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My 2 cents on the Franklin era.

Pros
Definitely revived our program. I don't think many coaches could have won a conference title so quickly.
Solid recruiter. Getting Barkley to flip from Rutgers most likely saved his job.
All positive, all the time.

Cons
Enough with the starts and ends with love. These kids need a little fear in them.
Recruits the star athlete over the star football player. Lots and lots of 4 stars that play like 2 stars.
Offense is built around skill and the big play. Fine and dandy. However, football starts and ends with the line of scrimmage. This has been a problem every single year of his tenure. If Franklin built this team around being physically dominant up front and then added in his skill philosophy, there is no doubt in my mind we would have won 2 - 3 more B1G championships.
Revolving door at offensive coordinator, say what you want, but Clifford having three OC's in three years is not gonna win you championships.
He stays loyal to a defensive coordinator who has not build a consistently strong defense. I thought this year was different after the Wisconsin game. I was wrong. Illinois owned us on the ground. Way too weak up front. Way too many blitzes. Way too many star LBers that are consistently out of position.
Eye popping numbers at the NFL combine do not equate to wins. We need a Strength and Conditioning coach that can develop disruptive defensive linemen and offensive linemen who can move people off the ball. We look like an FCS team out there.
When EFHutton talks, people listen.

How has that not been posted here yet?
 
Yes, but what about the coaching gap?
Today a big gap as well. I like JF, and have been on the side supporting him on most losses but not this one, and not the Indiana debacle from last year. That doesn’t mean I say fire the man.
 
I was surprised to see minimal mention in this thread of the offense’s problems.

Yes, it is clear PJ was a huge part of the defense but that defense still only allowed 10 points regardless of the ugly run defense. That same defense only allowed 23 despite playing on half the field or less for 3/4 of the game at Iowa, a game that the offense put the defense into an impossible situation to win.

The inability of the offense to perform has been a consistent theme under Franklin. With Morehead, the team always started out slow, couldn’t finish off games at critical times, or would turtle (USC, 2017 OSU, MSU). Under Rahne it was the same thing (OSU,MSU 2018). Under Ciarrocca it was the same thing again (2020). Now under Yurcich it’s yet again the same thing.

I’ve always heard that Franklin was an offensive coach - IMO Pry is doing a great job and Franklin seems to keep away from his department. Is the real problem Franklin meddling in the offense? I don’t know but am interested in thoughts.
 
I was surprised to see minimal mention in this thread of the offense’s problems.

Yes, it is clear PJ was a huge part of the defense but that defense still only allowed 10 points regardless of the ugly run defense. That same defense only allowed 23 despite playing on half the field or less for 3/4 of the game at Iowa, a game that the offense put the defense into an impossible situation to win.

The inability of the offense to perform has been a consistent theme under Franklin. With Morehead, the team always started out slow, couldn’t finish off games at critical times, or would turtle (USC, 2017 OSU, MSU). Under Rahne it was the same thing (OSU,MSU 2018). Under Ciarrocca it was the same thing again (2020). Now under Yurcich it’s yet again the same thing.

I’ve always heard that Franklin was an offensive coach - IMO Pry is doing a great job and Franklin seems to keep away from his department. Is the real problem Franklin meddling in the offense? I don’t know but am interested in thoughts.
I think his biggest weakness has been recruiting QB’s. We had Trace, and he was very good, but was he a consistent game changer? Look at the teams that have won in the playoffs, they’ve had big time QB’s who could single handedly win a game. I think Franklin’s offensive philosophy relies on the QB and a good QB will result in a good team, but to be a great team, they need a great QB.
 
OP needs to back off on Pry. Bielema knew he had one chance to win that game and he went all in on it. He knew that we had little game experience depth at DT and forced us to either send in an extra tackle and have nobody rested, or roll the dice with a more standard set. It was clear from some of our early games that we could give up some rushing yards. All the offensive genius b/w CJF and MY had to accomplish is score 13 points in 60 minutes. Well, look who was smarter. In fact, I’m pretty sure BB was f’in with everybody during his presser regarding the OL comments, knowing what his strategy was gonna be.
 
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The D gave up 10 points in regulation. 10 points. Before the game... any game... if you said the opponent will score 10 points... I would say... PSU wins....all the time every time.

The offense could not score more than 10 points. 10 points.

We played a clearly injured QB who did not prepare. Our back up QB is so bad that we went with our injured QB over the 2nd guy. All this after a fing bye week. A 2-5 team with a horrible defense... kept us to 10 points. Roberson is so bad...so bad he could not have scored a TD.....same as SC.

Can we finally pull the plug on the Franklin dog and pony show? He is average on Saturday. PSU gets enough talent to win games... with or without good coaching. Franklin just lost to a team with half the talent that PSU has... GTFO
 
My pros are as follows,

1. Raised the graduation rate which is no small tasks
2. Players play very hard for him and don't quit (2020)
3. Recruits well enough to to get to 9/10 years most years
4. Players do not get in trouble

That is good enough for me. He can stay as long as he wants. I do think he is seriously overpaid because I came to the realization that he isn't good enough to win a national championship in State College because he will never get enough talent on hand to win one the way he wants to win.

this is a good post and I think the last line is prophetic. We aren’t going to win a NC the way Franklin wants to win it.

1. Like others have said - too much fixation on athlete vs football player. Because this has happened for years on both sides of the ball, I think Franklin will not let coordinators recruit their style of kid.
2. Franklin runs a programs that is too warm and fuzzy at times. He wants to be the players’ cool uncle. I don’t think there’s a lot of accountability. Nobody fails, nobody messes up. That starts with Franklin and ends with Franklin. It’s a system where players are coddled it feels like.
3. Franklin has no interest in running a power I or toss sweeps, or anything else other than wide open RPO. Even if he could run over every team on the schedule with a power game, he’d start chucking the ball around and getting too cute. We are a one trick pony.
4. People act like we used to win with all WPIAL guys and franklin’s recruiting is levels we’ve never seen before. Remember that Paterno used to pull guys from South Carolina like Engram and Courtney Brown and Ohio like Enis and Carter. At his peak, Paterno could recruit like Franklin and was a much better game day coach.
 
OP needs to back off on Pry. Bielema knew he had one chance to win that game and he went all in on it. He knew that we had little game experience depth at DT and forced us to either send in an extra tackle and have nobody rested, or roll the dice with a more standard set. It was clear from some of our early games that we could give up some rushing yards. All the offensive genius b/w CJF and MY had to accomplish is score 13 points in 60 minutes. Well, look who was smarter. In fact, I’m pretty sure BB was f’in with everybody during his presser regarding the OL comments, knowing what his strategy was gonna be.

agree - defense forces 3 TO’s and if the offense wasn’t complete ass, it would have been 28-3 or something. We could have let Bielema run goal line all day in the second half as he never would have caught up. Also, he would have been forced to abandon that to some degree with a big enough lead.

Hell everyone whines about the yards, but the D only gave up 10 points in regulation. We have been bend but don’t break for decades and it works with a halfway competent offense.
 
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this is a good post and I think the last line is prophetic. We aren’t going to win a NC the way Franklin wants to win it.

1. Like others have said - too much fixation on athlete vs football player. Because this has happened for years on both sides of the ball, I think Franklin will not let coordinators recruit their style of kid.
2. Franklin runs a programs that is too warm and fuzzy at times. He wants to be the players’ cool uncle. I don’t think there’s a lot of accountability. Nobody fails, nobody messes up. That starts with Franklin and ends with Franklin. It’s a system where players are coddled it feels like.
3. Franklin has no interest in running a power I or toss sweeps, or anything else other than wide open RPO. Even if he could run over every team on the schedule with a power game, he’d start chucking the ball around and getting too cute. We are a one trick pony.
4. People act like we used to win with all WPIAL guys and franklin’s recruiting is levels we’ve never seen before. Remember that Paterno used to pull guys from South Carolina like Engram and Courtney Brown and Ohio like Enis and Carter. At his peak, Paterno could recruit like Franklin and was a much better game day coach.
#2 especially. I sense zero piss & vinegar from players or coaches after a loss...hence why in the JF era, multiple losses tend to follow the first. Guys like BOB, Saban and others despise losing...it eats at them and they let it show that it won't be tolerated. Now, it's a subjective thing of course...but I think u are right. It's too much of a social club...a friends get together attitude with how the program appears to be run. I don't get much sense that losing bothers them...and that is a major problem.
 
The D gave up 10 points in regulation. 10 points. Before the game... any game... if you said the opponent will score 10 points... I would say... PSU wins....all the time every time.

The offense could not score more than 10 points. 10 points.

We played a clearly injured QB who did not prepare. Our back up QB is so bad that we went with our injured QB over the 2nd guy. All this after a fing bye week. A 2-5 team with a horrible defense... kept us to 10 points. Roberson is so bad...so bad he could not have scored a TD.....same as SC.

Can we finally pull the plug on the Franklin dog and pony show? He is average on Saturday. PSU gets enough talent to win games... with or without good coaching. Franklin just lost to a team with half the talent that PSU has... GTFO
They get the talent because of Franklin. PSU ain’t the draw for recruits it used to be, sorry to burst some bubbles, but it isn’t.
 
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#2 especially. I sense zero piss & vinegar from players or coaches after a loss...hence why in the JF era, multiple losses tend to follow the first. Guys like BOB, Saban and others despise losing...it eats at them and they let it show that it won't be tolerated. Now, it's a subjective thing of course...but I think u are right. It's too much of a social club...a friends get together attitude with how the program appears to be run. I don't get much sense that losing bothers them...and that is a major problem.
You are the clubhouse leader for the most asinine comment so far and there is a lot of competition for the crown.
 
I preface my comments by saying I don't know jack $hit about college football compared to the "experts" on this board. Now that's out-of-the-way...

We hired Franklin because he did more with less at Vandy. So we figured he could work miracles given our money and our resources. How's it worked out? Has he put Ohio and Meat in their place? Where is the national championship trophy? How does his performance stack up against peers in terms of salary? Those are the questions which need answering.

Sandy aint gonna do it. As a bureaucrat, she's more interested in kingdom-building. She's content milking that cash cow so long as you accept 8-4 as success. In the meantime, James can entertain the thought of moving onto greener pastures because he has job security. Until that paradigm shifts nothing will change. Ergo, YOU are the problem. Much of your malaise is driven by fear of losing your place in-line with the NLC.

Now the dynamic of college football changed with free agency. Gone are the excuses for having holes in your depth chart. Franklin is going to have a tough time explaining in job interviews why he's woefully thin at QB and defensive line. So I think we can pretty much write-off the chance of him going to USC or LSU. Losing to the worst team on the Big Ten doesn't help his case, either. The moral of the story: we are stuck with him so long as you stakeholders tolerate it.

Thank you.
 
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They get the talent because of Franklin. PSU ain’t the draw for recruits it used to be, sorry to burst some bubbles, but it isn’t.
He gets the talent... but there is another day of the week called Saturday.... cant skip the most important day of the week... and CJF....is a mediocre performer on Saturday....
 
Yeah because of Franklin. Reading comprehension is important, Einstein.
Better to keep your mouth shut and let others think you are a fool than post this nonsense and remove all doubt. Who the hell do you think these recruits are coming to play for, the Easter Bunny.
 
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Better to keep your mouth shut and let others think you are a fool than post this nonsense and remove all doubt. Who the hell do you think these recruits are coming to play for, the Easter Bunny.
Did you start drinking early today? That’s exactly what I’ve been saying. You might want to re read my posts and then take your own advice. We’re arguing the same thing, but you don’t seem to comprehend that and you’re insulting me on top of it.
 
I don’t think it’s as big as you think it is especially on the OLine.
Yes it is. PSU is way better than Illinois. Illinois is 120th in scoring and 57th in defense. They lost to UTSA. Only wins are Nebraska in August, beat Charlotte 24 to 14, and now PSU. Don’t feel like looking them up, but Illinois recruiting classes probably have been 50 or worse for every class still playing. The difference in talent is HUGE.
 
Yes it is. PSU is way better than Illinois. Illinois is 120th in scoring and 57th in defense. They lost to UTSA. Only wins are Nebraska in August, beat Charlotte 24 to 14, and now PSU. Don’t feel like looking them up, but Illinois recruiting classes probably have been 50 or worse for every class still playing. The difference in talent is HUGE.

48, 50, 73, 90

 
Pros
Definitely revived our program. I don't think many coaches could have won a conference title so quickly.
Solid recruiter. Getting Barkley to flip from Rutgers most likely saved his job.
All positive, all the time.

Cons
Enough with the starts and ends with love. These kids need a little fear in them.
Recruits the star athlete over the star football player. Lots and lots of 4 stars that play like 2 stars.
Offense is built around skill and the big play. Fine and dandy. However, football starts and ends with the line of scrimmage. This has been a problem every single year of his tenure. If Franklin built this team around being physically dominant up front and then added in his skill philosophy, there is no doubt in my mind we would have won 2 - 3 more B1G championships.
Revolving door at offensive coordinator, say what you want, but Clifford having three OC's in three years is not gonna win you championships.
He stays loyal to a defensive coordinator who has not build a consistently strong defense. I thought this year was different after the Wisconsin game. I was wrong. Illinois owned us on the ground. Way too weak up front. Way too many blitzes. Way too many star LBers that are consistently out of position.
Eye popping numbers at the NFL combine do not equate to wins. We need a Strength and Conditioning coach that can develop disruptive defensive linemen and offensive linemen who can move people off the ball. We look like an FCS team out there.
Revived our program? We were 8-4 in 2012 under Bill O'Brian. To Franklin's credit he can take a four star and in only one year convert them to a three star.
 
Because it gets you 11 wins more often than not.
How’s that looking this year? Last year? Are you this guys agent? He has underachieved since the effects of sanctions disappeared. And it is getting worse.

It is time.
 
How’s that looking this year? Last year? Are you this guys agent? He has underachieved since the effects of sanctions disappeared. And it is getting worse.

It is time.
This year’s not over, but even if it ends up bad top 5 talent still gets you more 11 win seasons than not. And the next guy likely won’t get us top 5 talent.
 
This year’s not over, but even if it ends up bad top 5 talent still gets you more 11 win seasons than not. And the next guy likely won’t get us top 5 talent.
Well, 11 wins are far from a certainty with Franklin …but helps that extra games are played than in years past. But where are the wins for teams that have equal or better than PSU talent? How about worse? Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Iowa, from the last couple of years alone say hi.
 
Because it gets you 11 wins more often than not.
So you agree that the talent is there but the coaching is lacking, right? And those 11 wins have been a bit elusive lately. Since we receive all those neat "We are better" messages, when does that start happening?
 
The D gave up 10 points in regulation. 10 points. Before the game... any game... if you said the opponent will score 10 points... I would say... PSU wins....all the time every time.

The offense could not score more than 10 points. 10 points.

We played a clearly injured QB who did not prepare. Our back up QB is so bad that we went with our injured QB over the 2nd guy. All this after a fing bye week. A 2-5 team with a horrible defense... kept us to 10 points. Roberson is so bad...so bad he could not have scored a TD.....same as SC.

Can we finally pull the plug on the Franklin dog and pony show? He is average on Saturday. PSU gets enough talent to win games... with or without good coaching. Franklin just lost to a team with half the talent that PSU has... GTFO
^^^^This. The defense only gave up 1 TD, I mean for all the crap people are giving Pry, the defense is responsible for keeping points off the board and they did. This loss is all on the Offense, IMO they should easily be able to put up more than 10 points in 4 quarters vs Illinois. Roberson should have played some, the running strategy was terrible from the get go...it seemed like they were trying to prove a point and run the ball at all costs and it backfired big time.
 
So you agree that the talent is there but the coaching is lacking, right? And those 11 wins have been a bit elusive lately. Since we receive all those neat "We are better" messages, when does that start happening?
Not sure where you got that from my post. 11 wins is about the most any coach, minus a few, can get out of their talent. We aren’t at OSU or Bama talent level, so the coaching is fine.
 
^^^^This. The defense only gave up 1 TD, I mean for all the crap people are giving Pry, the defense is responsible for keeping points off the board and they did. This loss is all on the Offense, IMO they should easily be able to put up more than 10 points in 4 quarters vs Illinois. Roberson should have played some, the running strategy was terrible from the get go...it seemed like they were trying to prove a point and run the ball at all costs and it backfired big time.
Well, if the defense could have stopped them from gaining 7 million yards on the ground, the offense would have had better field position and maybe at least eked out a few more field goals. This was a team loss no matter how you slice it.
 
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Well, if the defense could have stopped them from gaining 7 million yards on the ground, the offense would have had better field position and maybe at least eked out a few more field goals. This was a team loss no matter how you slice it.
Agreed...yes obviously the point total is what people look at. But, Illinois ran and ran and ran their way to victory. I don't believe they completed a 2nd half pass? Pry is a solid, good at best coordinator. He isn't big league by any measure. People referencing the 1 td allowed I get...but it's also the defenses job to flip the field, and get off the damn field on 3rd dn. This was a systemic failure by all parts of the team
 
Agreed...yes obviously the point total is what people look at. But, Illinois ran and ran and ran their way to victory. I don't believe they completed a 2nd half pass? Pry is a solid, good at best coordinator. He isn't big league by any measure. People referencing the 1 td allowed I get...but it's also the defenses job to flip the field, and get off the damn field on 3rd dn. This was a systemic failure by all parts of the team
We have to have the worst starting field position average in the Big 10….we definitely have the last two games. That’s one big problem with the bend but don’t break defensive philosophy.
 
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