Game Coverage

Frustration continues vs the big boys

UNIVERSITY PARK ­-- This was an eerily-similar rerun of the Ohio State game.

The Nittany Lions mustered almost nothing offensively against the Buckeyes, and that was exactly the case on an otherwise glorious football Saturday as they lost to Michigan, 24-15, at Beaver Stadium.

So Penn State fell to 8-2 on the season and 0-2 in their two measuring sticks -- Ohio State and Michigan -- as they continue to come up short under James Franklin, who is now 4-16 vs. the Big Ten's marquee programs.

He tried to put on a positive spin, saying the game featured "two of the best defenses in college football -- (and) two of the best teams in college football."

But no one among the 110,856, the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history, was buying it.

This game was worse than the Oct. 21 preview because it was at home, because the Lions had their trial run in Columbus and because Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh wasn't even here after being suspended Friday for violating the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy.

The Lions didn't score a touchdown until the last minute vs. the Buckeyes. They scored one Saturday before a late decorative TD with the game all but decided.

The other common thread was a gallant defensive effort that was wasted, a stone-age passing game that wouldn't be effective in the backyard and curious coaching decisions.

Franklin didn't take long to identify his scapegoat -- offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, whom he fired Sunday.

"We've got to do a better job of calling a game to allow our quarterback to get into rhythm," Franklin said in open criticism of his OC.

It's hard to defend Yurcich's work, but that shouldn't mask Franklin's poor game management.

After all, Yurcich doesn't decide when to punt or panic and try a 2-point conversion in the first half.

Down a TD at Ohio State midway through the fourth quarter, Franklin chose not to punt, and the Lions' inability to convert led to a short field that the Buckeyes used to put the game away.

Nearly the exact situation presented itself vs. the Wolverines.

Trailing 17-9 and facing fourth-and-6 at their own 30 with 4:21 left -- despite two timeouts -- Penn State didn't punt and turned the ball over on downs.

One play later, Michigan's Blake Corum scored from 30 yards out to make it 24-9.

Franklin's explanation for not punting: "At some point, you're going to have to be aggressive. You can't just keep giving the ball back ... You may not get it back."

If that was questionable, and it was, Franklin's choice to go for two points after cutting the UM lead to 14-9 with 29 seconds left in the first half was even more so.

"We felt like points were going to be hard to come by," he said. "We were down by four. We wanted to get back to a field goal game."

Actually, the Lions were down by five, but Franklin's math was even more bizarre with two minutes remaining after they used a couple of penalties and a TD to cut the lead to 24-15.

Instead of kicking the point to stay within a touchdown and a 2-point conversion of tying, he went for two, and the game essentially ended when he didn't get it.

Franklin cited "analytics" and said the staff had talked through the scenarios and "everyone was comfortable it was the right thing to do."

Huh?

The Lions' sideline math added up to Franklin's big-game legacy of his team melting when the lights are shining the brightest.

More alarming was the apparent regression of Drew Allar, who shouldered responsibility for his 10-for-22 performance for just 70 yards.

"I'm not going to put the blame on anybody else," he said. "I feel I didn't play well enough to win ... We weren't able to sustain drives and keep our defense off the field."

The Lions' defense didn't force a turnover, and as the game wore on, Michigan was content to play conservatively and ride Corum behind an overpowering offensive line. The Wolverines rushed 30 times in the second half without attempting a single pass (not including one pass interference penalty).

There were tears in the PSU camp - "I let a lot of people down," tight end Theo Johnson said, needlessly falling on his sword -- and team leaders stressed "sticking together," knowing the Lions' primary goals are gone.

Fans, some of whom stayed around to jeer Franklin as he departed the home tunnel, have lost patience.

"We lost to the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the country, and that's not good enough," he said. "We've got to find ways to win those games."

Through a 10-year search to find those ways against the two teams Penn State aspires to be, it's obvious the Nittany Lions' flashlights need some new batteries.

Maybe -- maybe -- part of it will be solved with a new offensive coordinator. Remember, though, it's the same head coach whose next OC will be his sixth.

Sooner or later, he's going to run out of people to blame.

Neil. Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.