sum- marize the sentiment surrounding the Penn State football program for the past two seasons, Franklin's comments cover all the bases. Talent has been plentiful, with the Nittany Lions having sent 14 players to the NFL Draft during the past two cycles. Left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu and defensive end Chop Robinson were first-round selections, and many others heard their names called on Days 2 and 3: tight ends Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson, defensive backs Joey Porter Jr., Daequan Hardy, Kalen King and Ji'Ayir Brown, offensive linemen Juice Scruggs, Caedan Wallace and Hunter Nourzad, plus quarterback Sean Clifford, defen- sive end Adisa Isaac and receiver Parker Washington. Only Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and TCU had more players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Only Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Florida State and Washington had more players chosen this past April. The Nittany Lions' results have over- whelmingly matched. During the 2022 season, Penn State bounced back from an injury-plagued 2021 campaign, pro- ducing an 11-2 record, a Rose Bowl win and a No. 7 final ranking. Franklin's outfit followed that showing with a second consecutive double-digit- win season, finishing 10-3 and ranking 13th after a loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. It was the program's fifth season since 2016 with 10 or more wins, and it propelled the Nittany Lions into their current crossroads ahead of a much- anticipated 2024 campaign. The idea of what constitutes progress has evolved from what Franklin inherited at Penn State. The Nittany Lions have put in the work over the past 10 years to transform a program burdened by NCAA sanctions into one of the most consis- tently successful in college football. The next step is to compete with the elites, and it is finally being acknowl- edged as a specific hurdle to clear. Productivity has been plentiful. The Nittany Lions ranked 19th in scoring offense in 2022 (35.8 points per game) and 12th in 2023 (36.2 ppg). They also ranked 10th (18.2 ppg) and third (13.5 ppg), respectively, in scoring defense those two years. In 21 wins over the past two seasons, Penn State has outscored its opponents 836-245, or 41.8-12.3 points per game. However, in five losses, a starkly different picture emerges. Scoring just 20 points per game, the Nittany Lions have pro- duced painfully inefficient offensive per- formances while the defense has allowed an average of 33.4 points. With a nearly two-touchdown differ- ential, Penn State hasn't been especially close to knocking off its vaunted Big Ten rivals, Ohio State and Michigan, which have accounted for four of the five losses. All four of those games have been FOX Big Noon kickoffs. The Nittany Lions have gone into them ranked between No. 7 and No. 13 in the polls, while the Buck- eyes and Wolverines have both been in the top five. Penn State has wilted under that pressure, creating a specific problem for Franklin and the program to solve this offseason. "We've got to play our best when our best is needed most, in the biggest games, at the biggest moments," Franklin told reporters at Big Ten Media Days in July. For the program and its fans, more is desired beyond what's already been ac- complished. Franklin has outlined the path that Penn State will need to follow in order to reach its highest goals. Emphasizing the day-to-day, prac- tice-to-practice, period-to-period, meeting-to-meeting consistency that the best players in the best programs de- liver each season, the Nittany Lions have spent the past eight months rallying be- hind the idea. This season, they're eager to see that work pay off. "We've been very, very consistent, one of the most consistent programs in the country," Franklin told the Big Ten Net- work earlier this month. "But at a place like Penn State, the expectations and standards are very, very high. "We want to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to get into the playoff. But not only get into the playoff, get into it in an advantageous position, whether it's a bye or whether it's a home game to start the run." ■ James Franklin said earlier this summer that the Nittany Lions need "to play our best when our best is needed most, in the biggest games, at the biggest moments." PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Penn State Looks To Take The Next Step In 2024