Penn State creates opportunity to learn about itself in win over Central Michigan
It didn’t feel like Penn State won the big play battle, but the Nittany Lions did. It didn’t feel like they won the penalty battle, but they did. And it didn’t feel like they won by three possessions, but they did.
Penn State head coach James Franklin made the point about the first two categories, and anyone watching the game against the Central Michigan Chippewas Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium could have determined the third.
“We had a good week of practice and preparation, but the game left you sitting there,” Franklin said. “Whether it was our focus, whether it was scheme, whether it was big play potential, I’m not sure. When you look again at the stat sheet, you feel good about it, but it did not necessarily always feel that way during the game.”
The Nittany Lions were far from dominant against the Chippewas, but managed to win 33-14 anyway.
No team ever wants to feel like a game is closer than they want it to be, but Franklin consistently preaches going 1-0 every week, and this is the type of matchup where that comes in handy.
“Overall, we’re happy to be 1-0, we’ll enjoy it for the night,” Franklin said. “We need to get better next week, starting on Sunday. This film will be really important to watch and evaluate and critique, but again, I’m pleased and happy to be 1-0 and we’ll go from there.“
The looming feeling that something bad was going to happen to Penn State was palpable throughout the stadium as the game progressed. A 14-0 lead was quickly built on the back of easy passes and open receivers as redshirt senior starting quarterback Sean Clifford marched the offense down the field.
Clifford began the game by completing his first eight passes for 103 yards, but that shifted just as swiftly as it happened. A three-and-out gave Central Michigan the ball back and opened the door. The Chippewas scored twice while Clifford began to struggle. His throws missed low and high, his feet rarely steady as he unleashed his passes.
Groans of concern were discernible in the reactions to missed throws and hits on the quarterback, but Franklin said the stretch of struggles was not on his quarterback alone.
“I think for us on offense, we have to be able to run and pass effectively,” he said. “When we get out of whack and do one too much compared to the other, that is where we are not at our best. We have to continue to mix in the run. Our screen game has been effective for us as well as movement in the pocket. We need to continue doing all those things, but it is not specific to one position or one guy, it is all of it.”
Franklin’s point is applicable across the team. There were too many gaps in their play for a team that was as dominant as it could be seven days ago on the road against an SEC opponent.
The difference in mood on the field after the two wins was stark. Last week, players were doing backflips off the barrier to the stands, they were screaming to the crowd and using the team’s hit hammer to pound away at the SEC logo on the Jordan-Hare Stadium grass.
Saturday was more solemn. It was not sad by any means, but there were more smiles and high-fives than flips. Despite the different tone in celebration, Caedan Wallace said the win did not necessarily feel less worthwhile.
“Games like this, we come out 1-0,” Wallace said. “There’s always stuff to improve on. Feeling like we didn’t do this, we can improve at that, we just have to hit the books again. Get better tomorrow and Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday before we go do it again next week.”
There could be some benefit to a win that shocks the system. Much of the hype that was surrounding the team after its big win over Auburn will likely dissipate after a closer-than-it-should-have-been win over a MAC opponent.
It’s better for a team to learn lessons about itself in a win rather than a loss and there are plenty of lessons to be learned after Penn State’s victory. Franklin has harped on the team not learning about itself until it’s too late, usually in a loss.
This week could serve as more than that, even if Clifford said the tighter outcome isn’t necessarily something the team needed.
“I don’t think it’s ever what you needed,” he said. “We have a standard that we try to uphold every single day. The week of prep that we had was fantastic. It wasn’t that we had a bad Wednesday or a bad Tuesday or we weren’t locked in on a Thursday. This team is very locked in. But at the same time when Saturday comes around we gotta make sure that we’re executing at a high level. I thought that it was just up and down for everybody.”
The hyper-focused version of this team is the one that will need to take the field the rest of the season. Its inconsistencies on Saturday will not be as forgivable against Big Ten opponents as Penn State shifts solely into conference play the rest of the season.
But for now, it was enough. The Nittany Lions earned a victory and the chance to get better and learn lessons after not putting together its best performance.
As Franklin has said in the past, those lessons are much easier to learn after a win than after a soul-crushing defeat.
