For young Penn State team, consistent approach is key ahead of Big Ten opener
Penn State will face Illinois on Saturday afternoon as a heavy favorite. The Nittany Lions have dominated their first two opponents of the season. The Illini, after barely edging Toledo, got smacked around last Friday night at Kansas.
Head coach James Franklin spent the week reminding his players, the media, and fans, that none of that will matter at Memorial Stadium. The next game on the schedule, following a week of earnest preparation, does.
Committed to the certainty of uncertainty, Franklin knows better. A concept particularly applicable to college football and the players and coaches who dictate its outcomes, rather, the week has been spent internally ensuring a deep grasp of how and why success comes to fruition.
In a word: preparation.
“We expect it to be a challenging road environment,” Franklin said. “But we didn’t wait until this week to prepare for that. Whether it’s crowd noise or whatever it may be, we’ve done that all training camp. We’ll major in it this week as well.”
Like it or not, that dedication to preparation isn’t just a luxury byproduct of culture. With this Penn State team, this season, it’s a necessity.
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Through two games, Penn State has taken down West Virginia in front of a packed Beaver Stadium crowd to open the season and painstakingly manhandled Delaware. At only a few select moments have they been tested, though.
Against the Mountaineers, a blown coverage helped lead to a score in the first quarter. Demanding a response, the Nittany Lions’ defense provided it, largely containing its guests until a sizable lead had already been built.
Offensively, after a connection between Drew Allar and KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 72-yard touchdown just three plays in, Penn State maintained advantageous field position and dumped home some garbage time points of its own.
The story against the Blue Hens was more of the same, exponentially. The visitors forced Allar and the passing game to exhibit patience, a valuable experience leading into this weekend. But, the matter-of-factness to Penn State’s ball movement and defensive suffocation won’t be the norm as ensuing opponent quality improves.
At the top of the pyramid, Allar’s performance this weekend serves as an intriguing point of interest. How will the sophomore handle his first career start on the road? Has the Penn State offense developed its cohesion enough through two weeks to perform in the face of real pressure, should it arise?
Pointing out Allar’s first college game reps, right in the middle of a crucial road test at Purdue to open the 2022 season, Franklin expressed confidence in the likelihood of affirmative answers for his young quarterback.
But he did so with the understanding of Allar’s foundational commitment to preparation and the dividends that can produce.
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“He’s doing all the right things in terms of preparation, in terms of watching film, in terms of nutrition, hydration, sleep. He’s getting more and more comfortable and confident in his leadership role on the team,” Franklin said. “All these things are firsts, and it’s hard for me to sit here and tell you what he will be like and what we will be like in these situations until we’ve been through them.
“For us, it’s to do everything we possible can to prepare as a team, and specifically for Drew as well. To get him as prepared as we possibly can for what it will be like to be on the road.”
A learning process reserved for teams and their individual identities every year, wins are earned through preparation and experience.
An outcome that can only be determined within the 60 minutes of the game itself, Saturday serves as the next opportunity for Penn State to demonstrate just how good it can be.
“We’re going to learn more and more about our team every week. There are going to be different ways that we’re going to have to find ways to win,” Franklin said. “Good teams will find different ways to win each week based on the opponent, the schemes, the matchups, the challenges, the weather, whatever.”
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