Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
Given that teams often tend to take
their cues from the quarterback, that's
an encouraging sign. And it's especially
important for Penn State when you
consider the conflicting emotions that
last season's performance inspired. The
Rose Bowl may have been a body blow,
but the nine-game stretch that pre-
ceded it was a joyride. So the challenge
facing Franklin and his staff is two-fold:
They have to guard against both insecu-
rity
and overconfidence, and the latter
may be an even bigger worry than the
former.
"Handling success with young people
in general is a challenge," Franklin said.
"Are we going to be as driven? Are we
going to be as motivated as we were this
year? That's going to be the secret. Are
we going to work as hard for our chem-
istry? Are we going to be able to work as
hard for our culture? Are we going to be
able to work hard collectively and indi-
vidually to get where we want to be?"
Where they want to be is the College
Football Playoff. Franklin has been open
about that goal ever since his first Penn
State photo op, in which he jabbed his
index finger skyward so that there was
no mistaking his ambitions. For the first
time since his arrival, the Nittany Lions'
playoff credentials are being taken seri-
ously by people outside the program.
Penn State is a consensus top-10 choice
of the many publications that have al-
ready put out their admittedly way-too-
early 2017 polls. A few of those polls
were seemingly published while the
confetti was still falling on Clemson
after this year's title game, so they have
little value beyond stoking interest in the
season to come. But they do constitute a
vote of confidence in both the returning
talent and the overall direction of the
program.
And yet, repeating as Big Ten East
champs will be difficult enough, to say
nothing of reaching the playoff. Even if
they are able to do what will likely be
necessary to qualify for the conference
title game again – win on the road at
Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan State,
take care of Michigan and Nebraska at
home, etc. – the conference has a way of
humbling its defending champs. In the
six years since the Big Ten Champi-
onship Game was instituted, only one
team has repeated. That team was Wis-
consin, which thrashed Nebraska, 70-31,
in 2012, one year after winning the inau-
gural game, 42-39, over Michigan State.
Since then, the Spartans have won it
twice (not in consecutive years), while
Ohio State and Penn State have won one
title apiece.
For now, though, the only upcoming
contest that preoccupies the Nittany
Lions is the Blue-White Game. With
dozens of recruits likely to be on hand –
I'm not suggesting Chris Godwin is
easily replaceable but, having said that,
when Allen Robinson went pro, we were
all lamenting the fact that we didn't
have anyone to replace him – and in
steps Godwin. Go back a little further, if
everyone recalls, when Justin Brown
bailed and went to Oklahoma. Folks
were crying that we didn't have a re-
placement – and in stepped Robinson.
We haven't seen a lot of Irvin Charles or
Juwan Johnson just yet, but hopefully
they can continue the tradition of us
being really worried about the lack of a
guy who could replace the last great re-
ceiver, only to