V S . W A S H I N G T O N
not just his pedal-to-the-metal recruit-
ing but his insistence on framing every-
thing that happens to the Nittany Lions
as part of an onward-and-upward nar-
rative. Lose a game? It's a learning expe-
rience. Lose a player? Next man up. Lose
a coordinator? Opportunity knocks.
The next step will be to take full ad-
vantage of on-erent
story. The Lions led by 15 points in the
third quarter of the Rose Bowl last Janu-
ary and couldn't get the one or two ered come-from-ahead losses
to Ohio State and Michigan State this
past fall. The Lions dropped those games
by a combined four points.
In Franklin's four seasons as head coach,
Penn State is 11-10 in games decided by a
touchdown
or less. It can't a>ord for that
winning percentage to continue hovering
around .500. As Franklin said a few days
a?er the Ohio State game, "We have to
develop a s, there aren't many
bowl matchups more engaging than this
one. It's the Big Ten's most dynamic
passing o>ense against the Pac-12's
sti>est defense. On special teams, it's the
best kick returner on one team, with the
best punt returner on the other. The in-
gredients for ensive coor-
dinator, as both recently le? for new
jobs. Against this Husky defense, I think
it's a taller task for PSU.
PREDICTION
WASHINGTON..............................................31
PENN STATE................................................ 27
LOU
PRATO
CONTRIBUTING
WRITER
With both teams utilizing new o>ensive
coordinators for this game, one cannot
imagine how that will a>ect the players.
This is the last chance for Saquon Barkley
to show up the Heisman and Maxwell
Award voters who snubbed him, but his
success will be determined by how he is
used. The big question may be whether
Penn State's proliense can overcome
Washington's strong defense, which is
rated No. 1 against the run.
Myles Gaskin, holder of the Huskies'
record with 43 career touchdowns, will
also be a test for the Lions' defense.
Special teams may make the di>erence,
too, especially in the ense
(36.9 points per game), so I expect them
to challenge the Lions on both sides of
the ball. When you add in the fact that
Penn State will breaking in a new o>en-
sive coordinator, I think this could be a
tough draw for the Lions.
PREDICTION
WASHINGTON.............................................38
PENN STATE................................................. 31
