Thursday, March 28, 2024
Home » News » Local & Penn State Sports » Penn State Football: James Franklin is Feeling His Oats. For Good Reason

Penn State Football: James Franklin is Feeling His Oats. For Good Reason

James Franklin is feeling his oats these days. And he should.

(The expression dates back to the early 19th century, used for the frisky, energetic movements of a horse when it has a belly full of oats, according to the Wall Street Journal. The earliest example recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary comes from the Boston Transcript in 1831: “Whether the pony felt his oats…he took a frightful canter.”)

The 2021 season is already breaking the right way. And the Nittany Lions are barely out of the gate.

Penn State has already cut his poll position nearly in half, going from No. 19 to 10 in Associated Press voting in only eight days. 

Last week, Wisconsin’s QB mertzed things up by fumbling open first down on the 1-yard line – 36 inches, four downs and 158 seconds away from beating Penn State.

On Saturday, Ball State saved any MACtion theatrics for mid-week next month at 9 p.m. on ESPN2, despite having 21 returning starters and 16 super-seniors — some of whom certainly played like a Letterman (as in: David, Ball State Class of ’69).

Sean Clifford hasn’t thrown a pick (he had three in the first two games of 2020), new edge Jesse Luketa already has a pick-six and newer edge Arnold Ebiketie is a portal poster man, ranking third in tackles and first in TFLs for the Lions. Brent Pry’s defense features a crazy good BOGO on safeties from Lackawanna CC, Noah Cain is healthy and (still) a bruiser, and the Dotson-Washington combo may be even better than anticipated.

Ohio State has already been JoeMo’d, its defense exposed by the former sportswriter who was also a former OC at PSU. The Lions and the Buckeyes are both 1-0 in the Big Ten East, but the Ryan Day has come when the Bucks no longer look elite. The Oregon victory also had to be a psychological win for the Nittany Lions, even though The Horseshoe was 328 miles to the west on Saturday. Still, they may have heard the 35-28 final score out of Columbus when it was announced in Beaver Stadium at 4:09 p.m. I kid you not.

Ohio State is certainly not elite right now. Maybe the battle in The Shoe 48 days from now, where the Nittany Lions last won in 2011, will simply be between two great teams.

IN OTHER GAMES

USC lost on Saturday night by the way, and not just its kicker to targeting on the opening play. Clay Helton is 70 games into his tenure as the Trojans’ head coach — and he has been on the hot seat for exactly 70 of those games. Sunday, an L.A. Times sports columnist and alum Keyshawn Johnson (no word from JWill or Max) both said it was time for Helton to go after losing 42-28 to a Stanford team that lost 24-7 to Kansas State last week. On the plus side, Helton is a big fan of Ted Lasso.

So there’s that.

I only bring this up because Franklin’s name annually comes up as a candidate for the USC job should – OK, at this point when – it comes open.

I get it. It’s Hollywood. James is charismatic, successful, never adverse to a new and bigger contract. (His buyout to PSU these days: $4 million “to assume NFL or Collegiate Coaching position.”)

Hollywood? These days, Happy Valley is jumping. Again. And with GameDay and the WhiteOut and Auburn – at No. 22, the first ranked non-conference foe Penn State will play at home in 27 games, since No. 3 Alabama, a 27-11 winner on Sept. 10, 2011 in Beaver Stadium – on the near horizon, last year’s 0-5 start is so historically pandemic.

TO BE 2-0

What’s past is prologue.

Shakespeare wrote that over 400 years ago for “The Tempest.” Well, the tempest was the 29 days of October/November 2020 that was Indiana/Ohio State/Maryland/Nebraska/Iowa 180 and Penn State 123 is gone.

As are Kirk Ciarrocca (now an offensive analyst for the West Virginia Mountaineers) and Will Levis (6 TD passes, 3 picks, 546 yards, 2-0 at Kentucky), among others. Geez, that was brutal last year, wasn’t it?

Give CJF credit. Lots of it.

He rebounded from a disastrous 2020 in a big way.

He made a tough call and axed Ciarrocca, so-not-the fiery-type with a big track record that is Mike Yurcich, and swallowed a mil or two in severance. (OK, Sandy Barbour did.) And he brought in a Hall of Fame player in Anthony Poindexter to coach the safeties. He’s fiery too, and a good teacher.

There had been a string of excellent hires and re-hires by Franklin. During the limited windows that the media are permitted in Holuba or on the practice field, I am drawn to Poindexter, second-year assistant coaches Taylor Stubblefield (WR) and Phil Trautwein (OL), and D-coordinator Brent Pry. I focus on them. They’re good coaches because they are good teachers – they are mobile, precise in explaining drills and routes, often teach by doing, are strong with feedback and are not screamers.

While Pry is a lifer with perhaps his best unit at Penn State, the other three were upgrades in myriad ways. That’s good leadership. You have to think that Franklin is energized by their presence and what they bring to the table.

Then there’s the return of Kenny Sanders, after a stint in Oregon, of all places. He’s national recruiting coordinator for the Nittany Lions and he is a big reason why the Class of 2022 is so good, while accomplished former PSU players Deion Barnes (GA) and Alan Zemaitis (recruiting assistant) can also share in the praise. Also under the radar was the return last year of offensive analyst Will “Money” Reimann, who went to Starkville with Joe Moorhead.

ANOTHER WEEK OF 1-0

But…let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

It is still early. In addition to No. 22 Auburn, also on the horizon are No. 31 Indiana and No. 5 Iowa and No. 9 Ohio State and No. 37 Maryland and No. 25 Michigan and 2-0 Rutgers and No. 29 Michigan State.

Franklin, you can tell from his couple of interactions with the media each week, is jacked. Joking, friendly, confident, complimentary. Take his presser Saturday evening after beating Ball State 44-13, served al fresco at the edge of the south end zone, tunnel with the new blinking blue lights (OK, there is a bit of Hollywood in him).

The head coach began the post-game session with dozens of reporters by complimenting my shirt. James does have an eye for nice threads; it’s my favorite, a white silk button-down Izod with dancing hula girls.

Franklin then launched into 1,709 words on the game and his squad, before finishing with three words that summed up Penn State in 2021. At least thus far:

“Overall, damn good.”

The team. (And the shirt.)