Honest conversation

[bdroc]

Allar has a big arm, but doesn’t show up for big games. It is evidenced by the last three years of his play. I find it amazing that other teams can start a quarterback and have them move into an offense and be very functional. Penn State needs to have a fourth year starter. Allar is not as good as he’s advertised as evidenced by his numbers and his performance and big games. He’s one of the oldest quarterbacks in the country and ranks in the top five or six with starts and the fact of the matter is he doesn’t get it done. I’m not interested in how well he does against Villanova.

Franklin is in a tough spot. What would happen if he benched Allar & Singleton at this point? He would look like a traitor to some and it could divide the locker room. I'm pretty sure he had a big stake in getting both players a lot of money to stay.

 

[sr108]

Ok…. Honestly, I think we can put the rest The fact that Singleton is nothing but an average back. I posted in another place about him having no vision no ability to break a tackle and falls down at first contact. He absolutely lived up to that in this game. Added to that is his longest run was a 6 yard run. I can’t remember how many carries he had, but they were wasted.

Allar has a big arm, but doesn’t show up for big games. It is evidenced by the last three years of his play. I find it amazing that other teams can start a quarterback and have them move into an offense and be very functional. Penn State needs to have a fourth year starter. Allar is not as good as he’s advertised as evidenced by his numbers and his performance and big games. He’s one of the oldest quarterbacks in the country and ranks in the top five or six with starts and the fact of the matter is he doesn’t get it done. I’m not interested in how well he does against Villanova.

AK is an average offensive coordinator best. The entire country has no idea what he was doing for the first three quarters How is it that Penn State can have an off week to prepare for a big game and come out and just lay an egg every single time. it’s the same thing over and over. Unfortunate for Penn State is you have to actually play 4 quarters and not all of a sudden pull your head out of your *** in the last quarter. I believe I saw a stat that said… Maybe it was Franklin …they were averaging in the first half being third and nine. That tells me that the first two plays got one yard in each of those series . Think about that for a second we literally gained nothing on first and second down in all of those series. Just read the numbers. Hope this isn’t gonna win your game.

The fact that the offense could not move the ball for 3/4 just destroyed the defense and they were gassed and everybody saw it. You can question them not making the stops in overtime, but they played the whole **** game because the offense couldn’t maintain a drive in the first half

James Franklin takes responsibility at every single press conference in these big games and guess what it doesn’t change. His coaching style doesn’t change . He is a good guy? Yep, he’s a great guy good representative for the team and Penn State football. But his record speaks for itself. he knows that everybody else knows it Just such a sad performance after having an off week. We sit and expect that after an off week, we’re gonna see some new plays new wrinkles ..when we see the same tired stuff that doesn’t catch anybody off guard. With Franklin it always comes down to who you gonna replace him with. I don’t have the answer, but it would be nice to win one big game once in a while, and we don’t do that.

I apologize for being honest. I’m sure I’ll get my *** kicked for this post.

Hard to argue with anything you said. But when you get down to the basics of the game, Oregon’s OLine played better than our OLine. This was disappointing. And Oregon’s QB was and is an exceptional athlete/ talent.

 

[SummitLion]

All true, but that qb was the difference IMO. How many times did we get pressure and he scrambled either gaining yardage or finding a receiver down field. I don’t believe we ever did sack him.

That said, our secondary played really well other than defending the quick screen and scramble drill completions.

The constant holding by their OL may have had something to do with that. My question is, of we saw they weren't calling holding, why didn't we try it?

 

[sr108]

The constant holding by their OL may have had something to do with that. My question is, of we saw they weren't calling holding, why didn't we try it?

They did hold DDS on multiple plays.

 

[91Joe95]

Sigh, Big Game Franklin at it again.

 

[WeR0206]

Pretty good points being made in the below discussion…some fair criticism of Allar’s tendency of throwing picks at the end of big games but most of the blame lies with the coaches.

 

[Wesauking Lion]

Franklin is in a tough spot. What would happen if he benched Allar & Singleton at this point? He would look like a traitor to some and it could divide the locker room. I'm pretty sure he had a big stake in getting both players a lot of money to stay.

Franklin put himself in this spot. Just saying. Singleton is not even the second best back. Franklin has a habit of letting good QBs transfer. I’m sorry but Allar is not good.

 

[ryoder1]

It’s brutal to give Michigan any credit but the Oline on that team was excellent, they were able to run the ball (which is critical for any good team), and they used play action really well. We can’t seem to do any of that right now

McCarthy was much more clutch than Allar. They had a WR better than any of ours also.

 

[ryoder1]

I was at the game. Total letdown. A few comments/questions.

- Was the Oregon RB clearly down before he fumbled? Couldn't really tell at the stadium. I'm guessing it was the right call since no reall chatter about it.

-DDS got held at least one time on their first TD drive (OLineman grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around). No call and it was on third down where they completed a big 25 yard or so pass over the middle on a scramble by Moore. Crowd was livid, obvious missed call.

-It looked like Reynolds could have gotten the pass that was picked if there was a little more air but that would have been threading the needle because there was another DB coming over fast. It was a super high risk pass. Bad decision. Typical of Allar in winning time.

 

[Jerry]

Ok…. Honestly, I think we can put the rest The fact that Singleton is nothing but an average back. I posted in another place about him having no vision no ability to break a tackle and falls down at first contact. He absolutely lived up to that in this game. Added to that is his longest run was a 6 yard run. I can’t remember how many carries he had, but they were wasted.

Allar has a big arm, but doesn’t show up for big games. It is evidenced by the last three years of his play. I find it amazing that other teams can start a quarterback and have them move into an offense and be very functional. Penn State needs to have a fourth year starter. Allar is not as good as he’s advertised as evidenced by his numbers and his performance and big games. He’s one of the oldest quarterbacks in the country and ranks in the top five or six with starts and the fact of the matter is he doesn’t get it done. I’m not interested in how well he does against Villanova.

AK is an average offensive coordinator best. The entire country has no idea what he was doing for the first three quarters How is it that Penn State can have an off week to prepare for a big game and come out and just lay an egg every single time. it’s the same thing over and over. Unfortunate for Penn State is you have to actually play 4 quarters and not all of a sudden pull your head out of your *** in the last quarter. I believe I saw a stat that said… Maybe it was Franklin …they were averaging in the first half being third and nine. That tells me that the first two plays got one yard in each of those series . Think about that for a second we literally gained nothing on first and second down in all of those series. Just read the numbers. Hope this isn’t gonna win your game.

The fact that the offense could not move the ball for 3/4 just destroyed the defense and they were gassed and everybody saw it. You can question them not making the stops in overtime, but they played the whole **** game because the offense couldn’t maintain a drive in the first half

James Franklin takes responsibility at every single press conference in these big games and guess what it doesn’t change. His coaching style doesn’t change . He is a good guy? Yep, he’s a great guy good representative for the team and Penn State football. But his record speaks for itself. he knows that everybody else knows it Just such a sad performance after having an off week. We sit and expect that after an off week, we’re gonna see some new plays new wrinkles ..when we see the same tired stuff that doesn’t catch anybody off guard. With Franklin it always comes down to who you gonna replace him with. I don’t have the answer, but it would be nice to win one big game once in a while, and we don’t do that.

I apologize for being honest. I’m sure I’ll get my *** kicked for this post.

I don't think anyone here will be kicking your butt for that post...though we may not all agree with every word. Still, it's a pretty fair analysis.

Some of us said before the game last night that we absolutely could not...repeat NOT...afford one of our patented sleepwalking starts on offense nor could we win the game with another play-not-to-lose game plan. Both happened big-time.

At the half last night multiple commentators asked almost in disbelief where are Penn State's wide receivers. This is not 1986 anymore. At this level of football against this level of competition you cannot win with an exclusively dink-and-doink passing attack to your backs and tight ends. You've got to have a credible downfield threat. You can't wait until you're 14 points down in the 4th quarter to take some shots. Nor can you overcome a poor performance from your QB. We flunked every one of those tests.

I mean, what I saw last night seemed to me a carbon copy of the approach we've taken against Ohio State in recent years. Don't open things up. Don't take chances. Play conservatively. Keep it close. Hope for some breaks. That's not a recipe for winning but rather for losing respectably. You have to step up and take the W. You can't hope a team of Oregon's caliber will give it to you.

As it is, this team needs a personality transplant in a hurry. I have no ill feelings toward Drew and wish him only the best but as things stand now, his career at Penn State is on track to go down as a major disappointment given the hype accompanying his recruitment, his physical tools, and the fact he's been a starter for quite a long time.

Oh well, we've got Northwestern and UCLA on deck, two of the worst teams in the league. The players need to put last night in the rear-view mirror in a hurry if there's any chance of salvaging the high hopes and expectations that we came into this season with.

 

[Indynittany]

I was at the game. Total letdown. A few comments/questions.

- Was the Oregon RB clearly down before he fumbled? Couldn't really tell at the stadium. I'm guessing it was the right call since no reall chatter about it.

-DDS got held at least one time on their first TD drive (OLineman grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around). No call and it was on third down where they completed a big 25 yard or so pass over the middle on a scramble by Moore. Crowd was livid, obvious missed call.

-It looked like Reynolds could have gotten the pass that was picked if there was a little more air but that would have been threading the needle because there was another DB coming over fast. It was a super high risk pass. Bad decision. Typical of Allar in winning time.

I'm sure some will disagree with me, but I didn't think the replay was definitive. I'm not saying it was a bad call, but I also don't think the knee was bearing any weight. He may have grazed the grass, but just barely. Huge play!

You're right about the holding. Thought we were playing Michigan.

Drew had an ally in the sideline. He needed to throw it where nobody other than Reynolds could get it. An incomplete pass wouldn't have been the end of the world at that point in time.

I actually know the kid who made the interception. He played for Purdue for two years. My girlfriend worked for his dad's company and I spent a little time with him at the company Christmas party. Right after he had decided to transfer. Seemed like an okay kid.

I would add that Oregon lucked out a couple of times. The fumble that got overturned, obviously. The pass play that ricocheted off the receiver that Harris couldn't handle. And the botched hand off that the QB recovered.

My final point is that, IMO, the defense blew the game. We took the lead in overtime and proceeded to give up 13 points.

This one hurts, but it just means we have to go to Columbus and win one.

 

[WeR0206]

I'm sure some will disagree with me, but I didn't think the replay was definitive. I'm not saying it was a bad call, but I also don't think the knee was bearing any weight. He may have grazed the grass, but just barely. Huge play!

You're right about the holding. Thought we were playing Michigan.

Drew had an ally in the sideline. He needed to throw it where nobody other than Reynolds could get it. An incomplete pass wouldn't have been the end of the world at that point in time.

I actually know the kid who made the interception. He played for Purdue for two years. My girlfriend worked for his dad's company and I spent a little time with him at the company Christmas party. Right after he had decided to transfer. Seemed like an okay kid.

I would add that Oregon lucked out a couple of times. The fumble that got overturned, obviously. The pass play that ricocheted off the receiver that Harris couldn't handle. And the botched hand off that the QB recovered.

My final point is that, IMO, the defense blew the game. We took the lead in overtime and proceeded to give up 13 points.

This one hurts, but it just means we have to go to Columbus and win one.

At this rate we may not even beat Indiana let alone OSU at the shoe. These guys need to look at OSU’s season last year as an example to keep truckin’, well see how good our very expensive coaches are this season. Will the coaches/players learn from this and use it as fuel or fade away?

 

[marylovesthelions]

The game was lost because our OL got dominated. Period.

They also started three true freshmen who played great. And their NIL rebuilt OL played well but our D was awesome but wore down.

I posted yesterday that payroll checks got the OL should be withheld until they perform. 4 straight games of lower, much lower than expectations

 

[marylovesthelions]

One other thing while I’m on a roll.

Always have thought our Dline was undersized and/or lacked impact lineman. Now this is a really tough area to recruit but the great teams have a stud or two there. I’ll leave it at that

At WR. our portal pickups were good but we didn’t get a game changer and that’s what we need to beat Oregon. It’s a bit confusing bc in Franklins first few years we had really good WRs - Godwin, Hamler to name a few.

The Oline is a bit confusing to me bc we have recruited well there and that was an area that is better for us now but so far this years group hasn’t played well. I think that’s the first thing I’d be discussing in meetings today if I was CJF. Hey coaches - what the heck is going on with our Oline? We returned almost everyone and we’re playing worse than last year. What’s changed?

Nothing confusing about the OL.
THEY SUCK.

 

[GregInPitt]

I was at the game. Total letdown. A few comments/questions.

- Was the Oregon RB clearly down before he fumbled? Couldn't really tell at the stadium. I'm guessing it was the right call since no reall chatter about it.

-DDS got held at least one time on their first TD drive (OLineman grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around). No call and it was on third down where they completed a big 25 yard or so pass over the middle on a scramble by Moore. Crowd was livid, obvious missed call.

-It looked like Reynolds could have gotten the pass that was picked if there was a little more air but that would have been threading the needle because there was another DB coming over fast. It was a super high risk pass. Bad decision. Typical of Allar in winning time.

Regarding the fumble that was over turned, I was under the understanding that a body part has to hit the "ground", not touch a blade of grass. The RB's knee did not hit the ground. A more conservative ruling due to the fact that there really wasn't conclusive evidence should have been that the call on the field stands, or whatever they call it this year.

Regarding the OT pick, it was first down and knowing that a turnover means a loss that pass shouldn't have been thrown in my opinion. When I watched the play live there was another PSU WR that broke into the end zone on that sideline by himself and it looked like if Allar had pump faked it to the TE he could have lobbed it into the end zone for the TD. But it was first down and there was no need to force the ball into a tight windown. Especially when Allar was inaccurate on about every pass except the long one to Ross.

 

[Jerry]

Regarding the fumble that was over turned, I was under the understanding that a body part has to hit the "ground", not touch a blade of grass. The RB's knee did not hit the ground. A more conservative ruling due to the fact that there really wasn't conclusive evidence should have been that the call on the field stands, or whatever they call it this year.

Regarding the OT pick, it was first down and knowing that a turnover means a loss that pass shouldn't have been thrown in my opinion. When I watched the play live there was another PSU WR that broke into the end zone on that sideline by himself and it looked like if Allar had pump faked it to the TE he could have lobbed it into the end zone for the TD. But it was first down and there was no need to force the ball into a tight windown. Especially when Allar was inaccurate on about every pass except the long one to Ross.

Also, the running game was finally working. Why not stay with it. Oregon's D seemed worn down at that point as was ours. The pass was a tough ball to complete in that coverage and Drew missed the throw.

 

[GregInPitt]

On another topic, Franklin should take 1$million of his salary and take a class from the Oregon coach Lanning on how to prepare and coach his team to a win against a top 10 team in a hostile away environment.

But maybe he should consider that a post graduate class and first take the class on how to prepare his team and coach his team to a win against a top 10 team in a home game with the biggest home field crowd advantage is sports.....

 

[LionDeNittany]

Pretty good points being made in the below discussion…some fair criticism of Allar’s tendency of throwing picks at the end of big games but most of the blame lies with the coaches.

Typically when you re down and throwing for the win/to tie, picks happen. Not sure that's a 'tendency'

 

[marylovesthelions]

A lot of people helped lose tis game. OC, OL but only one actually threw the game away as he has done before. Allar is the incarnations of Tony Sacca.

 

[27Pellis]

Look, Penn St just isn’t good enough. That qb from Oregon was incredible. Franklin tried to get him and couldn’t. And recruiting may be Franklins strongest asset. And Oregon had 10 other players (maybe more) just like him at different positions. I love PSU n Coach Franklin but the saying ‘their Jimmy’s were better than our Joe’s’ applies. Perhaps PSU will catch lightening in a bottle at some point but against these top tier programs we’re just not good enough - ie as talented as them. We get really good players and our program is really good but the OSUs and Oregon’s get more (5 stars) and are better. I hate to say it but it’s the truth. And the competitor in each of us will want to say ‘but this’ and ‘if we could just get that’ but the truth is we’re just not elite - very very good in a lot of areas but not elite. And sometimes you have to face reality and just be honest. Having said all that I’ll still support the program. There’s a lot of season left and perhaps we may just catch that lightening. But….,

Agree that Penn State isn’t good enough, but they absolutely DO have players that can beat Oregon.— The offense is inexplicably ineffectual. There is nothing “smooth” about it….no rhythm or flow, either in hurry up or slow down. They are loaded with asymmetry. Even the simplest plays are executed poorly ( most). This needs to be fixed from the top down. This is a coach K problem, to an OL problem, to a QB problem etc. They need to get really “f ing” good at a few things, and expand from there. They are currently mediocre at virtually everything. Simplify the menu, and let your athletes be athletes. They can compete successfully with anyone