World Famous
“THE world famous Ohio State Buckeyes win it!” Thanks so much for that, Gus Johnson. If I never hear that guy’s voice again, it will be too soon.
This is not the article I wanted to write. That was not the game I wanted to watch. It’s a tough start to the week with that energy hanging over our heads. Well, those of us who haven’t lost our heads screaming for Franklin’s, anyway.
In front of a record-breaking crowd of 111,030, Penn State shot out of the gate 10-0 thanks to a Ryan Barker field goal and a dynamite pick six by Zion Tracy. Zakee Wheatley provided another positive by knocking the ball from OSU’s quarterback at the goal line to avoid a touchdown and force a touchback instead. Barker later hit a 44 yarder to make it a 4 point game. Kobe King totaled seven tackles and a sack; Abdul Carter had two sacks. That’s about it for the highlights in a game that felt like we were losing most of the time yet still in it.
The rest was pretty dismal. Watching the Buckeyes run and run and run from their own 1-yard line all the way into the endzone was brutal. The Nittany Lions getting the ball inside the 5-yard line twice and yet scoring zero points, also brutal. Elliot Washington was called for taunting, which may or may not have been a garbage call, but even so he doesn’t need to be in a position for that call to be an option ever.
And that’s just a few of the lows from on the field. A Penn State fan embarrassed us with his aggressive rudeness toward Jason Kelce, to which Kelce retaliated (and has since apologized). Another Penn State fan felt compelled to curse out James Franklin; Franklin attempted to respond but the student ran away. Plus, the usual vitriol from our fan base toward Franklin for once again being unable to top Ohio State. All around a poor showing for the Penn State community.
It’s obvious James Franklin has an Ohio State problem. Whether that should tank him as a coach isn’t as clear. We’ve seen so many different looks this season up until now, that I can’t throw in the towel because we regressed this weekend.
In his post game press conference, Franklin spoke about the passion of Penn State fans, and the positives and the negatives that come with such high expectations and emotions. I think he’s at least right about that and I also think it might be good for us all to take it down a notch. It is only a game after all, right?
We’ve got another game next week and our playoff hopes are still alive. We’ve only dropped three spots to 6th. As long as we don’t let one loss turn into two, our season goals are still accessible. Can we put this one behind us and turn our attention toward the rest of the season? Can we muster up some hope and let go of our aggravation enough to support our team through the finish line?
I know we can, because at the end of the day We Are Penn State. We are world famous for our passion and pride in our university, for our massive and supportive alumni network, for the largest student-run philanthropy on earth, for innovation and research, and of course for that White Out atmosphere we’ll be showcasing next week. Go State! Beat the Huskies!
