Penn State shows resiliency as it continues winning streak with third victory in a row
James Franklin walked across the field at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey with a smile reaching from ear to ear and an arm around his daughter, occasionally squeezing her in for a side hug as she skipped through the endzone.
Franklin’s daughter and some of his players shared a commonality following the team’s 55-10 win over Rutgers Saturday evening — they couldn’t contain their joy.
After all, they had responded. Yes, they dropped two of three games and lost to both Michigan and Ohio State. Yes, their ultimate goals have been dashed. But there is still joy to be found in winning.
And Saturday night Franklin and his Nittany Lions found joy in its 45-point drubbing of the Scarlet Knights.
Senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown said there’s a positive that comes with taking care of business after going on a skid earlier in the year.
“There’s definitely pride to be found in that,” he said. “The guys stuck with it. ... Those games that we did lose, we recognized our mistakes and we knew that wasn’t us. And it sucks knowing that that wasn’t you and knowing that you can’t get it back. That sucks. But the guys didn’t hang their heads.”
Brown’s pride is not particularly notable, if only because Franklin has said over and over again in the past that he doesn’t want his team to allow one loss to turn into two or two losses to turn into three. That hasn’t always been the case. The last few years that would happen and soon enough the Nittany Lions would be fighting to get their seventh win or would be desperately trying to reach .500.
This team is different. And it’s not just different from past teams. It’s different from itself. It’s not the same group that took the field against Michigan and Ohio State.
“This team is getting better every week,” Brown said. “Every week. And I think it’s because we know who we are. Who we are is we’re one of the greatest teams in this country. We’re finally starting to see the pieces and put the puzzle together.”
That extends to each unit, too. Take the defense, which looks very different since it gave up 41 points to the Wolverines in early October.
This group is flying around and setting the tone for the game. It’s the thermostat, not the thermometer, dictating what happens on the field and ensuring that it’s on the Nittany Lions’ terms rather than their opponents.
Brown himself has seen it grow in that short period of time.
“We’re more dialed in,” he said. “Guys are a lot smarter. ... The defense overall has more confidence in their skill, more confidence in the defensive scheme and they’re just buying into what (defensive coordinator) Manny (Diaz) is saying and they’re executing at a high level.”
That defense carried the way Saturday evening. It turned over the Scarlet Knights three times, with two resulting in defensive touchdowns for Brown and linebacker Kobe King, and a third setting the offense up for a short field and eventually a touchdown. Even the third one was a pick-six for a brief moment before a penalty brought it back.
Johnny Dixon was responsible for that interception. He recalled seeing the flag and knowing it might come back, but was still happy to get the ball back for his offense.
He said that’s part of what makes the unit so great.
“It helps the offense out,” Dixon said. “It makes the games easier to win. The defense scores points, you’ve got a higher chance to win the game.”
The consistency Penn State has found on the back of its defense also comes because of the head coach who walked across the field with his daughter, bearing a smile she shared.
His consistency is what Brown gives credit to for how the team has performed. Whether it’s on the field, what he wears or his philosophical beliefs, Franklin is the model of consistency for the Nittany Lions.
“He’s the same since I got here,” Brown said. “... Consistency is probably one of the hardest traits to obtain. And this guy is like the most consistent person I’ve ever met in my life. He wears the same clothes on practice days. That’s how consistent he is. And you gotta admire that about a guy because that’s one of the hardest things to do in this world.”
Brown is right. Franklin has brought the Nittany Lions a level of consistency many thought it would take well over a decade to achieve after NCAA sanctions set the program back.
Now it must take the next step. It seems to have regained its consistent footing as a top-10 team that can challenge the best programs but may not be able to overcome them. There is still room for more, though, and Brown knows it too. He expressed his sadness over not being able to go out having achieved the team’s highest goals.
The hope for the Nittany Lions is that the next group of players like Brown will not be proud of their consistency.
Instead they’ll be proud of reaching the mountaintop, of achieving the highest peaks in college football — making the College Football Playoff.
