As I sat in a stunned Beaver Stadium holding the second-largest crowd in Penn State history, only one thing came to mind.
“We’re sitting here again, we’re sitting here AGAIN, talking about the same things.”
LSU’s outspoken head coach Brian Kelly said this while pounding the press conference table with a clenched fist following a 27-20 loss to USC on September 1, 2024.
After a 30-24 overtime loss to Oregon in the White Out, the same concept applies.
We’re sitting here for another season talking about the exact same things.
Will James Franklin win a big game against a top five or top 10 opponent?
In his 12th year at Penn State, Franklin is 4-21 against top 10 teams. It’s baffling and flat out unacceptable.
When facing AP Top 6 competition, Franklin’s teams are 2-21 and have lost 15 in a row.
“Big Game James,” as critics have dubbed him, hasn’t shown much of anything to make you believe Penn State can get over the hump.
It feels like the program has plateaued against the best competition. Wins against SMU and Boise State in the College Football Playoff are nice, but when the rubber met the road against Notre Dame, it was another heartbreaker.
That’s what Saturday night felt like. Much of the stadium remained full minutes after the game ended. Students stayed seated inside the lower bowl, seniors soaking in the fact that their final White Out goes down as a stunning loss.
Penn State has no one to blame but itself.
Mistakes and bad decisions downed the Nittany Lions. Andy Kotelnicki’s offense only recorded 109 yards of offense in the first three quarters. That’s not a misprint. 109 YARDS.
The offense looked timid and unprepared until having no choice but to be aggressive and throw the ball down field trailing by two scores.
The offense went three and out three times through the third quarter.
Oh, and we haven’t even gotten to the quarterback yet.
Drew Allar shriveled in the biggest moment.
Trailing by six with an opportunity to match Oregon’s score and win it on a two-point conversion, Allar threw a game-ending interception to Dillon Thieneman.
Sound familiar? In Allar’s last big game, he threw a backbreaking interception against Notre Dame in the final minute to set up the Irish for a game-winning field goal.
Allar is now 0-6 against AP Top 6 opponents, including two losses to both Oregon and Ohio State.
Allar finished 14-of-25 for 137 yards, two touchdowns and the pick to seal PSU’s fate.
In front of an electric atmosphere that might be the most fun and exciting I’ve ever been a part of at any sporting event, the moment was too large.
In his first big test after being paid a record $3 million to coach the defense, Jim Knowles’ unit allowed 424 total yards including 176 yards rushing.
Oregon converted 6-of-18 third downs, but finished a whopping 5-of-7 on fourth down and faced multiple third and fourth and shorts of under three yards.
The defense played well in the first half and constantly kept Penn State in the game, but were on the field for nearly 34 minutes and looked tired on Oregon’s final touchdown drive of regulation.
Kotelnicki’s creativity has become a reason to yell at the TV constantly when the wildcat formation returns.
Driving in the final four minutes of regulation and with the Nittany Lions finally in a rhythm offensively, Kotelnicki called a direct snap to Kaytron Allen. Penn State was called for a false start before the play.
Allar was finally in a grove and the offense was moving the ball at will. Why mess with that flow? We saw it way too often with the Beau Pribula packages a year ago. Don’t be too cute on offense.
Setting aside the multiple blatant holds and questionable fumble call with Oregon driving into the student section, Penn State had multiple opportunities to take what Oregon was giving them.
Franklin punting from the Oregon 36-yard line was baffling. Facing 4th and 9 with 9:41 left in the third quarter, Franklin elected to punt rather than kick a 53-yard field goal.
Ryan Barker connected on a career-tying 49-yard field goal in the first half for Penn State’s only points before the break. Gabe Nwosu’s punt sailed into the end zone. The yardage difference? 16. Nice call, Franklin.
Decisions, decisions. Penn State made bad ones coaching. We hear all the time about Allar’s turnover ratio. What matters most is big game turnovers. In his last three games against Oregon and Notre Dame, Allar has four interceptions and multiple others dropped or called back by penalties.
The Valley is far from happy, booing the offense, questioning decision-making, the student section chanting “fire Franklin,” and wondering if it will ever be their day in the spotlight.
It’s time to admit the reality. Franklin is likely never going to get over the hump. Allar has all the potential in the world, but doesn’t have the clutch gene to be the main reason why his team wins.
The chapter turns, but the plot remains the same.
And we’re sitting here again, big game after big game, season after season in State College, talking about the same things.
