Official PSU - tOSU '25 game thread

Moogy

All-Conference
Jul 28, 2017
3,193
2,175
113
Franklin was the problem, the team isn’t losing because he is gone. This team quit after the Oregon loss. That fell on Franklin. Glad that bum is gone, wish he would have took the OC and DC with him. Load the wagon on any of these quitters too.
The entire organization looks much worse because he is gone. If he was still the coach after the Northwestern game, PSU could have lost every subsequent game, and not firing him until after the season would have still been better than firing him midseason. It was a panic decision, made in response to the cries of petulant children (i.e. many fans and boosters).

He helped rebuild the program ... he had us almost in the Natty game last year ... he deserved to coach out the year to see what would happen. It would give him a chance to reclaim the locker room and to hold on to some of the recruits from a top-ranked class.

And if it was still the preferred decision to part with him at the end of the year, doing so then would have been much cleaner, and much more beneficial to the program. Any and all failures you could have put clearly on him, and canning him would be, in effect, wiping all that away. "Here's the problem, and we're getting rid of it." The OC and DC would likely be gone the next year, regardless, as the new HC fills out his staff. It would have saved everyone from having extra months to think about where else they want to be, so if current players and prospective players were interested in staying, it'd be a much easier sell.

Doing it this way just allows rot. It allows everyone to question everything and everyone. You no longer have the "lightning rod" to blame ... now we're drilling down on anyone and everyone, and levying criticism, whether they deserve it or not.

It was a bad move, even if Franklin deserved to be fired at the end of the year.
 

Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,063
2,170
113
Agreed. This dumpster fire should be like a **** stain on Franklin's career forever. Defense sucks and we hired his coordinator for 3 million. Not a single impact player on defense.
The offense is a joke. We literally can't throw the ball and it's a disgrace and I guess big game James would have fired another OC. The offense is devoid of talent outside of Allen.
Everything Franklin did this year was bad and we wasted millions and millions of dollars listening to that loser.
This program is in rough, rough shape thanks to James. We have no confidence or credibility when it comes to winning any meaningful games. Again, disgraceful.
Gee I didn’t see Franklin coaching on the sidelines today. What I did see was some of the worst play calling and poor play by players (sorry folks but as a former DB you ar
Franklin was the problem, the team isn’t losing because he is gone. This team quit after the Oregon loss. That fell on Franklin. Glad that bum is gone, wish he would have took the OC and DC with him. Load the wagon on any of these quitters too.
No actually quitting on your team is on the players.
 

Calabrin

All-Conference
Oct 16, 2022
1,548
1,831
113
In all seriousness, do you see one bona fide NFL player on this Penn State team?
No. And this was a point I made earlier in the week: when you have a couple of NFL players on your team, that's enough to prevail over *most* opponents. Hence Franklin's constant 10-2, 9-3 seasons. He always had just enough pieces to brush aside programs like MSU, Indiana (pre-Cignetti), Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and Illinois.

But that was also his only plan. "We'll just out-talent most teams." When he actually had to face someone with equal or better talent, he had no clue what to do. Hence his record against good teams.
 

MtNittany

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,748
3,732
113
I keep harping on this, but look at how LONG IU games go on. It seems like they've slogged through this first half and there's still 7 minutes left.

Why does PSU insist on shortening games when it doesn't seem to benefit them in any way? If they got constant 3 and outs on defense, ok. But they don't. W/out more possessions you lose.
 

PSUForever

Senior
Feb 17, 2007
688
619
93
Bang bang plays like that happen all the time--it doesn't make someone dirty. Using this then almost every defensive player who ever played the game was dirty
What is the definition of targeting? I didn't bother listening to that Perria dude but I think he was saying it was not targeting. I thought even if you lead with the shoulder in the head or neck area it is targeting but now I'm thinking the only way it is called is if you just lead dead on with the helmet and just launch yourself right to the head or neck.
 

PSUForever

Senior
Feb 17, 2007
688
619
93
I’ve said that about a decent number of O-linemen. They struggle at PSU and then suddenly are fairly successful in the NFL. Definitely puts the coaching question on the table.
Yep, just watch, about 3 guys from this OLine will be starting in the NFL in about 3 years. This is another position group we have no clue how to develop.
 

MtNittany

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,748
3,732
113
The entire organization looks much worse because he is gone. If he was still the coach after the Northwestern game, PSU could have lost every subsequent game, and not firing him until after the season would have still been better than firing him midseason. It was a panic decision, made in response to the cries of petulant children (i.e. many fans and boosters).

He helped rebuild the program ... he had us almost in the Natty game last year ... he deserved to coach out the year to see what would happen. It would give him a chance to reclaim the locker room and to hold on to some of the recruits from a top-ranked class.

And if it was still the preferred decision to part with him at the end of the year, doing so then would have been much cleaner, and much more beneficial to the program. Any and all failures you could have put clearly on him, and canning him would be, in effect, wiping all that away. "Here's the problem, and we're getting rid of it." The OC and DC would likely be gone the next year, regardless, as the new HC fills out his staff. It would have saved everyone from having extra months to think about where else they want to be, so if current players and prospective players were interested in staying, it'd be a much easier sell.

Doing it this way just allows rot. It allows everyone to question everything and everyone. You no longer have the "lightning rod" to blame ... now we're drilling down on anyone and everyone, and levying criticism, whether they deserve it or not.

It was a bad move, even if Franklin deserved to be fired at the end of the year.
Yah. ok.
 

Psu00

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
1,463
2,133
113
It’s been a slow rot for over a decade and it’s just infiltrated the whole program. Very poor fundamentals that never get addressed or improve. No accountability. Lack of toughness. The whole team has just adopted these poor habits and attitude.

It’s now just part of the DNA of the program and I’m not sure they even recognize it. It’s the frog in boiling water story.

If you dropped a Nick Saban type into the program as head coach right now his head would likely explode. He’d then crack down so hard on the players and coordinators they wouldn’t know what hit them. It would be such a culture shock.
 
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BiochemPSU

All-Conference
Jun 13, 2016
1,085
1,482
113
cries of petulant children. yawn
Yeah I don’t understand that at all. Plus don’t kid yourself, Franklin wins two games to end the year and the same crowd will cry 8 more years and scream that “people deserve better” than 5-7. It’s also beneficial to see if you do have an in house coach already in waiting (spoiler: we don’t). Nothing was lost by the move mid season or at the end of this one. The program has rot in all parts of the foundation. Time to clean it out and start over.
 

SleepyLion

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2022
2,081
2,837
113
What is the definition of targeting? I didn't bother listening to that Perria dude but I think he was saying it was not targeting. I thought even if you lead with the shoulder in the head or neck area it is targeting but now I'm thinking the only way it is called is if you just lead dead on with the helmet and just launch yourself right to the head or neck.
Persian thought it was targeting. He said something like, this is what the rule was made for.
 

Woodpecker

All-American
May 29, 2001
3,735
8,475
113
Franklin was the problem, the team isn’t losing because he is gone. This team quit after the Oregon loss. That fell on Franklin. Glad that bum is gone, wish he would have took the OC and DC with him. Load the wagon on any of these quitters too.
Who would be left?
 

KingLando

All-Conference
Nov 29, 2021
2,343
1,590
113
What is the definition of targeting? I didn't bother listening to that Perria dude but I think he was saying it was not targeting. I thought even if you lead with the shoulder in the head or neck area it is targeting but now I'm thinking the only way it is called is if you just lead dead on with the helmet and just launch yourself right to the head or neck.
I thought it was targeting and they said earlier they should eliminate the rule because even they don't know how to call it.

But it's football there's going to be plays like that. Doesn't make them dirty.
 

Dbsteel

Redshirt
Jan 15, 2014
8
7
3
In all seriousness, do you see one bona fide NFL player on this Penn State team?
I cant believecwe were fooled into thinking this was going to be a special year. Ohio State has better players at almost every position. The talent for PSU is minimal right now, including the new QB.
 
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CDLionFL

All-Conference
Oct 25, 2021
1,677
2,559
113
Bang bang plays like that happen all the time--it doesn't make someone dirty. Using this then almost every defensive player who ever played the game was dirty
That wasn't bang-bang. Downs could have easily pulled up because he should have been able to tell by the way Dinkins reacted to the throw that it was over his head, uncatchable, and even past him. Downs elected to take some liberties and he got away with it. The refs on the field got it right and the Big Ten office decided that they can't eject a star like him. I'm not quite sure what replay defines as targeting if they're not going to call that. For all the attempts to legislate head shots out of the game, all of these conferences' inconsistency with the call has made a mockery of the intent.
 

fairgambit

All-American
Aug 20, 2010
2,240
6,642
113
@fairgambit doesn't usually post in game threads, but your post may cause him to make an exception.
Well yes. I will make an exception for my dear Lisa (her close friends call her Lisa). Lisa and I were discussing the calamitous events that surround the Penn State football team and she told me, confidentially, that she is being considered for the position of quarterbacks coach, the first female assistant coach ever at Penn State. Stay tuned!

images.jpeg
 

CDLionFL

All-Conference
Oct 25, 2021
1,677
2,559
113
I cant believecwe were fooled into thinking this was going to be a special year. Ohio State has better players at almost every position. The talent for PSU is minimal right now, including the new QB.
In a lot of ways, you (not you specifically but the collective 'you') are the fool for believing whatever media hype was ahead of this season. They certainly had the experience and the tools to have a special season but we've all been around long enough with this regime that it would come down to the leadership on the sidelines. You could see it in the first 3 games against the dregs of 1-A and a 1-AA opponent -- zero consistency, no continuity up front, and zero effectiveness with basic playcalling. I wasn't surprised at the loss to Oregon. The UCLA one was shocking because of the way it happened. After that, none of this has been a surprise at all. What has been a C-/D+ on the sidelines in the big games that they always lose melted down to the games that they almost always win. Now they've become Purdue & Rutgers. So whoever is next is gonna have a a ton of work to do to turn around the mentality around there.
 
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Oct 13, 2025
24
40
13
Interesting first half. The first PSU drive to score was impressive and they did well dominating the D with the outside run game. But outside of that drive, there wasn't much happening on offense. If not for the fumble recovery, it probably would have been 38-7 or worse.

I am a bit surprised by how poorly Knowles D performed in most situations. I truly was expecting more out of his D. There is plenty of talent. The D got burned bad by keeping Smith single-covered and I was shocked they kept doing that until the second half. Even the announcers were perplexed by that decision. Needless to say, Knowles got trolled pretty good at the game today when the PA system kept panning to him sitting in the booth then they would show a shot of Patricia on the sideline. Fans obviously had some fun with that.
 

Arivacalion

Junior
Aug 25, 2025
283
344
63
You do? Even slower afoot than Allar and his throws while running outside the pocket repeatedly were not within 5 yards of the receiver.
I posted earlier that Grunk was a MAC LEVEL player who had nothing but MAC OFFERS, and i was absolutely lambasted in here by the waffle shoppers of the world 😂.
I think it's very obvious now that 2 games in we see that's exactly who he is. That whole Franklin snake oil ******** line about "we got in on him early and he shut it down..". I am so thankful we never have to hear that ******** ever again...the kid is what he is and you saw it again today: Horrible missed throws, no composure, happy feet, plays scared and nervous, and slow decision making
 

KingLando

All-Conference
Nov 29, 2021
2,343
1,590
113
That wasn't bang-bang. Downs could have easily pulled up because he should have been able to tell by the way Dinkins reacted to the throw that it was over his head, uncatchable, and even past him. Downs elected to take some liberties and he got away with it. The refs on the field got it right and the Big Ten office decided that they can't eject a star like him. I'm not quite sure what replay defines as targeting if they're not going to call that. For all the attempts to legislate head shots out of the game, all of these conferences' inconsistency with the call has made a mockery of the intent.
It's honestly ridiculous that anyone is trying to claim he's a dirty player. You clearly don't watch him often.

You and others are mad that targeting was overturned and are unfairly attacking the player instead of the inability of those to enforce the rules.

Headshots will always exist in football. They game is too fast to eliminate them completely. The NFL handles it far better.
 

WaffleShopper

Senior
Sep 20, 2023
267
463
63
Grunk isn't "green". He just stinks.
His QBR of 82 today would put him in the top 15 in the country overall. And that’s against the #1 defense. His line couldn’t block and it was only his 2nd start but I always look to you to help form my opinions so maybe you’re right.
 

ZouaveLion

Freshman
Oct 12, 2021
57
98
18
I posted earlier that Grunk was a MAC LEVEL player who had nothing but MAC OFFERS, and i was absolutely lambasted in here by the waffle shoppers of the world 😂.
I think it's very obvious now that 2 games in we see that's exactly who he is. That whole Franklin snake oil ******** line about "we got in on him early and he shut it down..". I am so thankful we never have to hear that ******** ever again...the kid is what he is and you saw it again today: Horrible missed throws, no composure, happy feet, plays scared and nervous, and slow decision making
I m in no way defending his poor play thus far in his short career but Grunkenmeyer was a consensus 4 star recruit with major offers all over the country. Penn St does not develop QB s....it s jarring when you watch other games on Saturdays and see less heralded QBs play better all the time.