Some might roll their eyes when James Franklin talks about going 1-0 every week and not looking past each opponent.
Some Penn State football players, especially on defense, apparently didn’t heed their coach’s persistent message while preparing to play Bowling Green, a five-touchdown underdog.
As impressive as the Nittany Lions looked at West Virginia in their opener, they looked pathetic in the first half against the physical, experienced Falcons. They lacked concentration and self-discipline.
“I’d say we were kind of relaxed,” defensive end Abdul Carter said. “That’s not our defense and that’s not our standard. We have to come out with aggression. … You gotta come out faster. That was unacceptable.”
Penn State responded with a more inspired effort in the second half, kept Bowling Green scoreless until the final minute and escaped with a 34-27 win.
Was that lackluster first half a sign of trouble down the road? Or do top 10 teams have such lapses periodically? Look around the country Saturday.
Alabama, a 31-point favorite against South Florida, trailed going into the fourth quarter before winning 42-16.
Oklahoma, favored by four touchdowns, edged Houston 16-12.
Oregon needed a last-second field goal to beat 18-point underdog Boise State 37-34.
And Notre Dame, a 29-point favorite, lost 16-14 to Northern Illinois, expected to be a contender in the Mid-American Conference along with Bowling Green.
“Obviously we’ve got some work to do,” Franklin said, “but it’s nice doing that work with a win.”
Some on Saturday might have longed for former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who had a terrific two-year run before becoming head coach at Duke last December.
But remember that the Lions were in a late tie with 31-point underdog Indiana last October before pulling out a 33-24 win. Hoosiers quarterback Brendan Sorsby had a game quite similar to the one that Bowling Green’s Connor Bazelak had Saturday.
In fact, Penn State has had similar struggles when favored by 20 points or more. Since 2019, the Lions are 9-9 against the point spread in those games and 16-2 straight up (losses to Maryland in 2020 and Illinois in the nine-overtime debacle in 2021).
Despite its troubles against Ohio State and Michigan, Penn State has 26 straight wins in games favored by at least a touchdown and a 20-5-1 record against the point spread.
That’s not to say that everything is seashells and balloons for the current Lions.
Penn State’s poor tackling and lack of aggression turned short gains into long ones in the first half for Bowling Green. No play illustrated that better than Jamal Johnson’s 41-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Two leaders on defense called out teammates without mentioning names.
Linebacker Kobe King said “the urgency wasn’t where it was supposed to be” and that “certain guys probably had a certain thought about the team we played today.”
Safety Jaylen Reed, who had a game-high 10 tackles, said, “We can’t take anyone for granted.”
New defensive coordinator Tom Allen, the former Indiana head coach, made some strategic adjustments at the half and the players made some attitude adjustments. The Lions didn’t allow a first down in the third quarter and held the Falcons to 87 total yards in the second half after giving up 288 in the first half.
Penn State has a bye this week before facing 0-2 Kent State, a team that will be at least a 20-point underdog. Was Saturday a hiccup? Did the Lions learn their lesson?
“This is a good sign of who we are as a team, how we’re able to bounce back and how we respond to adversity,” defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said. “This was a challenge. It didn’t necessarily need to be.
“I respect Bowling Green a lot. They came out swinging. I appreciated this moment because it taught us how to come together and go harder than ever.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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