Clunk.
Hi there #firefranklin friends! You guys were quiet last week but you’re back in full force today. I get it.
The 34-27 win against Bowling Green was a clunker to be sure. These are the kind of games that get the critics started. If our expectation is that Franklin’s team blows out the lowly MAC opponents and he does not deliver that, well, then we’re all justifiably incensed, right?
Oh, I don’t know. I have a hard time getting upset about a win. If you’ve been reading for a few seasons, you know you’re going to get a positive take from me so here goes.
Bowling Green is one of the most experienced in the MAC and showed up as a team on a mission. Our defense was gashed in the first half and BG’s QB looked strong, but adjustments were made in the second half, with the defense only allowing three points. Troy Rojas hauled in a clutch interception in the fourth quarter.
Not exactly a banner day for the receivers: Trey Wallace no catches, Omari Evans drop, assorted penalties, but look at all the growth in Drew Allar. Last year he seemed stunted by a fear of making mistakes but this year so far, he’s made a couple mistakes (including that interception) but he’s also making plays and unlocking offense in ways we haven’t seen. Both Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen topped a hundred yards, including a sweet 41-yard touchdown by Singleton. Eight receptions for 146 yards by Tyler Warren sets a record for receiving yards for a tight end at Penn State.
It's not often in recent years that our offense carries our defense, but thankfully most of that offense showed up on Saturday when our defense was struggling. When some players don't have their best game, there are still options. Obviously, that’s not something we can get away with when, say, Ohio State comes around, but it does give other opponents more to prepare for.
Everybody seemed to struggle this week across the league. Top ten teams got a run for their money by unranked opponents. Penn State was fortunate, Notre Dame not so much. I don’t think it’s quite the panic inducing situation as the reactions suggest; I think it's college football… And to me, this is part of what makes college football so great – the student athletes learning and growing and competing at high levels week in and week out. We’ll get better or we’ll get worse and only time will tell.
It certainly was a shock to be losing to Bowling Green and many “fans” did not handle it well. People love to blame and complain about a win that wasn’t a good enough win for them. Fine. Go ahead. We all get to choose our perspective. Some days the best we can ask for is the W, no matter how clunky. Let’s take the win, move on and get better. We head into a bye week with tons of takeaways and areas for improvement. See you in two weeks when we face Kent State at home. Go State! Beat the Golden Flashes!
