For the past decade, the story of Penn State football has remained the same: they can’t win the big one. They beat all the teams they’re “supposed” to beat, but when the lights are the brightest, they falter.
That story changed in the past few weeks, as they are on a three-game losing streak that includes losses to unranked UCLA and Northwestern. This skid from the team that started the season ranked No. 2 in the country has horrified its fans.
More importantly, though, it has caused a seismic shift, as quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury Saturday, and coach James Franklin was fired the very next day.
The Long-Awaited Firing of James Franklin
As is common in sports, people point fingers when things go south. And, as is usually the case, the blame falls on the coach, who, for Penn State, is James Franklin. After the loss at the Whiteout game to Oregon, Penn State fell to 4-21 against AP top-10 teams and 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in the James Franklin era.
Franklin has a reputation for being a great person. Players have made clear their love and gratitude for their coach since his firing. The ever-popular Penn State bar Champs Downtown even showed appreciation for Franklin.
However, the losses following the whiteout game became intolerable for fans and Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft. Before, at least Franklin could lead the team to victories over worse teams. But the losses to UCLA and Northwestern showed people couldn’t trust that either anymore. Change was necessary, and Kraft pulled the trigger.
Directly Costing Penn State Big Games
More recently, Drew Allar has also caught a fair bit of criticism. Last season, his solid performance trailed off at the end. While some people may claim this is understandable, Allar had a higher completion percentage (60%) in Penn State’s Week 8 loss to eventual national champion Ohio State than he did in any postseason game.
That Ohio State defense was the best in college football, allowing fewer points per game than any other team. It does not explain why or how Allar played worse in a conference championship loss to Oregon or a blowout playoff game against Boise State.
However, the worst was yet to come. In the playoff semifinal game against Notre Dame, Allar completed not a SINGLE pass to a wide receiver. In fact, he completed more passes to the defense than to his wide receivers.
In a tie game with under a minute to go, he threw an interception that left Notre Dame close to field goal range, handing them the victory on a silver platter and ending Penn State’s season.
If fans were hoping Allar would handle the pressure better this season, they were very wrong. In the biggest test of this season, the Whiteout game against Oregon, he once again threw a pick, this time a game-sealing one in overtime. Down 30-24 in the second overtime, Allar tried to throw to tight end Luke Reynolds, who was surrounded by THREE Oregon defenders. Dillon Thieneman intercepted the ball, and the Ducks began to celebrate.
Finding Better Replacements
When it comes to handling pressure, Allar and Franklin are two sides of the same coin. Penn State desperately needed to steer away from both to elevate the football team. With Allar out and Franklin fired, redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer and associate head coach Terry Smith have filled their respective positions.
It is a shame that the Lions let Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula walk in the transfer portal, as he has been better than Allar this season. But better late than never, and Grunkemeyer may develop into something special over the course of a few years. If not, the Lions can find a replacement. Either way, they can answer that question faster than they would have been able to had Allar finished the season.
Since Smith is only an interim head coach, Penn State will be on the lookout for a new head coach. Dan Lanning and Matt Rhule are some of the coaches Kraft may call. He may even reach out to NFL coaches. Regardless, the Penn State coaching job will be one of, if not the best, open jobs this cycle. For fans who want to analyze odds, strategies, and tools beyond just football talk, resources like gamblingcheatsheets.com can offer valuable insights into winning in the online casino sector.
We’ve Seen This Story Before
While all of this may shake up the team and worsen them in the short run, the changes of the past week will benefit them in the long run. Sometimes, changes and big losses are exactly what a team needs to light a spark.
After Ohio State’s fourth consecutive annual loss to Michigan last season, they flipped the switch and went on to win the national championship. Maybe the losses to UCLA and Northwestern will play a similar role for Penn State.
In addition, Pat Kraft’s decision to change coaches mirrors a move made by Georgia’s athletic director, Greg McGarity, a decade ago. He fired Mark Richt, who had won them two SEC championships and 145 games in 15 seasons. But the Bulldogs were not satisfied and brought in Kirby Smart. Smart then led the Bulldogs to three SEC titles and back-to-back national titles in less than a decade.
The future remains uncertain for Penn State, but the prestige of the program remains. Pat Kraft will almost certainly eventually find a new coach that suits the goals of the program. And sooner than later, a quarterback better than Allar will land in Happy Valley, if one isn’t there already.
Together, hopefully, that quarterback and coach can turn around the negative narrative that “Penn State can’t win the big one.”
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