MADISON, Wisc. – To put it bluntly, being able to quantify and identify what any given head coach is or is not actually responsible for during a game is difficult at best. Especially a coach like James Franklin who has delegated the task of calling plays to one assistant and setting defensive inclinations to another.
Franklin has his finger on the pulse, of course, but what exactly that means is an ambiguous collection of buzzwords like “adjustments” “input” and “recommendations.” They all sound nice, but unless you’re on the sidelines their actual meaning is vaguely defined.
In turn, it seems prudent to note Franklin is not directly responsible for Sean Clifford throwing the ball off his back foot and landing it several feet short of Jahan Dotson. He is also not responsible for Clifford throwing a beautiful pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith just one play later for a 52-yard strike.
One also imagines Franklin has told Clifford to please not throw bad passes. Subsequently it seems safe to assume Franklin has accumulated the right amount of coaching knowledge to teach and instruct Clifford how to throw the ball with proper technique – and has done many things to help Clifford improve at that task.
Rinse and repeat with any player at any position.
So in the case of Penn State’s 16-10 victory over No. 12 Wisconsin, what Franklin did or did not do to help the winning effort is a complicated task at best. Because, frankly, we can only guess.
With that set of caveats aside, it’s hard to ignore the second half Penn State had on Saturday afternoon, mainly an offense that went from an unwatchable mess to scoring drives of 83, 76, 61 and 68 yards in the second half. Everything looked better. In fact, everything looked wildly different.
And yes, it’s fair to give defensive coordinator Brent Pry credit for his group having an outstanding performance and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich credit for making the right calls at the right time.
But given the time and the stakes, Penn State’s win over Wisconsin on Saturday felt different as the Nittany Lions entered the middle stages of the fourth quarter in a big game against a quality opponent. The offense looked confident, the defense continued to play well and, facing clock management challenges and the general pressure of a close game, Penn State never really looked overwhelmed.
And some of that, perhaps more than he will get credit for, comes back to Franklin.
If there has ever been an actual knock on Franklin it’s the perception that the moment, or the pressure, or the small but important decisions during the game seem just a tick above his skillset. It might be a product of being a “CEO Coach” whereas some of his counterparts are more known for their football IQ or a perception that they simply outsmart their opponents. Whatever the case might be, Franklin isn’t given – or has not earned – that same reputation.
This belief is not without some merits, albeit Penn State’s close wins are often forgotten. Nevertheless. losses to Ohio State in 2017 and 2018 – both entirely winnable games – loom large on his resume. Various clock management issues along the way, which truthfully are often subjective and made without the benefit of hindsight, occasionally pop up to the critical eye. Franklin certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s ironic that the level of success he has had while at Penn State often brings those imperfections to light.
All of that said, given the fact Penn State’s offense looked horrid in the first half, and the memories of 2020 seemed to still be haunting a team trying desperately to banish them to shadow realm, the Nittany Lions’ second half may have been among the best coached of the Franklin era.
The impressive thing about Penn State’s second half was the fact this team does not appear to be equipped with an overwhelming number of stars. Jahan Dotson aside, Penn State’s offense is stocked with a ton of very good players, but they are not the ilk of the 2016 or 2017 rosters. At least not yet. They are promising, very good and very talented, but that’s not always good enough. Hell, they started 0-5 last year.
The point here is simple, it’s not hard to win with Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley and Chris Godwin and Mike Gesicki etc etc. You just have to get out of the way.
But on a team with a newer offensive line, an up-and-down quarterback and plenty of good but not generational talent, winning is far less straightforward. In turn, facing a roaring crowd, a stout defense, a physical offense and the annual challenges of early season play, Penn State looked overmatched on paper and at least on offense appeared to be exactly that.
But adjustments were made. Penn State got the ball farther down the field. It found room for Noah Cain to run. It created momentum and leaned on a defense that put together one of the better performances of the Franklin era. Everything started to click on a day when nothing before seemed to click.
Is that all on Franklin? It’s hard to say, but for a guy who has earned a reputation of failing to make something happen in the game’s biggest moments against the schedule’s best opponents, he certainly didn’t push any of the wrong buttons.
And if the head coach can’t get some credit for turning a game around to win one of the biggest games of his tenure, then what can he get credit for?
