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manifested themselves throughout the year. The Nittany Lions fielded a defense that ranked seventh nationally in points allowed, and their offense was led throughout the season by a quarterback who had excelled as a true freshman. And when the NCAA abandoned its postseason ban in September, four days after Penn State had defeated Akron in its home opener to go 2-0, a wave of eu- phoria swept over the Nittany Lions' fan community. But the brightening mood only served to widen the gap between perception and reality. Franklin addressed that dis- connect this spring throughout his tour of the mid-Atlantic as part of the Penn State Coaches Caravan. Although he said he understood the frustration that arose among fans during the season, he offered yet another reminder of the gradual, sometimes painful process that must take place to return the program to its lofty standards. The measured, mature, pragmatic re- sponse would be fitting on its own, were it not for the other factor that Franklin constantly wrestles with: his own in- tense competitive drive. While the Nittany Lions' victory against Boston College might have pro- vided a nice springboard into winter workouts and spring practice, Franklin didn't feel particularly good about the season as a whole. "From a competitive standpoint, not even close," he said. Under even the worst of circum- stances, Franklin is not the kind of head coach who considers a seven-win season to be satisfactory. He is, by his own ad- mission, hyper-competitive by nature, and his career ascent is evidence of his absolute obsession with winning and creating the conditions for success. "I'm probably going to have the same feeling and conversation with you after we win 10, 11, 12, 15 games," he said. "That's just my personality. I'll never be satisfied." For Penn State fans wanting to offer their own assessment of the Lions' per- formance last season, the reality is that one conversation simply can't exist without the other. Both are integral to understanding what exactly the program is right now and, simultaneously, what Franklin envisions for its future. Although there were more than a few legitimate explanations for the team's shortcomings competitively, the unique nature of the challenges Penn State was facing required a broader viewpoint. And those challenges have not entirely abated. "There's not really a model that you can research or study or talk to people about [with respect to] this situation. This is the first time ever, really," he said. "I guess there are other examples that are similar from a different perspective, but that makes it challenging as well, because we all say you study your past so you don't repeat it, but there's nothing to really study. We're forging through this as a first-time [occurrence]." Franklin believes in pooling resources, narrowing choices and arriving at deci- sions based on all of the information available. He is fully prepared to make the huge investment of time and energy that will be necessary to return the pro- gram to some semblance of normalcy and, eventually, help it achieve new lev- els of success. It's been nearly three full years since the sanctions were first levied against Penn State, and the second-year head coach says he's working to shorten the timetable for an eagerly awaited return to championship contention. Whether or not those efforts will allow the Nit- tany Lions to take a significant leap for- ward in 2015 remains to be seen, but Franklin is determined to transform his vision into reality. "What I'm trying to do is speed up the learning process. I'm trying to speed up the maturation process of our team, of my understanding of Penn State and the community and our players and all those things that happen anywhere you go," he said. "I'm trying to speed all of those things up as much as we possibly can." For a fan base that has always meas- ured success using the simple numbers on the field, in the classroom and be- yond, Franklin's desired pace might just help usher their return. ■ 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S

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