‘There’s a lot of meat left on the bone’: James Franklin admits Penn State must do better after disappointing Week 2
The Penn State Nittany Lions are happy to be 2-0 after playing a couple of cupcakes, but the standard of what a championship-winning team hasn’t been met yet. While Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Oregon have trounced lesser teams or beaten the top-ranked team in the country, Penn State hasn’t clicked into top gear […]
The Penn State Nittany Lions are happy to be 2-0 after playing a couple of cupcakes, but the standard of what a championship-winning team hasn’t been met yet. While Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Oregon have trounced lesser teams or beaten the top-ranked team in the country, Penn State hasn’t clicked into top gear yet. That’s not a huge problem since Oregon doesn’t come to Happy Valley for another few weeks, but head coach James Franklin is concerned.
Franklin watched his Nittany Lions win 34-0 over FIU this past week, but the lead was only 10-0 at halftime. The defense was generally great outside of a 21-yard run that could’ve easily become a breakaway 65-yard touchdown if the rusher was faster, and a 27-yard corner route. But the offense struggled with consistency, and Franklin identified why that was.
As exciting as it was for Kaytron Allen to break out with 144 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries, Franklin said he expects better. Here’s why.
James Franklin Needs More From Penn State Offense
After Penn State’s win, Franklin gave Chaz Coleman some love, but then a tougher review for his offensive line. It’s clear he needs more from the unit to unlock Drew Allar’s production. Allar completed only 19-of-33 attempts for 200 yards.
“James Franklin on the Penn State O-line: I think there’s a lot of meat left on the bone. I think we have a chance to be a dominant front & I wouldn’t necessarily say we’ve played like that up to this point. We’ve got to get that figured out.”
PFF isn’t a perfect metric, but their graders thought the Penn State line played well. The left side of the line was especially effective, with Drew Shelton and Olaivavega Ioane earning great marks at 81.2 and 79, respectively. Nolan Rucci earned a 72.1, followed by Anthony Donkoh and Nick Dawkins, who were at 67.5 and 66.1, respectively.
With only two pressures on Allar recorded, it’s hard to say Franklin was right. The right side of the line, especially at center and right guard, was mediocre in their run blocking. But it should’ve been enough to score more than one touchdown in the first half against FIU.
We’ll see how Penn State adjusts as they continue to get ready for their conference play. Villanova awaits next week, which should be a blowout.
