Penn State’s win over Rutgers didn’t change much — but here’s why it still mattered
Not much changed for Penn State on Saturday afternoon. The offense — which lost starting quarterback Drew Allar to an injury early in the third quarter — still struggled for extended stretches. And the defense again carried the day, holding Rutgers to two field goals in the 27-6 win.
The victory itself wasn’t all that different from how things have gone for the Nittany Lions all season — but the mood sure was.
A smiling James Franklin held his daughter’s hand as they walked through the families that scattered the field following the Senior Day triumph, occasionally stopping to dole out hugs. The normally stoic defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, even cracked a smile while his family snapped photos on the field. And Allar laughed with his teammates before singing the school’s alma mater, despite struggling to lift his arm above his shoulder.
Franklin, his coaches and his players deserved the joy. They had just earned the program’s ninth win of the season — uninspiring as it may have been — and continued down the path to making a New Year’s Six bowl.
But, last week, that environment didn’t exist. Franklin was heckled as he exited the field following the team’s loss to Michigan, with fans calling for him to be fired. He heard boos as he walked through the tunnel. Yet here he was, being celebrated by students and fans as he left for the locker room — as if the previous defeat never happened. And on some level maybe it isn’t relevant anymore.
Franklin turned a program exuding sadness and frustration into one that was able to find happiness in a mostly irrelevant game.
That has to matter for someone who is charged with helping grow and develop young people into adults.
Franklin, as always, mentioned his appreciation of the support he received, but added a few extra thoughts this week.
“I wish you guys could have been in the locker room right there,” he said. “Theo Johnson speaking to his teammates was phenomenal. Dvon Ellies; they’re powerful. Their messages were powerful to their teammates, to their younger teammates. So that was really, really cool to see. ... Culturally, I feel really good. I feel really good about the players, about the staff and about the coaches. I feel really good about the culture in the locker room.”
Franklin has been successful at Penn State with four NY6 bowl appearances in nine years, and Saturday provided a feel-good atmosphere for the Nittany Lions’ final home game of the season. But results against the Big Ten’s best are important, too, and all the positive feelings in Happy Valley cannot outrun the 4-16 record Franklin has against Michigan and Ohio State.
For all of the love and appreciation the players felt for their head coach, he has still not met the moment when it matters most on the field.
But, off the field, players took turns during the postgame expressing how much Franklin has meant to them. Whether fans love or hate Franklin, players still love him — and many pointed to Johnson’s message as especially resonating.
“Theo did, I feel like, one of the best speeches,” safety Keaton Ellis said. “Because he was like, ‘Franklin, thank you. None of us would be here without you.’ A lot of people don’t really understand what he has done for a lot of kids.
“He saved a lot of lives. He’s done a lot for us. We’re just so appreciative of him and what he’s done for all of us individually. We all have our different stories, but Coach Franklin is a huge part of that.”
Ellis and Johnson were among the players who laughed, took photos, hugged family members and soaked in as much as they could. And for good reason. These opportunities don’t come around for everyone and they should enjoy them.
But there’s still an ominous cloud hovering over Saturday’s game.
For the program and its on-field trajectory, this win — and the well-deserved joy that came with it — doesn’t change much of anything.
