Blue White Illustrated

O'Brien faced his share of hardships to be sure, but he faced them with a core of Paterno-era holdovers serving as on- and off-field leaders, players such as Michael Mauti, Michael Zordich, Matt McGloin and Allen Robinson. Franklin, by contrast, inherited a roster that had been eroded by the NCAA sanctions and needed to get its numbers back up. For the current coaching staff, the record is important, as it is for any team, but it may also prove to be a lagging indicator of the program's overall progress. "I know in my heart, every single morning when I wake up and every single night that I go to bed, the direction that we're headed," Franklin said. "I think what happens a lot of times is that people compare and contrast. Well, it's hard to compare and contrast because of the situation we were in [with the NCAA sanctions]. Who are you going to compare that to? So I get it, and I think it's coming from a good place. It's coming from a place of pride and love of Penn State and wanting to get back to those memories and those experiences that they look back so fondly on. "I get it. I embrace it. I take it for what it is, and I think our players do, as well. … So we're going to continue supporting these kids. We're going to continue de- veloping these kids, and I believe that we're heading in the right direction and good things are going to happen if peo- ple let the process play out." The process may not be playing out as quickly as everyone would like, but there have been some mitigating factors that help explain why the Nittany Lions still aren't vying for major bowl invita- tions and national rankings. Bearing those factors in mind, let's take a look at how the team graded out at midsea- son: QUARTERBACK There was never any chance that redshirt sophomore Trace McSorley was going to replicate his eye- opening 23-for-27 performance in the Blue-White Game once the offense began taking live fire in the regular sea- son. But darned if he hasn't come fairly close. Through six games, McSorley was ranked third in the Big Ten in passing, with an average of 239.3 yards per game, along with a 58.2 percent completion rate and a touchdown-interception ratio of 8-3. He was also Penn State's second- leading rusher with 186 yards and three touchdowns on 67 carries. After absorbing some big hits early in the season (resulting in some costly turnovers), McSorley began to look much more comfortable in the pocket against Minnesota, sensing the rush, keeping his eyes downfield and making big plays when opportunities presented themselves. His quick maturation was never more evident than in Penn State's 29-26 overtime victory over the Go- phers. With less than a minute to play and no timeouts to work with, McSorley engineered the tying drive, completing passes of 20 yards to Chris Godwin and 7 yards to DeAndre Thompkins and scrambling for 26 yards to set up a last- second field goal. Franklin has said that McSorley has looked at times like a second-year starter. "I think it's been helpful that he has been the backup quarterback for two years and didn't approach it like that," Franklin said. "He really prepared as if he was the starter. He's a mature kid, he's a disciplined kid. He's a smart young man, comes from a real good family, strong parents. And he's pre- pared for this. He also is a guy who has been successful his entire athletic and academic career. He expects this." He can expect the competition to keep him on his toes, with Iowa and a battered but still dangerous Michigan State team set to visit Beaver Stadium later this year. But the Nittany Lions can't help but be encouraged by his start. GRADE B+ RUNNING BACK Prior to facing Mary- land in week six, Penn State hadn't been able to generate the kind of rushing of- fense that many had expected going into the season. With a potential All-Big Ten running back returning in sophomore Saquon Barkley, there were hopes that the Lions would take a big step forward after finishing last in the Big Ten in rushing two years ago and 12th in 2015. Through the season's first five weeks, that hadn't happened. Penn State was HOUSE CALL Barkley sprints 55 yards for a touchdown against Temple. Photo by Steve Manuel

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