What if?
What if Sam in Shamokin, that blogger in New Jersey and the guy in the nosebleeds of section NCU are all wrong about John Donovan?
What if he’s following James Franklin’s orders?
And what if the orders are good ones?
What if James Franklin is dictating the play sheet, nixing exotic calls and telling John Donovan to dial it back and – oh, by the way, have you tried the jet sweep?
What if they both know what they’re doing? What if all they’re trying to do is win?
What if winning really is more important than style points?
What if Penn State had been sacked more than five times and wasn’t plus-8 on turnovers over its past four games?
What if all this adversity, check-to-runs, game management, mature leadership, patience-learning and post-game positive recitations by Christian Hackenberg is actually good for his future?
What if some of the short hops and dropped passes are not John Donovan’s fault? What if throwing 30 yards horizontally in the rain on a bubble screen, taking care that it’s not a lateral, isn’t as easy as it looks?
WHAT IF?
What if those three years of mediocre offensive numbers The James Gang registered at Vanderbilt – an average national rank of 90th in total offense, 81st in passing, 65th in rushing and 57th in points scored – actually showed a big improvement vs. Vandy’s previous three years?
What if, on average, Vandy’s total offense went up 124 yards per game (49%) and points were up 13.2 per game (78%) when comparing the high point of Franklin’s tenure there vs. the low point of the previous three years?
What if Herb Hand isn’t a very good offensive line coach? Or Penn State’s receivers can’t get separation because of Josh Gattis? What if John Donovan had to deal with that?
What if soaking wet conditions and a slew of injuries caused Penn State to lose three of their past four games? What if Army scored on that final drive?
What if Nyeem Wartman-White, Brandon Bell, Saquon Barkley, Akeel Lynch, Marcus Allen, Jordan Lucas, Andrew Nelson and Angelo Mangiro hadn’t gotten hurt and missed playing time? (What if the answer was still the same – 4-1?)
WHAT IF?
What if Donovan Smith and Jesse James had stayed in 2015? What if Allen Robinson had stayed in 2014?
What if Bill O’Brien had stayed?
What if when Bill O’Brien left that Christian Hackenberg left too?
What if Sandy Barbour hadn’t opened up the seven-figure coffers and Bob Shoop had left?
What if Bob Shoop was at LSU and had to face Leonard Fournette in practice every day? What if Jay Shoop was always this good and came to Penn State?
What if you learned Penn State had the ninth-fewest seniors on its roster in all of FBS? Or only five seniors at all the offensive skill positions combined?
What if The Big Toe went on Weight Watchers?
What if we called James Franklin by Jim instead?
What if all the trials and lawsuits were over?
WHAT IF?
What if I told you the production of John Donovan’s offense in 2015 is eerily similar to the pre-sanction Galen Hall-Jay Paterno offenses of 2010 and 2011, as verified by these per-game averages:
2010 (7-6) — Passing: 18-33-230 yards (55%), 1.3 INT, 1.5 TD, efficiency rating of 121.3. Rushing: 34-142 yards, 4.2-yard ave. Scoring: 24.5 points per game.
2011 (9-4) — Passing: 14-27-177 yards (48.1%), 1 INT, .75 TD, efficiency rating of 101.94. Rushing: 39-165 yards, 4.2-yard ave. Scoring: 19.3 points per game.
2015 (4-1) — Passing: 13.2-25-165 yards (52.8%), .4 INT, 1 TD, efficiency rating of 120.2. Rushing: 35-157 yards, 4.5-yard ave. Scoring: 24.4 points per game.
What if I told you Jay and Galen were in the press box with Donovan this Saturday?
WHAT IF?
What if the NCAA sanctions had stuck, meaning this Penn State team would have just 65 scholarship players – with the two most-recent scholarship classes capped at 15 and 15 instead of 25 and 25?
What if you had been forced to decide in February 2014 and February 2015 which 10 of those 25 players you didn’t want?
What if Penn State hadn’t won five of its last six games?
What if Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld doesn’t play on Saturday? What if Indiana running back Jordan Howard doesn’t on Saturday? What if they both don’t play on Saturday?
What if Penn State beats Indiana, loses to Ohio State, and beats an imploded Maryland to go 6-2? Then beats Illinois?
What if, like that 2011 team, Penn State finishes 9-4? Or what if, like that 2010 team, Penn State finishes 7-6?
