At what point does this change?
At what point does this stop happening the same exact way?
At what point do we – the collective we that cares about Penn State football deeply – start believing Penn State will come out on the other side?
I want to believe. I believe that you want to believe. I want to believe that James Franklin wants me to believe.
I just want to know when.
For the eighth straight year, Penn State lost to Ohio State – and while the stakes weren’t as great as what they’ve been in the past – it’s hard to shake this familiar feeling.
I’d convinced myself there was a chance that Penn State was going to win this weekend around Wednesday – when I saw Drew Allar still around at the media availability at practice. Like I’ve done before, I’d convinced myself that this year would be different.
Eventually, I’d convinced myself this was going to be the year that Penn State was going to get over its tree nut-shaped hump, pestering Franklin and company since 2017. I’m not sure when. I’m not sure why. I’m not sure how. But I, and probably you, did too.
And part of that is being a fan. Being a fan is the belief that no matter what – no matter the odds or the percentages — your team is going to win. Hope is what’s driving us, after all.
Then again I’ve been blinded by that hope that every year from 2017 to 2023.
So at what point did you realize Saturday was going to go the same way it always does?
Was it when you waded through insanity-inducing amounts of traffic for a noon kickoff? Was it when you’d enter Beaver Stadium much earlier than you usually do to avoid chaos-inducing lines?
Or was it when Ohio State kicked off the ball and began another march toward a headache-creating victory that’s plagued this fanbase time and time again?
It certainly wasn’t after Zion Tracy electrified Beaver Stadium with a pick-six on Ohio State’s first drive. It certainly wasn’t when Zakee Wheately not only saved a touchdown but forced a fumble to re-establish any waning optimism.
So when was it? When did you realize this was going to go the same way it always does?
For all the ailments that Penn State has cured from its past this season so far, the Nittany Lions found a way to repeat history.
The defense was relatively stout when it needed to be – while the offense’s passing game, racking up just 146 yards, was not. Only two wide receivers collected three passes for a total of 49 yards, and very few plays around the rest of the offense went for big gains.
Much was made this offseason about getting and keeping the ball with Penn State’s best players – and yet Saturday, it got too cutesy, almost outsmarting itself, taking the ball out of the hands of the likes of Allar and Tyler Warren.
These should have been signs that this Saturday was no different than those previous seven.
So at what point do we think this is going to work? Or rather, at what point do we find a solution to the problem? A real one.
Firing Franklin is not and will not be the answer – at least right now. It’s too rash. It’s too illogical. It’s too short-sighted dopamine-providing because the risk-reward is far too great for the former than the latter.
And outside of games against Ohio State or Michigan, he’s one of the best coaches in the country. He recruits well. He develops talent well. I want to – and for the most part do – believe he’s a good football coach. In those games against Ohio State or Michigan however, his teams come up short consistently.
As he put it in his postgame press conference, that falls squarely on him.
Even Pat Kraft thought this year was going to be different. In his interview with Yahoo Sports, he explained how Penn State is closer and how Penn State is ready to go to the next level. But that didn’t happen Saturday.
Hell, not even an endzone font change could do it.
So what truly fixes this? What has to change? I don’t know and neither do you and neither does Franklin and neither does Kraft. That’s why collectively we’re all so annoyed right now.
What’s frustrating about this latest loss, too, is that much of what’s plagued Franklin – boring offenses over the last five or so years and dynamic players – was supposed to be fixed this year or at least improved. This was supposed to be different and that was part of the belief that this time around would end better.
Instead, it couldn’t connect on a crucial two-minute drill drive late in the second half – leaving a catch for a touchdown to chance that turned into an interception. Explosive plays evaporated against the Buckeyes as well – in a game that was, for nearly the full 60 minutes, very winnable.
Even when Penn State hung in there, even when Penn State kept it a one possession game, there was the unsettling but not unfamiliar feeling: at what point was this going to go wrong?
At what point did I realize – and a lot of you realize – that Penn State was not going to win the game on Saturday?
It was when Penn State couldn’t muster three yards for a touchdown – which wouldn’t have even given them a lead but rather the tie — on the offense’s final drive of the game.
It felt like 4th-and-5. It felt like 2017. It felt like all of the other years all over again. That’s the nasty taste we’re all left dealing with – and the reality we’re presently stuck in.
I, like some, am committed to making this work with Franklin. Even if this is a sunk-cost fallacy at this point, there are very few coaches that I believe can deliver with guarantee the results that many of you – and maybe myself – are looking for at this point. There are too many factors he doesn’t control. After all, he wasn’t the one running the ball on first, second and third downs.
But I also want him to give me some proof that this will change and that this will work out the way he’s offered the hope that this will change and that this will work out.
I’m tired of not seeing it – or rather, I’m tired of believing it even when I’m not seeing it.
His first attempt at that change starts over the final four collection of games this season. Penn State now must win all four – all a very reasonable ask to win – in order to reach its first College Football Playoff. A win in those playoffs’ opening round also helps too but I’m not sure it is 100 percent necessary. Plus, Penn State has to get there first before we start debating that.
Franklin has that benefit of the doubt right now too. Unlike those previous seven losses to Ohio State, this one still offers the hope that this season can still mean something. That’s at least reassuring. That’s at least different enough. That’s at least something I – and you – can keep telling ourselves for now.
Until there’s reason to believe otherwise, it’s fair to keep asking: At what point does this stop being the same – or rather at what point does this change?
If you’ve enjoyed this content, please subscribe to Stuff Somers Says With Steve on YouTube. Or join our newsletter by entering your email below.
