Blue White Illustrated

T H E M O N T H I N . . . James Franklin came to Penn State and inherited a roster that was one of the youngest and most inexperienced in college football. While that excuse doesn't last forever, it is still no less true. Where Bill O'Brien had a team of veterans, Franklin has a team full of players learning on the fly. In the case of Troy Reeder that has been a positive, for Paris Palmer it has been an emotion- al up and down season. In 23 games at Penn State, Franklin has lost nine, the same number that O'Brien lost in 24 games. Of those nine losses, O'Brien fell just three times by a touchdown or less. So far Franklin has lost five games by seven or fewer points. Franklin has lost three times to top-15 teams, five total times to Top 25 teams. Twice to Ohio State, once on the road at night in the Big House. Three times in the game's final minute of regulation. All in all, Penn State is usually beating the teams it should and losing to the teams it shouldn't beat. Not a horrible starting point. Franklin hasn't been perfect, but that's a high bar to begin with. BEN JONES STATECOLLEGE.COM For the record, Franklin denied today that he has any interest in Miami and reaf- firmed Penn State is the place he wants to be. We've heard that line before from a thousand other coaches who ended up leaving. So, who knows? That isn't the point. It's this: Why should we be surprised anymore that Penn State has to fend off suitors? I actually think most of you have very quickly become accus- tomed to it. DAVID JONES PENNLIVE.COM Franklin did not specifically address the team about the timeouts [that he was slow to call against Northwestern], but as open as he was with the media after- ward, it would lead you to believe he will. "We were watching the clock, but it is what it is," Hackenberg said. "That's his job. He's going to manage it. They do a great job with studying that. I'm sure he had a good reason behind it." Actually, he didn't, but at least he admitted it. Other coaches mess up handling the clock – did someone say Mike Tomlin? – and stroll in the next day and proclaim that they'd do it the same way all over again. At least Franklin appeared to quick- ly learn his lesson. NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR Nothing in college sports is ever guaranteed. But just like that, in a span of two years, Chambers has stacked the deck in his favor with a talented group that will minimize the negative impact any coaching miscues, injuries, or bad referees can have on his team. Strategy is for underdogs. Penn State basketball might not be the underdog for much longer. CHAD MARKULICS BLACK SHOE DIARIES We have a lot of work to do on the field. We have a lot of work to do off the field in every aspect, but this is where I want to be. Stuff like that, I guess some people could look at it as a compliment. I don't. My focus is 100 percent on Penn State. I'm not going to address it anymore. I'm not going to talk about it anymore. I've worked like crazy to get here. This is where I want to be, this is where my family wants to be, this is where my staff wants to be. So that's really the end of the dis- cussion. JAMES FRANKLIN on media speculation that he might have interest in the Miami job Q U O T E S O P I N I O N S ALL SPORTS Penn State shines in graduation survey Penn State student-athletes continue to graduate well above their peers na- tionwide, according to statistical infor- mation that was released recently by the NCAA. The NCAA's annual study of institu- tions across the nation revealed that Penn State student-athletes at the Uni- versity Park campus earned a Gradua- tion Success Rate of 88 percent, com- pared to the 83 percent average for all Division I schools for students entering from 2005-06 through the 2008-09 ac- ademic year. The 88 percent 8gure is just two points o9 Penn State's record mark of 90 per- cent. Penn State's entering 2008-09 fresh- man class of student-athletes delivered an improvement of three points from the previous year by posting an 80 percent GSR, 13 points above the Division I aver- age of 67 percent. The NCAA data revealed student-ath- letes from 8ve Penn State teams earned a GSR of 100 percent, as the men's bas- ketball, 8eld hockey, men's golf, so:ball and women's tennis teams all posted perfect graduation scores. For the sixth consecutive year, the Penn State football and men's and women's basketball teams earned GSRs that were at least four points above the national average. The football team's rate was 81 percent, 9 points above the average rate for Division I/Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The di9erential in men's basketball was 100 percent for Penn State to 74 percent nationally, and in women's basketball it was 90 to 86 percent. Eighteen of Penn State's varsity teams earned a GSR at or above the national average of 83 percent. (The NCAA data does not include the Penn State men's and women's hockey teams, which be- came varsity sports in the 2012-13 aca- demic year.) ■

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