MINNEAPOLIS — It took a relentless pursuit, a conclusion signaled by a fake punt. It was an emotionally draining rollercoaster filled with missed tackles and special teams missteps. Penn State’s 26-25 win at Minnesota was a game that saw the Nittany Lions at their worst and, at the same time, their best. It hardly matters how they did it. Penn State is a win away from the College Football Playoff.
There’s a certain level of confidence that sets this year’s team apart from others under James Franklin’s wing in recent years. It’s a confidence that hasn’t swayed in the face of criticism or adversity or a loss. It’s a confidence that has won games that just as well could’ve been losses, had the team dipped their heads and surrendered. They just will not let that happen.
“We always knew we were gonna win. … Most teams, they’ll be playing behind and they kind of give up. Our team, we’ve been through it all, man. We found a way to win,” running back Nick Singleton said. “Coach Franklin always says, ‘Find a way to win, no matter what type of game it is.’ And we just did it.”
Where does this confidence come from? Maybe it’s from a revamped staff of coordinators or from a head coach with less on his plate thanks to a more attentive athletic department. It’s also possible that this confidence comes from the players themselves, who have glorified the shift in their overall intensity and physicality dating back to the preseason.
“Guys are more connected, guys are more bought in and guys are more together,” linebacker Kobe King said. “Not that we weren’t in the past, but it’s been emphasized this year. I definitely feel like guys are more connected.”
There’s an apparent hunger to win. To some, winning seems like something they can’t live without. To qualify for the College Football Playoff is an expectation, to be on the outside looking in would be an absolute failure for a program that would’ve earned a bid in the 12-team field over six of the past eight seasons.
Drew Allar could feel the heat of a playoff absence approaching when he grabbed at both sides of his helmet and screamed toward the turf with Penn State trailing midway through the third quarter. He settled down and focused on the task at hand. It took a grinding effort until the final snap, but Allar ultimately completed his mission.
“The main goal is to win every single game,” Allar said. “And it’s obviously fun winning. That’s why we play. We play to win football games. But, for me, I’m always going to be hard on myself no matter if I had a good game or a bad game.”
In the modern age of college football, winning consistently is harder than ever. Every week, teams are upset by programs they aren’t supposed to lose to. This has been something Franklin has stressed over the course of the year, as well as by players like safety Jaylen Reed, who said getting a win “just means so much” to him.
One more win and a new door will open. A door filled with shiny prizes, most notably a national championship. The Nittany Lions have taken a bumpy ride to a 10-1 record and their performances have, at times, been far from perfect. But they’ve found a way to win the games they’re supposed to win and put themselves in a novel and glorified position.
Ahead of a regular season finale against Maryland, it all comes back to the basic principle that Franklin has instilled in his program since 2014. He’s heard it a million times over his college career, but never has the motto meant more for center Nick Dawkins and his teammates than it does ahead of a potential playoff clincher next weekend.
“We wanna go 1-0,” Dawkins said.
