Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 6 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State didn't seem destined for a bowl appearance in 2014. In that respect, James Frank- lin's first and last seasons w i t h t h e N i t ta ny L i o n s aren't entirely dissimilar. This year, the problem was a dreadful start that left the Lions without a permanent head coach — Franklin was fired on Oct. 12 following a 22-21 loss to Northwestern — and seem- ingly without much chance of reversing course in time to garner the six wins nec- essary to earn a postseason berth. In 2014, the problem was the NCAA. Penn State was still facing a bowl ban when Franklin's debut season be- gan with a 26-24 walk-off victory over Central Florida at the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland. But col- lege athletics' governing body had been relaxing the penalties it imposed two years earlier in the wake of the Sandusky scandal, and on Sept. 8, it abandoned its original four-year postseason ban — just in time for the Lions' new coach and his players to start thinking big again. "This is great. Now there's nothing being held back from them in terms of opportunities," Franklin said the day af- ter the NCAA's announcement. "They have the ability to chase their dreams." In an odd coincidence, the Nittany Lions' 2025 season is set to end in the same venue as that earlier campaign: Yankee Stadium. After making a late- season U-turn under interim coach Terry Smith and winning its last three games, Penn State was chosen in early December to face Clemson in the Pin- stripe Bowl. Smith had said a few weeks earlier that the Lions would happily accept any postseason opportunity that came their way. While the bowl had been relegated to sideshow status amid a long and messy search for a new full-time coach, the Lions' interim leader still expressed excitement when the matchup was an- nounced on Dec. 7. "Our guys have worked relentlessly all season," Smith said. "This is another chance to show the toughness and pride that define this program." 'How Cool Is This?' Penn State didn't have to work very hard to gin up excitement for its Pin- stripe Bowl appearance in 2014. The Li- ons hadn't been bowling in three years, and their previous postseason appear- ance — a dreary 30-14 loss to Hous- ton in the Ticket City Bowl to wrap up the 2011 campaign — took place while the program was in limbo, its coaching search still ongoing, the fallout from the scandal still raining down, and the NCAA showing signs that it might be interested in taking a closer look at the situation. The chance to play in a bowl — any bowl — was a refreshing change from the previous two campaigns in which Penn State and its fans spent the holi- days watching the postseason from afar. "How cool is this?" Franklin gushed at a media event previewing the matchup A NEW YORK MINUTE Penn State wrapped up its 2014 season with a rousing win in the Pinstripe Bowl M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Sam Ficken (97) was at the center of the celebration after hitting the tying field goal at the end of regulation play and later winning the game with a successful PAT in overtime. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL