Penn State has sustained 26 defeats since James Franklin became head coach in 2014, none as indefensible or uninspired than Saturday’s debacle against Maryland.
The Nittany Lions lacked urgency and fire against a team they had beaten four consecutive times by a combined 201-20 score.
After an 0-2 start, they didn’t play like they were hungry or hellbent on making something out of their season in a gruesome 35-19 loss.
It’s difficult to understand why without being in the locker room and meeting rooms or on the practice field. But there is trouble that has been brewing within the team, according to wide receiver Jahan Dotson and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
“We’re not as one right now,” Dotson said. “We’re not a unit. There are a lot of different things going on. There are distractions that we shouldn’t be focused on right now.
“We should be focused on getting in the win column and nothing else. That’s the biggest thing. We have to come together as one.”
Franklin was subdued afterwards. For the third straight game, Penn State got off to a rocky start and fell behind by at least 10 points at halftime. Maryland jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first 19 minutes without much resistance, prompting Franklin to say the Lions “were not competitive early on in the game,” a startling assessment.
“The energy wasn’t there,” Freiermuth said. “That’s on the players and on us as captains. We’ve got to get ourselves ready to play. The coaches can do everything in practice to help us start fast, but it’s on the players. It’s not the coaches. It’s us.”
Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of Franklin and his coaching staff to have their team mentally and physically ready from the outset. When Penn State went 42-11 the last four seasons, he still received criticism from a minority of fans. That number grew on Saturday.
“It’s not anything that Coach Franklin has done,” Freiermuth said. “It’s on us. At the end of the day, the coaches take all the blame and Coach Franklin obviously is going to be that guy where everyone says it’s his fault. It’s not.
“We have to look in the mirror and be critical.”
The Lions played hard at Indiana in a 36-35 overtime loss, although not precise. They also played hard against Ohio State, but the Buckeyes showed off their superior talent in a 38-25 victory.
Saturday had a very different feel. Penn State seemed to lack effort, especially in the first half when the Terrapins built a 28-7 lead and had a 335-144 advantage in total yards.
The Lions couldn’t gain more than 94 rushing yards or average more than 2.6 yards a carry against a defense that had surrendered 587 yards on the ground to Northwestern and Minnesota.
“If we can’t move a man from Point A to Point B, it’s not on our coaches or our running backs,” Freiermuth said. “It’s on us as a unit, the tight end and the offensive line, to take that mentality.”
Quarterback Sean Clifford was under duress most of the game and sacked seven times. He was far from perfect, too, missing open receivers and not seeing others.
“I’ve seen how hard he works, how committed he is and how much he loves the game,” Dotson said. “He’s a baller. I have all my trust in Sean Clifford. I wouldn’t change that for the world.”
The defense played poorly, too, allowing at least 30 points for the fourth straight game, the first time that’s happened at Penn State. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa dissected the secondary for 282 yards and three touchdowns. In the last two games, the Lions have allowed Tagovailoa and Ohio State’s Justin Fields to complete 46-of-60 passes for 600 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception.
That’s been a result of poor pass coverage and a feeble pass rush.
“It was frustrating,” defensive end Jayson Oweh said. “We need to have some intensity and hunger from the start.”
Dotson and Freiermuth believe some of their teammates are not focused. Whether their minds are on COVID-19, their possible NFL futures or something else, they weren’t clear.
“Right now we have a lot of individuals, a lot of guys thinking about things they shouldn’t be thinking about,” Dotson said. “We have to focus on what’s right now. We can’t focus on what’s behind us or what’s in the future. We can’t have guys just straggling. We have to come together and work as a team.”
Where does Penn State go from here? If the Lions play like they did against Maryland, it’s hard to imagine them winning any of their remaining six games. Freiermuth certainly didn’t expect this mess when he decided to play this season.
“Are you doing everything you can to help this team win?” he said. “If not, you’ve got to figure it out. We have to get all the players bought in. That’s what made last year’s team so great, the 2016 team so great.
“We have a lot of the same dudes from last year. We have to do everything Coach asks us to do.”
