What would Joe Do?

Arivacalion

Sophomore
Aug 25, 2025
115
143
43
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or disagree?
 
  • Haha
Reactions: KingLando

MacNit

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
1,808
1,591
113
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or h
He would win more meaningful games in any random November than Franklin would in his entire career.
 

MaconNitt

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2016
1,084
2,007
113
1 Can Vega play center?

2 don't know enough if they can play the position.

3 agree give Grunk a couple series a game in other than mop duty. Wouldn't bench Allar, but make him watch from the sidelines, might get a different perspective.

4 agree

5 push, the time of possession for this game hurt the D

6 disagree, Campbell amoung team leaders in tackles, agree with Deluca getting more snaps. Not a fan of 2 linebackers. Would like to see 3 linebacker formations used.
 

haveyoumethoward

All-Conference
May 27, 2019
861
1,591
93
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or disagree?
agree with one addition:

7. DE's should be DDS and Coleman.
 

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
7,960
10,771
113
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or disagree?
You forget how stubbornly and arrogantly loyal Joe was to upperclassmen and insisting his way was going to work. “We’re only one play here or there away”. We heard that a thousand times from 2000-2004.
 
Last edited:

LMTLION

Senior
Mar 20, 2008
293
481
62
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or disagree?
Dawkins, Allar, and Singleton all regressed year over year.
 

MaconNitt

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2016
1,084
2,007
113
Constantly comparing Franklin to Joe is just insanely stupid. Joe is gone and had his own warts. Many of them. Let it go.
It is as bad as trying to compare players from different eras. Things were different then. Hell, the game has changed drastically. In the last few years with the portal and NIL. No longer are teams able to stockpile talent. Its a free for all. "College" players have it better than the NFL players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FTLPSU

PSUCYCLING

Redshirt
Dec 3, 2009
1
2
3
Idk going for 2 in that situation. 30 seconds left gives Oregon a ton of time to push for a FG to win. I would 100% go for 2 with 15 seconds or less left. Given 30 seconds on the clock, right choice was play for OT.
 
May 11, 2012
341
457
63
And if he did and they didn’t get it, you and many others would be bitching about it. He’s in a no win situation with many.

Full disclosure: I also thought he should have maybe gone for it. They had momentum and the Oregon D was gassed and on their heels.
Well he is the coach everyone outside PSU says...."he can't win"....so I just need to be realistic that may be true.
 

J.E.B

All-Conference
Jul 8, 2001
1,914
2,700
113
And if he did and they didn’t get it, you and many others would be bitching about it. He’s in a no win situation with many.

Full disclosure: I also thought he should have maybe gone for it. They had momentum and the Oregon D was gassed and on their heels.
Probably not because at least he tried something different. The problem is there was no discussion which means he decided. Thats insane.
 

BobPSU92

Heisman
Aug 22, 2001
40,839
29,756
113
And if he did and they didn’t get it, you and many others would be bitching about it. He’s in a no win situation with many.

Full disclosure: I also thought he should have maybe gone for it. They had momentum and the Oregon D was gassed and on their heels.

He’s in a no-win situation and he gets no wins in these situations.

😞
 
Last edited:

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
7,960
10,771
113
Probably not because at least he tried something different. The problem is there was no discussion which means he decided. Thats insane.
When he does try something different the mantra here is, “ F analytics. What is he doing? Kick the extra point! “
Again, he can’t win regardless with many here.
 

KingLando

Senior
Nov 29, 2021
1,247
704
113
You forget how stubbornly and arrogantly loyal Joe was to upperclassmen and insisting his way was going to work. “We’re only one play here or there away”. We heard that a thousand times from 2000-2004.
Correct. Joe wouldn't be benching anyone let alone Allar
 
  • Like
Reactions: bluewhiteapos

KingLando

Senior
Nov 29, 2021
1,247
704
113
Dawkins, Allar, and Singleton all regressed year over year.
Or the scheme is awful and doesn't fit what they do best? Same reason WRs leave and have some success on offenses that actually design route combinations to create separation...
 

Steve JG

Senior
Mar 25, 2024
424
739
93
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or disagree?
he would keep running it up the middle because he decided the other team nose guard played to high and we should have been able to knock him back, but never did
 

Arivacalion

Sophomore
Aug 25, 2025
115
143
43
Correct. Joe wouldn't be benching anyone let alone Allar
Right there you show you know nothing about penn State history.

Mike Cooper benched for John Hufnagel
John sacca benched for Kerry Collins
Dan Biondi benched at halftime of the national championship

I can give a dozen or two more
 
  • Like
Reactions: JohnJumba

Arivacalion

Sophomore
Aug 25, 2025
115
143
43
he would keep running it up the middle because he decided the other team nose guard played to high and we should have been able to knock him back, but never did
Joe would bench Dawkins. Somebody should. He got whipped like a JV player.
 

KingLando

Senior
Nov 29, 2021
1,247
704
113
Right there you show you know nothing about penn State history.

Mike Cooper benched for John Hufnagel
John sacca benched for Kerry Collins
Dan Biondi benched at halftime of the national championship

I can give a dozen or two more
Lol...making an in game move isn't a benching and he's not sitting Allar. No coach in country is sitting Allar when he came back instead of entering the draft. You're rewriting history because you know you don't have a point. Joe hated playing younger players. Hated it.
 

bdgan

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,871
2,890
113
1. Bench Dawkins. He was man handled. Move Vega to center.
2. Move Donkoh back to tackle and start either Shanahan or Cousins at guard
3. Play Grunk as you did with Beau. In fact, bench Allar.
4. Bench Ford. Play Gilliam.
5. NO MORE QUICK SNAP BS. RUN EVERY PLAY DOWN TO THE END OF THE PLAY CLOCK. SAVE YOUR DEFENSE.
6. BENCH CAMPBELL AND PLAY DELUCCIA

agree or disagree?
IMO Joe would have been better prepared especially with the week off.

That said Joe couldn't compete in today's mega million payroll environment. He didn't even like the idea of a professional baseball team on a college campus.
 

Player2BNamedL8r

All-Conference
Jan 3, 2012
829
1,722
93
Joe literally advocated for a playoff...unless you just mean kids being paid. Format seems like setup not NIL/portal
Yeah, not the playoff part. And despite his emphasis on education, I don’t even think he would’ve opposed players getting paid. I just don’t believe he would’ve been an advocate for the portal, especially the way players can bounce around from year to year without penalty (again, my opinion).
 
  • Like
Reactions: KingLando

Mongrel

Redshirt
Oct 31, 2021
9
16
3
Right there you show you know nothing about penn State history.

Mike Cooper benched for John Hufnagel
John sacca benched for Kerry Collins
Dan Biondi benched at halftime of the national championship

I can give a dozen or two more
Mike Cooper was benched for Bob Parsons, who was then benched for John Hufnagel.
 

Corner Room Breakfast

All-Conference
Oct 27, 2021
1,314
1,741
113
Joe was loyal to his seniors, but he also listened to players like Lenny Moore, and recruited speed
post 78 loss to Alabama.

When they played Tennessee in the Citrus those guys were doing two a days down in Florida, these
guys get weekends off.

Joe also would go back to simpler plays , no hurry up offense, most importantly he would tell most
million dollar players to take a hike.

Wealth has become a fungus , some get big bucks , some don't. Why work hard when you're rich.
 

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
7,960
10,771
113
IMO Joe would have been better prepared especially with the week off.

That said Joe couldn't compete in today's mega million payroll environment. He didn't even like the idea of a professional baseball team on a college campus.
Run on first and second down. Conservative pass on third down. Punt. Rinse, wash, repeat. Try to win a 13-10 game. That would have been Joe’s vanilla game plan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bluewhiteapos

SleepyLion

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2022
1,999
2,749
113
Joe was loyal to his seniors, but he also listened to players like Lenny Moore, and recruited speed
post 78 loss to Alabama.

When they played Tennessee in the Citrus those guys were doing two a days down in Florida, these
guys get weekends off.

Joe also would go back to simpler plays , no hurry up offense, most importantly he would tell most
million dollar players to take a hike.

Wealth has become a fungus , some get big bucks , some don't. Why work hard when you're rich.
For some people ot os about the competition, not the money. Michael Jordan is an example. He had hundreds of millions, but would join the "low level" poker game on plane, after winning all the high rollers' money, just because he wanted to win. Those people are also basically unicorns.
 

KingLando

Senior
Nov 29, 2021
1,247
704
113
Yeah, not the playoff part. And despite his emphasis on education, I don’t even think he would’ve opposed players getting paid. I just don’t believe he would’ve been an advocate for the portal, especially the way players can bounce around from year to year without penalty (again, my opinion).
No that's fair...he didn't like scholarship limits so he would have hated the portal. Its a loss of control/power. Saban felt the same IMO...people think it was NIL but I think he hated the portal because it killed their depth
 
  • Like
Reactions: Player2BNamedL8r