I think we are witnessing something kind of interesting this season. There is no doubt that the sanctions worked as intended. They pretty much killed us and this year is the toughest so far. However, I feel extremely confident that things start to turn around next year. I am not suggesting that Franklin is faultless this year but he really has his hands tied right now. We have never been through this situation and it makes you realize how spoiled we fans can be.
The offensive line is in bad shape but they keep fighting and I expect them to improve as the year goes along. We may not notice it as much because we are going to play some talented teams later this season for sure. The game plan has been so easy to criticize in part because of of a lack of creativity. My only defense of the coaching is that these kids are still trying to work on the basics before Big Ten play starts and SOME of the plays we wanted them to run are even more difficult to execute properly. I will give them a pass for now but obviously it won't last forever.
That brings me to recruiting. In Barkley, last week, we got to see what big-time talent looks like and a glimpse into the future of Penn State. What a spark he provided! It opened up our passing game too. Suddenly, even our offensive line seemed to improve. I know it was Buffalo but so what. I'll take anything at this point. Either way, there is so much talent on the way that it is going to be a fun ride.
Finally, Franklin didn't win 9 games at Vanderbilt by chance. You have to be a good coach to make that happen. I trust he will get us there even if there are quite a few bumps along the way and maybe even some turnover within the assistant coaches. One thing is for sure. The man convinces major talent to play for him. We don't have to worry about that.
The offensive line is in bad shape but they keep fighting and I expect them to improve as the year goes along. We may not notice it as much because we are going to play some talented teams later this season for sure. The game plan has been so easy to criticize in part because of of a lack of creativity. My only defense of the coaching is that these kids are still trying to work on the basics before Big Ten play starts and SOME of the plays we wanted them to run are even more difficult to execute properly. I will give them a pass for now but obviously it won't last forever.
That brings me to recruiting. In Barkley, last week, we got to see what big-time talent looks like and a glimpse into the future of Penn State. What a spark he provided! It opened up our passing game too. Suddenly, even our offensive line seemed to improve. I know it was Buffalo but so what. I'll take anything at this point. Either way, there is so much talent on the way that it is going to be a fun ride.
Finally, Franklin didn't win 9 games at Vanderbilt by chance. You have to be a good coach to make that happen. I trust he will get us there even if there are quite a few bumps along the way and maybe even some turnover within the assistant coaches. One thing is for sure. The man convinces major talent to play for him. We don't have to worry about that.
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