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5-0 Through September
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Penn State enters October 5-0 (3-0 B1G East) and still sitting pretty at #6 in the country as they head into their bye week*. Could it have been scripted any better? Yes and no. But I truly believe you can say that for any team at any time in any season.
*James Franklin clarified that he refers to this as a ābye weekā and not an āoff week.ā The team will be doing plenty of game preparation leading up to their matchup versus UMass. Plus, recruiting will take over as a priority, as will rest and recovery for the team.
Look, teams are not perfect, especially college ones. Weāve partially been brainwashed into this perfectionism in athletics by video games. Crazy video game stats make the average Joe think itās easy to win and do all the things correctly when thatās not practical at all.
Iām not going to sit here and pretend there arenāt some concerns on the Penn State side. The explosive plays are still missing, the running game hasnāt matched last seasonās production, Drew Allar looks very much like an up-and-down first-year starting quarterback, and special teams continue to give us a weekly headache.
On the flip side, Penn State has its longest cumulative winning streak since the 2007-08 seasons (10 games), they have the fourth-longest active winning streak in the nation, theyāve scored 30+ offensive points in twelve consecutive games (their second-longest streak in program history and the longest active FBS streak), and they have a defense that continues to rack up the most elite statistics in the nation.
Saturdayās blowout win ā yes, letās keep the facts straight ā at Northwestern (2-3, 1-2 B1G West) had its share of good and bad and gave fans a bit more angst than last weekās dominance versus Iowa. Practically speaking, itās not that surprising. Last weekās showdown was as big a home game as they will play all season long. Then they had to travel to Northwestern and play in front of 80+ thousand fewer fans while kicking off at 11 a.m. local time.
These are not excuses, but Iām pointing out that a trip to Northwestern is typically a trap game. Itās a mental hurdle to get as motivated to play the Wildcats so early in the day when youāve emotionally sapped yourself the week prior. Plus, Northwestern is no gimme this season. Teams that endure scandals are typically some of the scrappiest. Remember the 2012 Nittany Lions?
In all, there are mistakes to clean up, rest to be had ā especially for JB Nelson and Kaytron Allen ā and momentum to continue. Right now, this team controls its playoff destiny. Matchups with Ohio State and Michigan loom, as does a potentially tricky road game versus the upstart 5-0 (2-0 B1G East) Maryland Terrapins. If the Nittany Lions want to play for a championship, they must continue to take care of what they control, which includes growing from mistakes and successes, and extending their winning streak along the way.