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When Franklin ran the ball on third down in the game and was unable to get a first down, the crowd jeered. This loss dropped Franklin’s record as Penn State’s coach to 1-12 against opponents ranked in the top five by the Associated Press. Following their 20-12 loss to Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have now lost two of their three games this season against teams ranked in the top five. Franklin is now 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, respectively.
“We’ve suffered defeats against the nation’s top two and third teams. Franklin, whose Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the CFP, said, “That’s not good enough; we got to find ways to win those games.” “But let’s face it, be open and truthful, take it on head-on, and then move on to the next opponent so we can figure out a way to win next week.” And we’ll conclude this in a constructive manner.”
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Penn State 87dESPN staff: Michigan defeats Penn State despite Jim Harbaugh’s absence
Michigan against. Everyone, possibly with the exception of Georgia, who demonstrated in Week 11 87d that it is the best team in CFB.David Hale
The offense in this game found it difficult to score points and accumulate enough yardage to maintain drives all through the game. Drew Allar, the quarterback, only passed for 70 yards on 45% of his passes.
Although Franklin accepted that Michigan’s defense was among the best in the nation, he also admitted that he and his staff contributed to the offense’s difficulties.
“We need to call games more effectively so that quarterbacks can settle into a rhythm. It’s crucial, Franklin stated. “Everyone’s job is to find simple completions so that a quarterback can establish rhythm. We had to perform that task well, and on top of that, there were excessive pressures even though there were no sacks. Additionally, we failed to create separation far too frequently.”
Allar disagreed with his coach about finding a rhythm and instead placed some of the blame for the defeat on himself. With his team trailing 14–9 in the third quarter, his turnover proved to be a crucial play as Michigan converted a field goal and the Wolverines gained momentum in their victory.
In addition, he felt his performance wasn’t good enough to win this game and faulted himself for missing a throw to Penn State receiver Kaden Saunders in the fourth quarter that would have prolonged a drive.
Allar responded, “Just execute,” when asked what the team should do to win the game. “I believe there were a few instances where, as players, we made the correct playcall but failed to carry it out. Therefore, I believe that we simply need to perform better all around, going out and carrying out the coaches’ instructions.”
Although the offense found it difficult to execute, Michigan’s defense has been a challenge for offenses all season, and this game was no exception. Penn State averaged 5.6 yards per third down, converted three of its fourteen third downs, and scored on three of its ten possessions.
When Allar failed to reach the first-down marker while running the ball on a third-and-5 in the second quarter, the crowd jeered. After a touchdown in the second quarter, Franklin attempted a 2-point conversion, which was unsuccessful and left Michigan up 14-9. This decision incited outrage once more.
In the fourth quarter, the squad attempted a 2-point conversion once again but was unsuccessful, trailing the Nittany Lions by nine points. However, Franklin defended those playcalls as the appropriate ones at that particular time and stated they were in line with the analytics.
“At some point you’re gonna have to be aggressive and you’re going to have to make one of those calls like we did in the first half,” Franklin stated. We can’t just keep handing the ball back to Michigan at some point. If our defense doesn’t pick it up, it puts us in a difficult situation. To have the best chance of winning the game, though, we’ll need to convert on one of those third or fourth downs to stay on the field.”
Penn State’s chances of winning a Big Ten championship were probably dashed by the defeat, which dropped the squad to 8-2 on the year. Though the team’s hopes of winning the conference and earning a postseason bid have been dashed, Allar stated the squad must keep pushing forward and remain focused on winning the game in front of them. The team still has games against Rutgers and Michigan State on its schedule.
“In college football, a lot can happen. Thus, we must remain united,” Allar remarked. “Remain united, be extremely critical of yourself and me, learn from it tomorrow, and then just move on.” We simply need to play our guts out this week in practice and get back on track at this moment.”
