Can Penn State’s James Franklin take the Nittany Lions to the next level?

... he has brought them back to prominence

A friend and fellow alumnus of Penn State told me prior to the 2016 football season that 2018 would be the make or break season for Coach James Franklin. Little did he know that the 2016 was that season, two years earlier, and Franklin’s responded well after a tough start. However, it proved how one game can not just turn around a season, it can turn around a career.

One game can save a career

The Nittany Lions had lost a close game to the Pitt Panthers in Pittsburgh, 42-39, in the second game of the 2016 season and were then pummeled by Michigan, 49-10, on national television two weeks later. With their record at 2-2, and after posting disappointing 7-6 records his first two seasons, the Nittany faithful were rambunctious. Had the school made a terrible decision in hiring him to replace Bill O’Brien after he bolted to the NFL? On blogs, many fans were guessing who would replace Franklin after he was fired at the end of the season. The Lions then struggled to a 3-point win over Minnesota, and the boo birds were alive. However, in a key game for his career, the Lions charged from behind at Beaver Stadium with two blocked kicks and upset undefeated Ohio State, 24-21, before a wild “white-out” crowd. That propelled them to win out the rest of the regular season and defeat Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game.

The Lions, with a 9-2 record and the Big Ten title, should have been in the NCAA title chase, but because of politics more than anything else, were jumped over by the Buckeyes. Ohio State was then pummeled by eventual national champion, Clemson, in the national semifinals. PSU had defeated the Buckeyes, and while they had one more loss, they also had a Big Ten title, which is supposed to count more than anything else.

It did not matter.

While they lost a tough, 3-point heartbreaker to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl in an offensive thriller, but Penn State leadership had seen enough. They awarded him a six-year extension to his contract that averaged out to $5.7 per year. His contract last year, from one negotiated when he arrived at Penn State, gave him $4.6 million, making him the 12th highest-paid NCAA football coach in the country according to Business Insider.

2017 Season

Franklin followed that with a season in which a national title appeared to be a possibility, but then fell in a heartbreaker to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were ranked second at 7-0 when they journeyed to Columbus, and they led early, only to fall to the Buckeyes by one point, 39-38.

The Buckeyes held superstar running back Saquon Barkley, who was the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman, to just 44 yards on the ground. Making things worse, the Lions had a 35-20 lead going into the fourth quarter, only to have the Buckeyes, buoyed by its home crowd, score 19 fourth-quarter points and secure the victory.

Michigan State then loomed on the horizon, and in the longest delay in history, 3 hours, 23 minutes, blew another fourth quarter lead and fell to the Spartans.

They won the rest, including the Fiesta Bowl, 35-28, to finish 11-2, but not finishing in the title game race for the second year was disappointing after a 7-0 start.

Overall analysis of career

Franklin has legitimately brought the Nittany Lions back to national prominence, something that would not have been thought possible after the sanctions levied by the NCAA in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. They finished eighth in both polls last year after being seventh in 2016 in each.

However, the question is whether or not he can propel them to the College Football Playoffs, and of course, win a national title. Penn State has not won a national championship since the 1986 season, a drought of 32 years. In fact, in 45 seasons, Coach Joe Paterno, while piling up 409 wins, could win only two titles.

The 2018 season could be a challenging one for Penn State as it must regroup after two major losses. One is obviously Barkley, who was drafted overall by the New York Giants. However, the more challenging one may be replacing offensive coordinator Joe Morehead, who accepted the head coaching job at Mississippi State in the SEC. Replacing Barkley is tough, but the Lions coaches are high on Miles Sanders.

The greater concerns are the offensive line and the defense. Include a tougher schedule with Wisconsin on it and an early game with Ohio State, and there are certainly concerns.

Franklin needs that great season, but not sure if this will be it. He will be relying on QB Trace McSorley a great deal for leadership, and the team could come along well.

Nevertheless, Franklin has demonstrated that he has the leadership and knowledge to take the Nittany Lions to the top 10 in the NCAA. Now, he has to prove to himself and everyone else that he can take them one step further. I think he can, but the program is not there yet.