o this is what James Franklin has
been talking about.
In opening the 2015 season with
a demoralizing 27-10 loss at Temple,
Penn State proved itself to be a program
with plenty of warts. The offensive line,
under fire for surrendering 44 sacks last
season, gave up nearly a quarter of that
total in just 60 minutes against the
Owls. In addition, the running backs
failed to create advantageous second-
and third-down opportunities, and
quarterback Christian Hackenberg ap-
peared shellshocked. The team's overall
performance seemed to foreshadow a
toxic season.
That is, unless the Nittany Lions could
find a way to run the ball consistently
and efficiently.
Following the loss to the Owls, all the
talk centered on the offensive line sur-
rendering sacks and the passing game
failing to find anything remotely resem-
bling a rhythm. Franklin was left to steer
the conversation toward his true con-
cern: missed run opportunities leaving
the Lions in impossible passing situa-
tions, prompting the panoply of disas-
ters.
"Again, it goes back to what we've
talked about in the past. It comes down
to protection and being able to run the
ball," he said. "We're not able to do that
right now. So we need to make those
JUDGMENT
CALL
S
BREAKOUT
PERFORMER
Saquon Barkley
eludes a Rutgers
defender en
route
to the end
zone. Photo by
Steve Manuel
