Ryan Day coached like a winner while James Franklin coached like a loser and that was the story in the Ohio State – Penn State game.
James Franklin coached to lose against Ohio State and the lack of aggression from the Penn State head coach should have Nittany Lions fans livid.
The game wasn’t officially over until all four quarters were played, but it was really over when Ohio State marched 91 yards over 13 plays on their first possession after Franklin elected to punt from the Ohio State 42.
It was a scared decision by Franklin to punt on 4th and 4 rather than try to pick up the first down and keep the chance alive for points. You’re not going to beat Ohio State by playing field position. It was an ultra-conservative decision that isn’t the worst one made by a college football coach but it was one that sent the wrong message to his team.
The decision to punt by Franklin is one that’s made if you want to lose closely or lose late. He didn’t want to go for it because he was too afraid of not converting and giving Ohio State great field position. The truth is, with Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, the Buckeyes have great field position no matter where they start their drive. Of course, Ohio State marched 91 yards down the field on 12 runs to set the tone they were the aggressors and were going to dictate the terms of this business arrangement.
If I was a Penn State player and the punt team came out while we were at the plus-42, I would be deflated and disappointed in my coach not having faith in our unit to pick up the necessary four yards to move the chains and get closer to field goal range.
Franklin had a chance for a do-over in the first quarter after Penn State recovered a Justin Fields fumble in the end zone that kept the score at 7-0. Franklin didn’t use this break to be a little aggressive. Instead, Penn State punted again on 4th and 7 from the Ohio State 36 for a net gain of 26 yards after the fair catch at the 10.
Again, you aren’t beating Ohio State, a team that is a three-score favorite, by punting. This is a move you can do when the other team’s offense isn’t one of the best in the nation. Penn State has a great defense and punting to set up that defense is normally a great idea. But it’s not what you face Ohio State.
Franklin is normally a great, if not elite, head coach, but he didn’t have his best game. One of the more puzzling decisions came late in the third quarter when he called a pass play inside their own 10 and didn’t give the right tackle help against Chase Young. Naturally, Young did what he does and stopped the play inches shy of a safety.
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When Day and Ohio State were faced with 4th and short situations at or near midfield with the lead in the fourth quarter, they punted to pin Penn State deep. This was the right call in the right situation by Day. He knew he could play to his defense to keep the lead. It would have been reckless for Day to go for it in these situations because of the lead.
If not for a trio of lost fumbles, including two within a blink in the third quarter that gave Penn State hope to trim the lead to 21-14, this game would have been a blowout. Instead, it went exactly as Franklin envisioned, with Penn State losing relatively closely and late. Rather than giving his team a chance to pull off the upset by being aggressive in the first half.
By the time Franklin got aggressive with 3:14 left in the fourth quarter and trailing 28-17, it was too late. Penn State had a 4th and 12 at the Ohio State 32 and the pass was broken up by Ohio State. Ball game. Had he been aggressive in the first quarter, who knows how different things could have been.
Franklin coached to lose rather than coach to win. It cost them their Big Ten hopes, killed any slight chance of making the playoff and potentially a New Year’s 6 bowl berth. Maybe Penn State fans will be open to Franklin leaving to take the Florida State or USC job now.
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