Blue White Illustrated

NO MARGIN FOR ERROR Youth and inexperience aren't excuses - they're real issues that bedevil PSU ames Franklin only needed to hear the word "depth" in the question before he knew what to say. Fresh off a 42-39 loss at Pittsburgh in which his Nittany Lions were without starting middle linebacker Jason Cabinda and wideout Saeed Blacknall due to injuries, Franklin was given an opportunity to explain the effects of the stifling heat and depth problems. Aware that Penn State followers were uninter- ested in hearing anything that could be construed as an excuse, Franklin dis- missed the question outright. "You guys don't want me to talk about our depth," he said. "You don't want me to talk about being a young football team. People don't want to hear that." Losing Cabinda was significant, Franklin continued; Blacknall, the same. "Again, nobody wants to hear that," he said. "Guys have to step up and make plays." Whether or not anyone wants to hear it is at least somewhat debatable. This is a program that has been through drastic NCAA sanctions and multiple coaching changes and is trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. As time has passed, fans have sepa- rated into two camps: 1.) Those who are fed up with anything short of winning. 2.) Those who are willing to accept the challenges that exist and patiently await what they expect will be a bright future. It would be difficult to say what pro- portion of fans fall into the first of those camps, but one thing is certain: They are growing louder. For exam- ple, a recent column pub- lished by the student-run website OnwardState.com concluded with the following passage: "Yes – Penn State had to deal with crippling sanctions, yet the program re- mains competitive despite its youth. But this is a tired excuse, and it's overstayed its welcome. The talent is here, Franklin's guys are here, and fans are growing tired of waiting. It's time Franklin delivers that signature win, or his seat will be very warm after this sea- son." Whether or not I agree with the senti- ment, the fact that Franklin responded the way he did should come as little sur- prise. Given the nature of the business, and the way the argument is being framed right now, a different answer might have only increased his peril. That doesn't mean, how- ever, that a closer examina- tion of the situation isn't warranted. And really, the examination doesn't need to necessarily go many layers deep to find the truth of the matter. Spoiler alert: Some of the biggest plays of the young season that have befuddled the Nittany Lions can be at- tributed directly to injuries, youth and inexperience, even if they're not blatantly obvious. Take Penn State's final offensive play against Pitt, a Trace McSorley pass that was intercepted by cornerback Ryan Lewis in the end zone, clinching the vic- tory for the Panthers. The ball, tossed deep and intended for Mike Gesicki, was overthrown by Mc- Sorley. It had to be. That was the only place to put it, and had Irvin Charles not mistakenly drawn Lewis into the end zone, the Lions would have moved on to JUDGMENT CALL J OFFICIAL BUSINESS Franklin pro- tests a ruling during Penn State's game at Pitt. PSU tried to rally vs. the Panthers but fell short, 42- 39. Photo by Steve Manuel

• Cover