and he still knows more than anyone here does, and by a wide margin
Random Thoughts Post OSU, No Franklin
- Thread starter BiochemPSU
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Michigan has not out-recruited OSU; they’re closer to PSU in annual average ranking.
I believe all of us will readily admit we do not attend every practice. We do not evaluate the high school/portal talent and hope their competitive drive will fit the overall complexion of the offense or defense.
BUT - let us acknowledge that Franklin is a good recruiter, very average at selecting stable assistants and -- not a LEADER in competitive games. OK - he played QB at East Stroudsburg State and coached everywhere -- BUT does not have the experience of playing at a high level in Div 1 games and against the likes of OSU/Oregon etc. He does not know how to win these type of games without this experience.
For me - coaching salaries are just too much and the Big 2 will not allow any other school to challenge their perch at the top of the BIG (white out TV exposure). Finally - time to get a coach that has a been there done there attitude. There is a difference. AD Kraft played at Indiana with many losing seasons and does/or should know what it takes. All we can do is hope for a W.
BUT - let us acknowledge that Franklin is a good recruiter, very average at selecting stable assistants and -- not a LEADER in competitive games. OK - he played QB at East Stroudsburg State and coached everywhere -- BUT does not have the experience of playing at a high level in Div 1 games and against the likes of OSU/Oregon etc. He does not know how to win these type of games without this experience.
For me - coaching salaries are just too much and the Big 2 will not allow any other school to challenge their perch at the top of the BIG (white out TV exposure). Finally - time to get a coach that has a been there done there attitude. There is a difference. AD Kraft played at Indiana with many losing seasons and does/or should know what it takes. All we can do is hope for a W.
Interesting to read the varying opinions here. Here are my not-worth-much Lone Star views:
1. Franklin seems like a really decent man who has tried to uphold the aspects of the football program that many alums and fans have held dear through the decades.
2. However, he also seems to be a bit too insecure and emotional to handle the adversity and the in tensity of coaching a top-level program. He was terrific at Vanderbilt where likely no one expected regular wins against Alabama/Georgia level teams. He works hard to meet Penn State's expectations, but he doesn't seem to have that "it factor" (whatever that means) that mark the truly great head coaches.
3. A huge difference yesterday was that when Ohio State needs a refill, they go out and get (a) a starting DB, 5-star talent from super power Alabama (b) a starting RB from bowl champion Ole Miss (c) a starting QB from Big 12 contender K-State. I don't follow the Buckeyes enough to know who else they got to transfer in.
4. When Penn State needs a refill, it gets (a) a 3rd-string, not likely to play much WR from OSU (b) a non-starter OL from Wisconsin.
That difference , to me anyway, signals what the perception of the 2 programs is to potential transfers. If any program needed a high-level WR to make a run at a title it was PSU. Did Franklin get one? Was it really as simple as NIL $$$? Or is the perception of the program that different from the perception of Ohio State's?
5. I have been in the boat with those who laud Coach K as an excellent OC. Thus, I am doubtful that he was the one who could not call a play to get a touchdown from inside the 5 twice. I have no basis for thinking it, but I feel that Franklin injected his opinion as to what to call on those 2 situations. I especially think James, in his insecurity, advised AK against another pass play on that fateful failed drive in the 4th quarter because of what hapened at the end of the first half.
This month marks my 60th year as a loyal, diehard Nittany Lion fan, when I first saw Penn State defeat the Houston Cougars 24-7. I will continue to support the program despite the cowardly actions of the university leadership in 2012 and despite the feelings of doubt that the current coaching staff will ever bring the Lions another undefeated or championship team.
1. Franklin seems like a really decent man who has tried to uphold the aspects of the football program that many alums and fans have held dear through the decades.
2. However, he also seems to be a bit too insecure and emotional to handle the adversity and the in tensity of coaching a top-level program. He was terrific at Vanderbilt where likely no one expected regular wins against Alabama/Georgia level teams. He works hard to meet Penn State's expectations, but he doesn't seem to have that "it factor" (whatever that means) that mark the truly great head coaches.
3. A huge difference yesterday was that when Ohio State needs a refill, they go out and get (a) a starting DB, 5-star talent from super power Alabama (b) a starting RB from bowl champion Ole Miss (c) a starting QB from Big 12 contender K-State. I don't follow the Buckeyes enough to know who else they got to transfer in.
4. When Penn State needs a refill, it gets (a) a 3rd-string, not likely to play much WR from OSU (b) a non-starter OL from Wisconsin.
That difference , to me anyway, signals what the perception of the 2 programs is to potential transfers. If any program needed a high-level WR to make a run at a title it was PSU. Did Franklin get one? Was it really as simple as NIL $$$? Or is the perception of the program that different from the perception of Ohio State's?
5. I have been in the boat with those who laud Coach K as an excellent OC. Thus, I am doubtful that he was the one who could not call a play to get a touchdown from inside the 5 twice. I have no basis for thinking it, but I feel that Franklin injected his opinion as to what to call on those 2 situations. I especially think James, in his insecurity, advised AK against another pass play on that fateful failed drive in the 4th quarter because of what hapened at the end of the first half.
This month marks my 60th year as a loyal, diehard Nittany Lion fan, when I first saw Penn State defeat the Houston Cougars 24-7. I will continue to support the program despite the cowardly actions of the university leadership in 2012 and despite the feelings of doubt that the current coaching staff will ever bring the Lions another undefeated or championship team.
Agree. Who is in charge of recruiting and developing WRs at PSU? Sure PSU can do better.
I would not get my hopes up. Just as sure as he loses to O$U he then follows it up with a season dagger to a Washington or Minnesota. Also lost the Whiteout to streaming service.
They passed us in exactly 1/2 year…i’ll l bet PSU has more resources than IU football?
Enough is enough.
Penn State is not going anywhere with our WRs.Well, I think players at the college level need to be “developed,” and I think they tend to assume the personality of their leaders, e.g. – coaching staff. In that regard, Allar has been very, very good against very good competition. The drive he led against USC was pretty spectacular. Against Ohio State, not so much. Of course, a lot of that may be blamed on the Wisconsin game and injury, but it should be noted that Allar’s and Pribula’s stats for the Wisconsin game are very similar. Arguably, the team scored more points under Pribula’s leadership than Allar’s. I hope Allar can do well in the pros. I’m not too worried about the QB situation. Pribula is good. With a guy named Jack Lambert waiting in the wings, how can we miss?
You mentioned Allen and Diaz. Frankly, I can’t really complain about the D this year. Both USC and Bowling Green scored more points than the “world famous” Buckeyes, so there’s that. The D has done enough IMO. The problem has been the offense, which has, again, gotten the job done against teams like WVU, Kent State, USC, and Wisconsin. I was mildly concerned yesterday when the O’s first drive ended in a mere field goal, but the pick-six INT on OSU’s first drive mellowed me out. As we all know, it was downhill from there. The D did a good job, though.
Now that it’s Sunday, there’s no question that if Penn State wins out, they still have a great chance of getting into the playoff, and might make some noise if they get the right matchups. I can’t see Penn State going further than the final four, but who knows? That kind of performance might be enough to erase the sting of another loss to OSU.
I’m going to go there with Franklin, though – he’s the coach. He’s the one that came in setting lofty goals and wanting Penn State to be “elite.” I think this is now “put up or shut up” time. Get it done now or he will never get it done. I watched some of the Georgia game yesterday and some of the Oregon game. IMO the championship is Oregon’s to lose, but there’s a lot of football left. Other than Oregon, the teams are beatable. Maybe Penn State missing the CCG isn’t a bad thing, although it means needing an at-large bid and closing out the season with no more losses. Indiana remains the wild card. Can they beat OSU and go into the CCG with Oregon undefeated? Or, do they lose to OSU and then it’s an Oregon-OSU rematch in the CCG, with both Indiana and Penn State with one loss. Can the B1G get 4 teams in, or if only 3, can there be any doubt that PSU gets passed over for Indiana?
And our 5* play like 3*.
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Penn State is not going anywhere with our WRs.Well, I think players at the college level need to be “developed,” and I think they tend to assume the personality of their leaders, e.g. – coaching staff. In that regard, Allar has been very, very good against very good competition. The drive he led against USC was pretty spectacular. Against Ohio State, not so much. Of course, a lot of that may be blamed on the Wisconsin game and injury, but it should be noted that Allar’s and Pribula’s stats for the Wisconsin game are very similar. Arguably, the team scored more points under Pribula’s leadership than Allar’s. I hope Allar can do well in the pros. I’m not too worried about the QB situation. Pribula is good. With a guy named Jack Lambert waiting in the wings, how can we miss?
You mentioned Allen and Diaz. Frankly, I can’t really complain about the D this year. Both USC and Bowling Green scored more points than the “world famous” Buckeyes, so there’s that. The D has done enough IMO. The problem has been the offense, which has, again, gotten the job done against teams like WVU, Kent State, USC, and Wisconsin. I was mildly concerned yesterday when the O’s first drive ended in a mere field goal, but the pick-six INT on OSU’s first drive mellowed me out. As we all know, it was downhill from there. The D did a good job, though.
Now that it’s Sunday, there’s no question that if Penn State wins out, they still have a great chance of getting into the playoff, and might make some noise if they get the right matchups. I can’t see Penn State going further than the final four, but who knows? That kind of performance might be enough to erase the sting of another loss to OSU.
I’m going to go there with Franklin, though – he’s the coach. He’s the one that came in setting lofty goals and wanting Penn State to be “elite.” I think this is now “put up or shut up” time. Get it done now or he will never get it done. I watched some of the Georgia game yesterday and some of the Oregon game. IMO the championship is Oregon’s to lose, but there’s a lot of football left. Other than Oregon, the teams are beatable. Maybe Penn State missing the CCG isn’t a bad thing, although it means needing an at-large bid and closing out the season with no more losses. Indiana remains the wild card. Can they beat OSU and go into the CCG with Oregon undefeated? Or, do they lose to OSU and then it’s an Oregon-OSU rematch in the CCG, with both Indiana and Penn State with one loss. Can the B1G get 4 teams in, or if only 3, can there be any doubt that PSU gets passed over for Indiana?
expect to be disappointed
Maybe that’s what the rankings say but last year Michigan had an offense/defensive line that was loaded with elite talent, superior to OSU, and Alabama for that matter. That wasn’t an unexpected coincidence either. Maybe the ranking system doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s one thing to recruit a 4/5 star athlete it’s another thing to develop that athlete to play at an elite level.
Yep. Our inept WRs were the key to Ohio State's defense. They played man on each receiver and stacked the box with the rest of their defense to stop the run. Our WRs had 3 catches all day. Ohio State stopped our running game. We scored no touchdowns. The inept WRs caused the loss yesterday more than any other factor.
The ranking system doesn’t tell the whole story. It fails to look at how the incoming class fits a teams need.
I'm not putting this on Kotelnicki, dudes been here one season and inherited that piss poor crew of receivers etc.. guy has done wonders with what PSU has to work with from where I'm sitting.
A few years ago, this approach to choosing a new coach would have given us Mel Tucker after his 11-2 year with Michigan State (he was 5-7 the next year and then fired when they had the chance). If winning against big time opponents is important, I don’t see how beating UCLA, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska, Washington and Michigan State and three OOC cupcakes shows they can do that.
PSU and OSU have not had comparable talent the past two years. OSU had play makers at WR both years while PSU did not and better players in the secondary. Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken.
I've always thought the success with honor tag is the most arrogant slogan ever put forward. The school slogan should have never moved off of We Are. If someone walks up to me and tells me they are honorable the first thing I would tell them that's for others to decide.
It's been OK so far.
I was Dodge Ball champion in 3rd and 4th grade. I still got some skills.
Ohio State coaches schemed their players wide open for both of their touchdowns. And that OSU DB muscled 7pts from Trey Wallace.
It was a competitive game against a top5 program, those three individual plays were more signficant than the offensive playcalling throughout the game.
T. Frank Carr said so on the BWI post-game podcast. We've had a 5* QB the past two years compared to Howard and McCord. Yes, they have playmakers at WR but outside of Harrison Jr. none 'killed' us this year. We were in and could have won both games and the losses weren't because of a lack of talent on our side. I will say when you bring in three former 5* prospects in the portal and only one sorta plays like one, you need to do a better job in the portal.
Perhaps, but why have all of these plays gone OSU's way in 9 straight losses? At some point a clear trend emerges. If you're arguing about a talent gap, then I agree. The question then becomes why there's a gap for so long?
And this is why OSU gets flagged in bowl games for holding.
I was referencing only this year's game, but in general they have higher paid coaches and more talent overall. The scheming is a credit to the OSU offensive coordinator. The DB play in the endzone is a talent gap between the OSU DB and tre Wallace, who should've caught the ball. That can be NIL related, or development/position coach related.
The talent gap is closer now than it's been in the past, mostly because PSU has caught up but OSU has not dropped off at all $$$.
I have attended more Psu games and bowl games than I can remember. First time in 65 years that I did NOT watch a Psu game. Everyone knew the outcome. I am saddened by my lack of enthusiasm and dismay.
Our five star guys for whatever reason don’t play like five stars. Who was the last five star we recruited who was an All American? Parsons in 2019, before that, Dan Connor (2006 & 2007). The list of five star Penn Staters who are average in college is a long (sorta). and staggering list.
Two? More like 10. Maybe 15. OSU has a 90% blue chip ratio this season, best in the country. Nearly every position 2 and 3 deep is comprised of a 4 or 5 star recruit. PSU's blue chip ratio is 60% by comparison which is decent by our standards but not by OSU, UGA, Bama standards.
Indiana brought n 27 portal players, most from his JMU squad who were already well versed in his system and had been in FCS playoffs along with his coaching staff. Seasoned team and staff which simply needed to supplement. Not denying Cignetti is an excellent coach but let's see what happens next year with them.
seems like tOSU's DBs are clinging onto recievers 10+ yards downfield.
What I don't get is why the game plan against USC (at USC) was so wide open and innovative, especially with Tyler Warren, yet against OSU Warren was mostly invisible. Pucker factor? Fleming is ex-OSU, you'd think he'd be chomping at the bit to one-up Will Howard. Clifford has been pretty good. Gotta open things up to open up the running game.
It just seemed to me that Penn State got up by 10 and then played not to lose, and got bit.