Franklin needs to reflect on why he grasped Defeat from Jaws of Victory three times this year

[fairfaxlion2]

1) he overthinks things in 4th down situations. Against Ohio State he should have put the ball in the QBs hands. Today he should not have faked a punt. He should not have kicked a FG at the end. In 2017 there were some disasters as well. He needs to start being logical on 4th downs, go with his strengths, and not roll the dice. In 2018, his 4th down playcalling probably cost us one or two games (Ohio State and Kentucky).

2) Inexplicably, the concept of running out the clock with a lead has eluded either Franklin or his QB. This clearly cost us the Michigan State game.

3) He made a huge mistake by not making Gattis the OC. He has to know this. To make things worse, the new WR coach has seemingly made things worse (at least with the upperclassmen). Many pass plays were botched this year. How did Johnson suddenly get worse? He needs a new WR coach and possibly a new OC.

#1 and #2 are relatively minor things and easy to fix. #3 is a huge problem and may not be fixable in one year.

 

[N&B4PSU]

Dumb call. Let Trace win it in his last freaking game after he got hosed against Ohio St. Or worst case you have KY backed up in their own end with 4 mins left. I was at the game and KY fans were thrilled we didn’t go for it on 4th

OK... TV could not show the field on last play of game. Did Hamler have any real chance if flip connects?

 

[fairfaxlion2]

OK... TV could not show the field on last play of game. Did Hamler have any real chance if flip connects?

Honestly, it looked to me like it might have worked if that connected.

 

[Madsol]

If you kick the FG which we did, you must then attempt the on-sides kick.

We did not; we were doomed.

Onside kick down 3 with 4 minutes left and all 3 timeouts left and all the momentum on your side? Would have been the dumbest coaching move in the history of sports.

 

[N&B4PSU]

Honestly, it looked to me like it might have worked if that connected.

To me, it seemed he had a lot of green, and with his speed and moves, the possibility was there (on TV, there were 0 white shirts on the screen when the toss was made) . Glad we had that kind of play in the bag... wonder if maybe it works for a TD if used earlier in the game when they don't have 47 guys playing deep (kidding... about the 47).

 

[Omar81]

I tend to believe that nearly all of the criticisms of Franklin as a “poor game day coach” are almost entirely inaccurate (the reasons for that erroneous perception is a different conversation altogether) - but the only times I see where James tends to coach himself into trouble is when he gets too conservative, and I don’t think there’s ever been a situation where being conservative in a close game has turned out in his favor.

That said - the sin of coaching too conservatively is hardly an uncommon phenomenon in the profession. It’s the major thing that coaches all across both college and professional football consistently struggle with. It’s also incredibly easy to not do.

If he wants to learn from his mistakes, he will watch film of the losses — not just this year’s but prior years as well. And if he doesn’t change (he hasn’t so far), then that is an even bigger problem. It is not a question of conservative or not, at least not entirely. The fake punt was anything but conservative, but it also was monumentally stupid.
He (or Moorhead/Rahne) puckers up too often on offense with a late lead, resulting in the team being unable to get the ONE FIRST DOWN needed to be the difference between victory and defeat. And nobody will ever convince me that kicking the FG today was correct. They were in great position with only six yards to go for the first down, but the defense had to protect not just the first down line but also the goal line. Kentucky was on their heels and they, their sideline and their fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Franklin again puckered up and went for the FG.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

To me, it seemed he had a lot of green, and with his speed and moves, the possibility was there (on TV, there were 0 white shirts on the screen when the toss was made) . Glad we had that kind of play in the bag... wonder if maybe it works for a TD if used earlier in the game when they don't have 47 guys playing deep (kidding... about the 47).

GREAT point about maybe that play works for a TD if used earlier in the game.

Note AGAIN we fail to use ANY misdirection in the game (other than McSorley’s awful throw back to the left while running right for the interception).

AND

It took being down 20 pts to run a jet sweep (which was successful and which we never came back to.....). The next play had 4 receivers out to the left.....which we showed once and never came back to.....).

 

[N&B4PSU]

GREAT point about maybe that play works for a TD if used earlier in the game.

Note AGAIN we fail to use ANY misdirection in the game (other than McSorley’s awful throw back to the left while running right for the interception).

AND

It took being down 20 pts to run a jet sweep (which was successful and which we never came back to.....). The next play had 4 receivers out to the left.....which we showed once and never came back to.....).

I hate hitting the "like" button on this post cuz i don't like any of it lol. But all of it is accurate so you should be rewarded with a likey. lol.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

I hate hitting the "like" button on this post cuz i don't like any of it lol. But all of it is accurate so you should be rewarded with a likey. lol.

Yeah, they should add a “I agree” and “I disagree” options. I often ask myself “why am I liking something I don’t like”.

 

[blion72]

Michigan State did the same thing against us relying on their defense . Difference is ours did not come through

i think that is the key assumption JF was making. he expected a 3 and out. KY got the ball with 4:16 left and we had 3 TOs left. that meant that Ky effectively ran up the middle for FDs burning all but 10 seconds (our about 6 minutes if you take our TOs into effect). given the momentum of the game, i expected us too 3 and out them = not give up that many up the middle running plays = totally about will and effort. as you say MSU did this to us, and had less time than 4:16 to work with.

 

[artsandletters]

He is timid in crunch time or Rahne is timid and he is not controlling him. Took ball away from McSorley on 4th down against Ohio St and today was colossal mistake— FG gets you nothing- 50/50 chance for win on 4th down and even if you don’t make it, satisfaction that you believed in one the guttiest QB in PSU history!!

This is from a Franklin fan— he works so hard 24/7 and recruits like crazy and I’m still proud of him— guess we just need to stack the deck with so much talent for him to take us to championships.

Much respect and love for Trace— it’s been quite a ride!!!

Criticize the early part of the game or the third quarter play...because kicking a field goal with over 4 minutes remaining with ALL 3 timeouts was NOT a bad decision.

Depends who is calling the timeouts. To me, the FG had little value. It also slammed the brakes on momentum.

 

[artsandletters]

And then what? Get in field goal position again to try to tie it with a kicker that missed 2 easy ones early in the game? If you go for it and get don't get a TD, there's still 4:00 on the clock. Stop them and you have 2:00 on the clock to try to score a TD and take it out of your kickers hands.

Missed two easy ones? The first was a terrible snap. The second was deflected though admittedly the trajectory was lower than optimal.

 

[Zone-Blitz]

If Trace hits a wide open Friermuth before halftime, this thread doesn’t exist

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Hind sight is always right when you lose. Excuses are easy. Reining in the offense started all the way back to the Rose Bowl and most big games. Play conservatively in the last 5-10 minutes of the game. OSU last year was a whopper of a 4th quarter choke by pulling the reins on the offense. Smart people learn from mistakes. This is taking a long time for coach Franklin. Love him but play to win.

 

[PearlSUJam]

KY fans were thrilled we didn’t go for it on 4th

It didn't look like Trace's father would

Missed two easy ones? The first was a terrible snap. The second was deflected though admittedly the trajectory was lower than optimal.

Point is he was 0-2 at the time they went for a 3rd.

 

[katchthis]

I agree that our special teams left a lot to be desired today, but kicking the field goal was a very wise decision. Always take the points in that situation. You have all three timeouts and over 4 minutes left in the game, so let your defense get a three and out and then the offense can go back to work. We had the edge the fourth quarter on both sides of the ball.

When you have a capable FG unit, it is a good move .