Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 17 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M They Said It "There's nobody looking in the mirror harder than I am. I will say this, and I've said it before: Ninety-nine percent of the programs across college football would die to do what we've been able to do in our time here. "But I also understand, when you're at a place like Penn State, there are really, really high expec- tations. When you're in a place like Ohio State, there are really, really high expectations. I get it." — James Franklin following Penn State's 20-13 loss to Ohio State "It's Groundhog Day. The weak link of the Nit- tany Lions' offense, a unit now led by one of the nation's most creative minds in Andy Kotelnicki, is wide receiver. Harrison Wallace III, Liam Clifford, Julian Fleming and Omari Evans are all good, but none are good enough to consistently beat defend- ers and take over a game. " There's a reason just two wide receivers touched the ball for a total of three catches against Ohio State. A team that once produced annual talent at wide receiver, from Chris Godwin to Dae- Sean Hamilton to KJ Hamler to Jahan Dotson, has fallen stagnant for two years, both in recruiting success and player development." — Seth Engle, StateCollege.com "Franklin is 1-10 against Ohio State. In 11 sea- sons, he's 6-21 in games against those with plenty of resources (the Buckeyes, Michigan and SEC teams). Penn State feels like it's close to its com- petitors in off-the-field investments for, perhaps, the first time in years, AD Pat Kraft said earlier this week. But [against Ohio State], on the field, it was more of the same. Few explosive offensive weap- ons. Late-game miscues. Silly clock management." — Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports college football writer "I feel like the last two years of college football, if we lost that game last week [to Ohio State], it probably would have ended our season. College football is different this year, and that one game is not going to derail our season. We just have to bounce back, come back and get better. That's what we did this week." — Junior defensive end Abdul Carter following the Nittany Lions' 35-6 victory over Washington "The Eagles went out of character and spent a good bit of money (3 years, $37.75 million) on a running back, believing Barkley was a special player and would be rejuvenated in this talent-rich offense. Boy, were they right. From reverse-leaping a Jaguars defender on Sunday to averaging more than 10 yards per carry against his old team, the Giants, in Week 7, Barkley has been a marvel. Philadelphia has switched its offensive identity to be more run-heavy because of him, helping spark this recent string of success. The idea that running backs can't be major difference-makers in today's NFL is being dispelled by Barkley, run after game-altering run." — ESPN.com writers Todd Archer and Tim McManus on the revitalization of Saquon Barkley in his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles "The ball is going in the right way. We're sharing it; we had 21 assists today on 37 baskets. We got steals. Instead of someone being selfish trying to get to the rim, they're passing and looking for their teammates. We had transition threes today because guys gave the ball up. "When the ball is hot and everybody is getting a piece of it, I think that creates confidence, and you start seeing that ball. When guys share the ball and you go from good shots to great shots, the rim gets bigger, the hoop gets bigger. They can see that." — Men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades following the Nittany Lions' 103-54 victory over the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Nov. 8 Redshirt junior linebacker Kobe King tied for the team lead with 7 tackles in Penn State's 35-6 victory over Washington. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "I think this week's point of view was not to redeem ourselves but to make a statement. We didn't do that last week, and I just think today we did. We feel like we made a statement today and showed what type of team we are." — Redshirt junior middle linebacker Kobe King on the Lions' win over Washington