Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/752868
FOOTBALL Franklin likes proposal to add 10th assistant Facing a friendly crowd at his Thurs- day night radio show in State College, Penn State head coach James Franklin answered all of the usual questions. From his thoughts about the Nittany Lions' 24-21 upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State, to the reactions he received from friends and fans throughout the com- munity, to his expectations for the team's matchup at Purdue the following weekend, Franklin shu6ed through the typical fare. But before the 4rst commercial break, a member of the audience asked him his thoughts on a couple of fresh topics: the proposed early signing period for foot- ball that is making its way through the NCAA's legislative process and, maybe more interesting, how he feels about the proposal to give Football Bowl Subdivi- sion schools the freedom to add an extra coach to their sta5s. "The tenth coach is another thing that's been on the blocks for a long time FOOTBALL Penn State salutes 1986 national championship team Since arriving at Penn State nearly three years ago, coach James Franklin has flashed his trademark "We're No. 1" pose in countless photos. The ges- ture – index finger extended skyward, smile wide – is meant to signal to re- cruits and fans that the coach has grandiose ambitions for the program. It's an encapsulation of one man's vi- sion of the future. On Oct. 17, the Nittany Lions took a bold step toward that future with their 24-21 victory over Ohio State. And that same night, the crowd at Beaver Stadium was given a reminder of the program's storied past, as the university saluted the 1986 national championship team at halftime. It's the 30th anniversary of the Lions' undefeated season, which ended with a 14-10 victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. The win delivered Penn State its second national title in five years and catapulted stars such as D.J. Dozier and Shane Conlan into Nittany Lion immor- tality. A sizeable group of players from that team returned to campus to soak up cheers from the crowd of 107,280 that turned out for the White Out game against the Buckeyes. The '86 squad hadn't been expected to beat the top-ranked Hurricanes, but it found a way, thanks to gritty perform- ances by the defense and special teams units, and a couple of timely offensive bursts that produced just enough points. That's pretty much what the 2016 team did in storming back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against second- ranked Ohio State. History, it's been said, doesn't repeat itself, but some- times it rhymes. –M.H. Steve Manuel