With Penn State heading into the final days of its off week and once again into game preparation with Michigan on the horizon, Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin and various staff members will hit the recruiting trail with the hopes and dreams of securing the eventual verbal commitments of various future Penn State players. Speaking of hopes and dreams, Franklin himself is likely traveling across the Keystone State in the coming days thinking about his 5-0 squad and what could be. A coach is never satisfied, but if he could snap his fingers and have five bye week wishes granted, these might be a few he’d have in mind.
Iron Out Special Teams:
Simply put, Penn State isn’t winning very many big games – or even less exciting ones – the rest of the season if the kicking game can’t be sorted out. It seems unlikely that either contest against Michigan and Ohio State will be low scoring, but nothing helps decide the game in the second half quite like crucial field goals and extra points. Jake Pinegar has to find consistency and the protection around him has to as well. Penn State has only attempted seven field goals this year which is about middle of the pack nationally, but nothing about this kicking unit feels like a strength right now. Plenty of games down the road could be influenced by a few kicks here or there. Missing kicks could be the difference between facing a one or two score deficit or having a one or two score lead. In the case of extra points it could also mean not tying the game. This might not be Penn State’s biggest overarching issue, but it’s one that could doom the Nittany Lions as much as any other.
Consistency:
When Penn State is playing well it’s quite a good team – especially on the offensive side of the ball. This is probably a blanket statement for most programs in America, but the Nittany Lions simply need to find consistency if they want to be as good as they think they can be. A lot of times this is the real difference between good teams and average ones. It’s not so much how good can you be, but how often you can access that quality of play. The more often a team plays at its best, the better off it is. Anyone can fake it for a game or a quarter, but can you be that good nearly all of time? Unless something drastically changes Penn State isn’t going to turn into a playoff contender in the middle of the night but there’s no reason this group can work its way to 10 or 11 wins if it can find consistency. How you do that is the challenge, but if James Franklin has any wishes to be granted that’s certainly one of them.
Make The Experience Count:
On a similar note Sean Clifford is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in America but that asset doesn’t always feel like it’s front and center. Clifford isn’t easily flustered and often makes the right changes in protections or audibles over the course of the game. At the same time Clifford’s actual pass throwing abilities or game-changing leadership qualities rarely seem overwhelmingly obvious. That is to say, Clifford could be playing at a higher level relative to his experience, and yet he often doesn’t. Of course being very old and being very good are two different things and experience does not mean you will simply be better than everyone else, but Clifford could in very least avoid some of his head-scratching mistakes. That’s really all Penn State needs him to do – be smart, make your throws and let everyone else do their job. Clifford is capable of being Penn State’s most important player and also its biggest uncertainty at any given moment. It’s a tough world to live in. At the end of the day Clifford is better than he gets credit for, but readily a sixth-year quarterback shouldn’t need to convince you of that.
Two of Three:
If James Franklin could have any of his wishes granted then he would obviously wish to go undefeated. But if we take this a bit more reasonably, Penn State winning two out of the next three games would be a pretty solid place to end up. The Nittany Lions should have some help with a Noon kick against Michigan and Minnesota is plenty beatable at Beaver Stadium. It’s going to be a tough lift for anyone in America to beat Ohio State this season but getting the Buckeyes in State College certainty helps the cause. Penn State needs to come out of this stretch feeling like it isn’t miles behind its two Big Ten East rival programs and it certainly doesn’t want to lose at home to a good – but so-so – Minnesota team. Beating Ohio State would be Franklin’s biggest wish, but getting to 7-1 before finishing out the year with a favorable slate of games wouldn’t be the worst wish granted.
The Good Feelings:
Penn State came out of the Auburn game feeling great about itself and anyone with two eyes and a brain couldn’t help but be impressed by how the Nittany Lions looked. A lot has changed in the time since then and a lot of the feelings around this team changed with it. There’s something ironic about winning and having fans feel worse about at team because of it, but Franklin and company need to get a win that feels good back on their side. It’s nobody’s fault the weather was awful against Northwestern or that Central Michigan played well, but this season hasn’t been full of moments that make everyone feel great about Penn State. Which is a weird thing to say with a team that is 5-0 and has two road wins under its belt already.
