This July, Penn State coach James Franklin made a bold claim.
“This is the best combined personnel that I think we’ve had at Penn State,” Franklin told reporters at Big Ten Media Days. When I talk aboutpersonnel, I’m talking players and staff. From a depth, from a talent standpoint and from an experience standpoint, so we’re very excited about that.”
At the time, it made all the sense in the world.
Penn State had just gone to the College Football Playoff semifinal, returned most of its key players from that team.
It also added two top-notch coaches in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and running backs coach Stan Drayton.
Well, now, Penn State is 3-2 and just lost to a horrible UCLA team.
So it was only fair to ask Franklin to revisit that statement.
“Obviously that question at this moment,” he said in his postgame presser. “I mean, how am I supposed to answer that when we lose the last two games?
That’s all that matters. We didn’t win the last two games.
But, yeah, obviously I felt that way, or I wouldn’t have said it. But after two losses, it’s hard for me to answer that question and say that’s the case.”
All Penn State can do now is focus on Northwestern, which it plays next week at 3:30.
