We Are… our own worst enemy
Three 11-win seasons. Three New Year’s 6 Bowl Appearances. Three Top 10 Finishes.
Overall, Penn State Football is in the midst of a remarkable run that began back in 2016; a run that was almost entirely unfathomable in the years following one of the largest scandals in the history of collegiate sports. While Penn State did not receive “the death penalty”, it was left decimated and, to many, it seemed as if the program would never be able to recapture its past glory. And so, in the grand scheme of things, what the Nittany Lions have achieved over the past four seasons is certainly worthy of praise. However, this run of success is also marred by missed opportunities, and many Penn State fans can’t help but wonder “what if?”
In 2016, a blocked field goal on a whiteout night in Happy Valley catapulted Penn State both in that season’s rankings and in the seasons to come. The Nittany Lions would go on to run the table in the regular season, leading to a comeback victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship and culminating with an appearance in the Rose Bowl. While it remains difficult to nitpick such a Cinderella-like season, it was an early season loss at the hands of Pitt that ultimately kept Penn State out of the College Football Playoff. The argument could be had that two-loss Penn State belonged in the playoff over the team they stunned on that night at Beaver Stadium, Ohio State, who had just one loss. The Nittany Lions, however, took that decision out of their own hands with the Week 2 loss to Pitt.
In 2017, it was an epic second half collapse in Columbus, followed by a miserable, rain-filled loss to Michigan State that derailed Penn State’s season. On the road, Saquon Barkley returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and sparked an early onslaught from the Nittany Lions, as they would lead 21–3 early in the second quarter. Ohio State would go on to outscore Penn State 36–17 the rest of the way en route to a 39–38 victory. Regardless of how painful this loss was, it was time to turn the page, for a one-point loss on the road against the #6 team in the nation did not signal elimination from playoff consideration. Mother nature and the Michigan State Spartans had other plans though, as on a dreary day in East Lansing, in a game that included a lengthy weather delay, the Nittany Lions were tamed. The 27–24 loss put the nail in the coffin of Penn State’s playoff hopes. While a trip to and ultimate victory in the Fiesta Bowl was a welcome sight for the Nittany Lion faithful, this would be Penn State’s best shot at the College Football Playoff, and it was squandered.
2018 became easily the toughest campaign since Penn State’s revitalization. It started with a similar fate to that of 2017, with an even later blown lead against the Buckeyes (led 26–14 with 8:00 left) and yet another forgettable loss at the hands of Mike Dantoni’s Spartans. Penn State’s playoff hopes were dashed in Week 6. A late season blowout loss to Michigan then left the Nittany Lions out of New Year’s 6 considerations. Closing out Ohio State at home could’ve led this team on a much different mission throughout the season, but they couldn’t do it.
Then came 2019, and with it came a lot of new faces and new questions. Off to a hot 8–0 start, Penn State traveled to Minnesota to take on the upstart Golden Gophers. A win (albeit not an easy one) here and the following week against Indiana could set up an undefeated matchup between the 10–0 Nittany Lions and 10–0 Ohio State. But Penn State came out sluggish and a comeback attempt was thwarted with a late interception. The Nittany Lions would go on to lose to the Buckeyes two weeks later, but this loss was the one that likely kept them out of the College Football Playoff. At 11–1, with a sole loss against the undefeated Buckeyes, in Columbus, it would have been almost unthinkable to leave Penn State out. Once again, the Nittany Lions found themselves in a New Year’s 6 Bowl (Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis), but fans were forced to mutter the same two words they had become all too familiar with; “what if?”
Far from a normal season, 2020 brought about loads of uncertainty but also great promise for Penn State. That was until they traveled to Bloomington to open their season against Indiana. After a first-drive TD, everything fell apart and the game quickly turned into Déjà vu. Sleep walking into this matchup was predictable and in no time, fans were living through the type of nightmare they had experienced several times before; 2016 at Pitt, 2017 at Michigan State, 2018 against Michigan State and 2019 at Minnesota. The Nittany Lions mounted a comeback and nearly escaped that all too familiar feeling, until a crucial mistake became costly, when RB Devyn Ford, rather than kneeling down before the goal-line, tip-toed his way into the end zone. Rather than then being able to run out the clock with a one point lead, Penn State gave the Hoosiers an opportunity to come back and tie the game; and that’s what they did. This blunder and a controversial call in OT (in addition to three turnovers, two missed field goals and one-hundred yards worth of penalties) gave Indiana the victory.
Since that Cinderella story season of 2016, Penn State has had opportunities to reach the pinnacle of college football, but in each season they have coughed up a game against a very beatable, inferior opponent, they have struggled to bounce back following a crushing loss and they haven’t beaten Ohio State (by no means an easy task). Now, to start 2020, they have checked off that first step just one week into the season, and by this time next week, the other two could be taken care of as well.
However, one loss, as brutal as it was, is not a death sentence and everything could still be in play for Penn State (aside from an undefeated season). That is if they can do what they haven’t been able to in recent memory; rebound after a heartbreaking loss and beat Ohio State. The Nittany Lions play host to the #3 Buckeyes of Ohio State this coming Saturday.
Can this trend be thwarted in 2020 or will it be the same old story once again for the Nittany Lions? Regardless, James Franklin & Co. will need to find a way to break the trend soon, or Penn State fans will be asking more than just, “what if?”
- Tyler Benenati; Sports Throne Contributor
