Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/450893
his isn't over. No doubt, a lot of people are tired of hearing about the impact of the NCAA penalties on Penn State's football program. Sanction-fatigue set in months ago. Years even. The week- by-week jousting and hand-wringing over the Nittany Lions' 2-6 regular- season finish proved as much. That the governing body of college sports restored all of the Nittany Lions' scholarships and trimmed the final two years off its bowl ban were both impor- tant turning points. And the Lions' thrilling 31-30 overtime victory over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl sent the program into the off-season on an undoubtedly high note. But the news Jan. 5 that tight end Jesse James was declaring himself eligible for the NFL Draft rather than playing out his final season with the Nittany Lions offered another moment to recalibrate. With the ups and downs of the 2014 season now in the rearview, a simple in- ventory of the program's strengths and weaknesses shows that the immediate future won't be a race to the top of the Big Ten standings as some would like to believe. The players, coaches and sup- port personnel understand this. They know all about the hurdles that lie ahead, of which there are many. "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon," head coach James Franklin said during bowl week in New York, "and every sin- gle day we wake up trying to represent Penn State the right way." Few could argue with the way Franklin and his staff have represented Penn SURE HANDED James catches a pass during Penn State's game against Maryland. He finished as the Lions' third- leading receiv- er with 38 catches in 2014. Photo by Patrick Mansell J U D G M E N T C A L L A WORK IN PROGRESS Early departures illustrate need for patience T