STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The way James Franklin sees it, winning means never having to say you’re sorry.
That was the gist of the Penn State coach’s one-minute, 30-second postgame soliloquy Saturday, when he was asked about only beating Army, 20-14, despite being a four-touchdown favorite (see Instant Replay).
His voice rose. The veins in his neck stood out. It was an impassioned speech, one that drew applause from some recruits who listened from the balcony overlooking the media room. (And certainly it was intended as much for their ears as those of reporters.)
More than once he said that his team accomplished its goal by going 1-0 this week, though there are surely a fair number of PSU fans who would add, “Yes, but …” and who are troubled by the offense’s continuing struggles. Who wonder, really, how many more weeks the Nittany Lions (4-1) can continue to go 1-0, seeing as their last seven games — beginning next Saturday against Indiana — are all against Big Ten opponents.
But that was Franklin’s story, and he was sticking to it.
The question came at the end of his postgame rehash, and he began by saying he doesn’t care about point spreads, and that he loves everything, including the school colors.
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“Do we need to get better?” he asked. “Yes. But you (media) guys can ask me every question in the book and try to get me to be negative. I’m not going to do it. Not going to do it.”
Then he went to his default setting.
“We won today,” he said. “We’re 1-0. We’re 1-0. And we’re going to do everything in our power to be 1-0 next week, and I’m going to come in here and I’m going to be positive. I’m going to be positive. I’m not going to go down that (negative) road with anybody. Love our players. Love our coaches. Love our media. Love everybody. Love ‘em.”
There is at least a chance that he didn’t love the media at that particular moment. And a chance that he wasn’t overjoyed by what he had just witnessed on the field.
Christian Hackenberg threw a touchdown pass and backup tailback Nick Scott ran for another score, but the Lions, winners of four straight, were outgained, 293-264, and outrushed, 261-108. And the outcome was in doubt until Lions middle linebacker Jason Cabinda sacked Army quarterback A.J. Schurr for a 10-yard loss on 4th-and-5 from the Penn State 43 with 1:21 left.
“A win is a win, at the end of the day,” said Cabinda, who had a career-high 14 tackles and two sacks. “Ugly win, it doesn’t matter. Win by one, win by 21, a win’s a win.”
Yes, but …
The Lions struggled to move the ball against a defense that came in allowing 418 yards a game, 90th among the nation’s 127 FBS teams. Against a front that averaged 250 pounds per man, as compared to 313 for PSU’s offensive line.
And against a team that is now 1-4.
The problems were only partially due to the rainy conditions, only partially due to the fact that PSU’s top two tailbacks, Akeel Lynch (knee) and Saquon Barkley (ankle), sat out the game with injuries.
After Scott scored on an 11-yard run five minutes into the game — a TD set up by a fumbled punt — the Lions managed six points on their next six possessions, on a pair of field goals by Joey Julius.
The first came six plays after the second of Army’s three lost fumbles, courtesy of a 21-yard mini-drive. The second was set up by DeAndre Thompkins’ 25-yard punt return early in the third quarter. The march in that case, such as it was, covered 19 yards in five plays, and encapsulated the Lions’ struggles perfectly: Facing a 1st-and-5 at the Knights’ 12 after a penalty, they netted two yards on three plays.
Army had done little but shoot itself in the foot to that point, but the Knights assembled an eight-play, 76-yard drive keyed by Schurr’s only pass of the day, a 32-yard completion to wide receiver Edgar Allan Poe. (Yes, that’s his real name.) When Schurr burrowed in from the 3, it was 13-7.
Hackenberg, 10 for 19 for 156 yards, then whisked his team 91 yards in three plays, all of them passes. The second was a 49-yarder to wide receiver Chris Godwin (4-66 receiving), the last a 33-yard touchdown to tight end Mike Gesicki on the final play of the third period. It was the first career TD for Gesicki, a sophomore from Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey.
It was incumbent upon the Lions’ defense to make a stop at that point, but it didn’t happen. This time Army went 84 yards in seven plays, with Schurr shrugging off the open-field tackle attempt of safety Jordan Lucas to go the final 56. Just like that, it was 20-14, with 11:04 left.
PSU punted, and the Knights took over at their 15 with 6:48 left. They picked up one first down, then another, then a third. The Lions’ defensive front was clearly out of sorts against Army’s flexbone attack, and the unit seemed to miss outside linebacker Brandon Bell (ankle) and safety Marcus Allen (shoulder).
There was a fumbled snap, then a run for five. Defensive tackle Anthony Zettel stopped Army running back Drue Harris for no gain, and on fourth down Schurr dropped back to pass once again. But Cabinda burst into the backfield to drop him, and that was that.
Only it really wasn’t. Questions were raised. Questions that will surely linger.
“When we go out, we want to take the ball and score every time,” guard Brian Gaia said. “It didn’t happen today, and we know what we’re capable of, so whenever you don’t live up to your expectations, it’s always frustrating.”
And what of John Donovan, the oft-criticized offensive coordinator?
There was this, from Hackenberg: “He puts us in the best situations that (he) can and I think he’s always learning, he’s always getting better. It’s a process for this team here.”
And this, from Gaia: “We love Coach Donovan. He’s a genius back there. … He’s a great coach.”
There are surely several paying customers who would dispute that, though no one would disagree with Gaia’s overall assessment of the offense.
“I think we’ve had glimpses,” he said. “We still need to put it all together on offense. We need to be more consistent, but I think we’re getting there.”
Barkley will likely be back soon, and that will make a marked difference. As Franklin said, “The guy has the ability to make guys miss. We had a few times tonight where we had guys one-on-one and weren’t able to do that.”
But the problems go beyond that. And there is ample reason to believe it is about to become a lot more difficult to go 1-0 each week.