ALTOONA, Pa. -- Can you imagine what would happen if FCS-level Villanova were to beat Penn State in two weeks? Nittany Lion fans would go absolutely berzerk. It would be unbelievably embarrassing and the worst loss in Penn State history.
That could never happen. Right?
Well, such a humiliating, stunning, pathetic, unbelievable thing did happen to Florida State late Saturday night. The Seminoles somehow entered the Twilight Zone and lost at home to Jacksonville State on a Hail Mary in the final seconds.
That's FCS-level Jacksonville State, a 27.5-point underdog, shocking one of the most storied college football programs in the nation.
WOW 😱😱
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 12, 2021
Jacksonville State with a 59-yard HAIL MARY winner against Florida State 😳 pic.twitter.com/H3Bkd4TIVC
Oh yeah, Florida State fans are livid, and there's a lot of this out there from fans and media:
Fire Mike Norvell immediately.
— Brandon Walker (@BWalkerSEC) September 6, 2021
I'm not going to pretend to be an expert about this Florida State football team, its players or coach Mike Norvell. But it's not rocket science: Those Seminoles players were not prepared to play Jacksonville State after a frustrating overtime loss to Notre Dame last week, and they went out and got humiliated.
The shocking FSU outcome epitomizes exactly why James Franklin is so consistent, so adamant, so zany is in his incessant preaching of having a 1-0 mentality.
That mentality is why we don't really see Penn State overlook lesser opponents or show up completely unprepared in those kind of games.
Sure, the Nittany Lions have struggled a bit at times against lesser non-con opponents. Buffalo in 2019 comes to mind, when Penn State trailed 10-7 at the half before exploding to a 45-13 win. The Lions have played a lot of subpar first halves during Franklin's tenure, but that's more because of schemes and philosophies really than overlooking any opponent.
Franklin will never allow his Penn State teams to overlook an opponent. His 1-0 mantra is so engrained into everyone that players, coaches and everyone in the program will never talk about the future in any regard, only the upcoming game.
A lot of people make fun of Franklin for his constant 1-0 preaching.
We've seen a bunch of tweets listing the upcoming opponent 25 times, and even in press conferences, if you ask Franklin something looking ahead, he'll respond with something like "Auburn, Auburn, Auburn, Auburn, Auburn, Auburn."
Let's be honest: It can get annoying. (Hey, at least Franklin isn't calling every game his Super Bowl anymore!)
But let's also be honest in admitting that Franklin's philosophy is exactly the kind of approach a college coach needs to have when dealing with 100 18-to-22 year old males whose minds can wander based on any number of factors.
Keep everyone focused on the singular goal at hand, and that is the upcoming game.
Franklin gave an excellent answer last week when asked if he believes in trap games. Because obviously trap games do exist, but coaches still can do things to ensure their players don't fall victim to them.
"I believe in teams playing inconsistent because they either look forward, look back, get caught up in praise, get caught up in criticism, don’t have the correct amount of respect for the opponent or the process," Franklin said. "So that’s why almost to the point where it’s maybe a little crazy, our routine and our process is really important to me.
"I do believe in trap games if you’re sending mixed messages, if you’re inconsistent in your approach," Franklin added.
Penn State didn't let Ball State become a trap game, and that sort of worry doesn't really exist within the program. Because if you let it happen, you can get humiliated by anyone.
Just ask Florida State.
PSU IN THE POLLS
Penn State moved up one spot and is now No. 10 in the latest Associated Press poll, released Sunday. The Lions also moved up one spot in the coaches poll, to No. 12.
This week's opponent, Auburn, is No. 20 in the coaches poll and No. 22 in the AP poll.
Ohio State dropped from No. 3 to No. 9 in the AP poll after its 35-28 home loss to Oregon.
Iowa made a big move, jumping five spots to No. 10 after beating Iowa State.
REPORT CARD
Here are my grades for each unit:
OFFENSE: B+
The Lions started fast with two TDs and 17 total points through three drives. QB Sean Clifford was efficient throwing the ball (21-29, 230, 1 TD), and the running game gained 240 yards. It's not like the O-line dominated against Ball State, which is a bit of a concern given what's ahead on the schedule, but it did improve and got another game under its belt. Mike Yurcich was terrific calling plays, particularly early when the offense was setting the tone. It was good to see backup QB Ta'Quan Roberson get to throw a TD pass.
DEFENSE: A-
The primary rotation defenders allowed just six points, and Ball State added a touchdown late against reserves. PSU gave up 295 yards (226 passing, 69 rushing), and again, those totals are bit inflated because a lot of backups played a lot of snaps. LB Jesse Luketa's pick 6 was good to see, and Daequan Hardy had the other INT.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B-
Jordan Stout made a 45-yard FG and missed one from 45, and he finished 3-for-4. He had another great day punting, averaging 51.3 yards on three kicks, with a 62-yarder. But he also had a kickoff go out of bounds. Franklin said he'd like to get more out of punt returns.
COACHING: A
The Lions were ready to play from the get-go, which was good to see. Yurcich was excellent early calling plays, and the coaches made sure to establish the running game in the second half. So, Penn State got just about everything it wanted out of the game.