The Penn State Nittany Lions are as soon as once more going through questions after failing to beat a top-tier Huge Ten opponent.
Penn State suffered a 20-13 loss at house to the Buckeyes on Saturday, the most recent in a protracted line of failures in opposition to prime opposition beneath coach James Franklin. Saturday’s loss dropped Franklin to 1-13 in opposition to top-five groups in keeping with the AP ballot, and it was marked by repeated failures within the purple zone. In 4 red-zone journeys, the Nittany Lion offense got here away with two area objectives and two empty drives.
For Penn State, the largest failure was arguably the workforce’s lack of ability to attain a landing from the Ohio State 2-yard line whereas trailing by seven within the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions have been stuffed on three runs, then had a go try damaged up on fourth down. After the sport, Fox Sports activities analyst Brady Quinn went off on Penn State’s offensive play-calling throughout that sequence, calling out Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki for not doing extra to contain star tight finish Tyler Warren.
“That play-calling, to me, was atrocious,” Quinn stated on the Fox postgame present. “Tyler Warren had 88 scrimmage yards within the second half and isn’t focused as soon as in 4 performs? He acquired you down there with a 33-yard rush and also you don’t have one contact for him? I’m beside myself for Penn State followers for that purpose.”
Warren had 4 catches for 47 yards in Saturday’s loss to go together with three carries for 47 yards. Penn State’s resolution to not deploy him in an important goal-line spot is unusual, to say the least.
Franklin’s fame for shedding video games like that is solely getting stronger. It hardly helps that these sorts of in-game issues are not new both, which solely reinforces the unfavourable fame.
