How are we going to be competitive?
- Thread starter PSUForever
- Start date
In this economy? Asking local business who are probably also struggling due to soaring prices of everything to give **** away is funny.
Ask Kerry Collins and the 94 offense about the value of explosive plays.
Perennial top 10 teams use the portal to plug holes. Not to build a roster.
Better than 0-4 against unranked.
0-4? Wasn't that UCLA's record with a brand new new head coach and OC that put 42 up on PSU's preseason #2 ranked team last season? Asking for a friend that sells used cars.
I don't want to get the pitchforks and torches out for Campbell. I prefer to give him time, rather than be overly reactive.
That said: there are certain things a person can look at to gauge how future decision-making might go.
Refusing to bench Becht at this point is incomprehensible to me. He's terrible, he implodes under late-game pressure, and I see the same misplaced loyalty here that I saw under Franklin where we're sticking with a QB for reasons other than, "This is what is best for the program."
Hot on the heels of Cincinnati beating Texas Tech (by 2 scores, no less) I started thinking: when is the last time Penn State defeated an opponent they were not expected to beat? And how does that compare to Penn State being upset by lesser opponents?
That said: there are certain things a person can look at to gauge how future decision-making might go.
Refusing to bench Becht at this point is incomprehensible to me. He's terrible, he implodes under late-game pressure, and I see the same misplaced loyalty here that I saw under Franklin where we're sticking with a QB for reasons other than, "This is what is best for the program."
Hot on the heels of Cincinnati beating Texas Tech (by 2 scores, no less) I started thinking: when is the last time Penn State defeated an opponent they were not expected to beat? And how does that compare to Penn State being upset by lesser opponents?
This is a desperate effort to gild a turd.
Franklin said ahead of the season that he had his best-ever team, and his best-ever coaches.
No one held it against him when they lost to Oregon in double-OT (although I don't think there was a ton of surprise). But then he dumped to an 0-4 UCLA team that had no coaching staff, and 2 days to prepare for the game. They gave up 150 rushing yards to the QB and never even tried to adjust to stop him.
They followed up that collapse by dumping to Northwestern.
Remember: best-ever team. Best-ever coaches. An O-line that was loaded with seniors and was the envy of every program in college football... yet they were consistently beaten in the trenches.
Franklin continued to give the lion's share of touches to Nicholas Singleton over Kaytron Allen even though it was obvious to everyone that Allen was the superior RB (he finished as the 6th best rusher in CFB despite starting half a season!). And when Franklin was asked why Allen wasn't playing more, he doubled down on playing Singleton just to spite everyone.
Franklin also refused to play Koby Howard despite Penn State struggling horribly at WR.
None of this is defensible. Coaches need to be able to make changes. They need to adapt. That sometimes means making tough decisions and telling a player, "Hey, you're not getting the job done. I have no choice but to sit you, and give this other guy a chance."
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You misunderstood my post. I don’t buy the argument that it was too risky to fire Franklin because PSU could end up worse. He doesn’t get to hold PSU hostage forever, based on this argument. Your response does not address my argument. It misses my simple point.
Yep, they had a bad game against UCLA, no doubt. So let’s fire all coaches who have a bad game and lose to a team they shouldn’t have.
Should have fired Kraft when he recommended a 750 million dollar renovation when one third of the donations could have put a competitive team on the field. Luxury boxes are great when you have a losing team.
I'd be willing to bet Terry Smith was never excited about the talent stampede from ISU.
104-45 vs 3-4. Asking how many years it will take to win the next 100.
Please forgive an old man for his memories. Alas, I still vividly recall the 60/70/80's. Never thought I would live to see such a mess. Again, forgive an old man living in the past.
Sorry, if you have the talent to be preseason #2 in the nation and lose to an 0-4 team with a head coach and an OC in place less than 2 weeks that is malpractice, not a bad game. Then you follow it up on the sideline with the look of a deer staring at headlights in your next game loss at home and your a$$ is cooked and I don't care who you are.
All your crying won't bring him back. Time to move on or head over to the Va Tech board and talk about your hero's greatness ad nauseum to your heart's content.
"This is the best combined personnel that I think we’ve had at Penn State. And when I talk about personnel, I'm talking about players and staff — from a depth standpoint, from a talent standpoint, and from an experience standpoint."
"There’s a ton of conversations that are happening nationally. We embrace that. We’ve earned that based on what we’ve been able to do and what we’ve got coming back. There’s a lot of people that are excited on a national level talking about us."
"I don't really feel like the expectations have changed... the expectations in the Lasch football building are always high, the expectations in Beaver Stadium are always high, the expectations in this community are always really high... That's a big reason why I came here, that's a big reason why our players chose here."
"I think the biggest thing... is that everything matters, right? We've done a great job of this... fighting tooth and nail to be the best in every meaningful category it takes to capture a national title."
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Campbell's just having some "bad games" with a whole lot less talent than James, the Patron Saint of Used Car Salesmen, had last year.
You never heard the 94 team mention explosive plays ever.
Many of their explosive plays were the result of fundamentals. They did little things well and many short yardage plays turned into big plays.
When kj carter went 80 vs oregon they didn't plan an explosive play.
Franklin on the other hand could not get 3rd and 1 to win a game but he was planning explosive plays. His team did not have many explosive plays eithwr.
Better get used to having a whole lot less talent, that’s kind of the problem.
0-4 for Campbell and preseason top 20 team.
Didn't you call for Franklin to be fired after he lost to ucla?
You don't get bonus points for being a lousy recruiter and talent evaluator.
By the end of week 7, Penn State's 2025 season had been characterized as a "historic collapse" by multiple sports publications as the Nittany Lions became the first FBS program to lose back-to-back matchups as a 20-point favorites.
Fans had no right to be harsh to James after the NW game, how dare they? He said in the presser that it was on him, and he had the program headed in the right direction. LOL
Fans had no right to be harsh to James after the NW game, how dare they? He said in the presser that it was on him, and he had the program headed in the right direction. LOL
He was the last guy in a Weis on the night before a Nor’easter. The shelves were empty .
Campbell has a habit of some bad games. Had 4 in a row last year. Lost to Colorado.
It's interesting that we have suddenly invented excuses for coaches. I've been here for years and can't remember seeing them. How about a veteran coach took the job, and was fully aware of the date. He brought ISU players that he was warned in advance wouldn't do well in the conference? Also, money was never permitted as an excuse for the prior regime. Look at the 2027 and 2028 schedule. We might want to start finding excuses for those seasons as well.
Your shtick is hypocritical.
For several years you railed against anybody who dared criticized CJF in any way, shape or form. No internet poster could possibly be intelligent enough to call out some odd decision-making, play-calling and strategies he deployed.
Yet here you are, voicing yourself as the lead pitchfork and torch bearer against CMC.
Glass houses, my friend.
The hypocritical stuff goes both ways…how about Franklin couldn’t beat any team with a pulse, but the teams we lose to now are good. Or every loss was Franklin’s fault, but now it’s the players fault. See, it goes both ways.
There are 100 FUBARS that took place during the coaching transition (99% of them by PK and his Posse)
But some of the amnesia/dementia excuses folks cook up - that just are absolute crazy nonsene, and amazing.
The bit about MC being unable to get "into the portal" before all the players were gone is maybe the most bizzare.
Campbell was hired - officially - on Dec 5th. The portal opened - IIRC - around the end of December (the 28th or) with a later period in mid-January.... something like that
There were 30 new head coach hires last year, Campbell was the 20th of them.
The first incoming nerw hire was VT w Franklin on November 17th - the last was Whittingham at Michigan on the day after Christmas.
Campbell WAS the next to last P4 spot to be filled (only Whittingham at Michigan was later) and that WAS, absolutely, a major FUBAR for a program that FIRED their guy after week 6 of the season. No doubt - and that lead to a plethora of damaging problems (including seeing the pool of potential new coach hires dwindling).
But being too late to be able to recruit the portal was NOT one of the fallouts.
Nearly all of the P4 hires of consequence - basically every one aside from VT and Franklin - took place the first week of December (Nov 30 through December 5) - so they were all given about 3 weeks until players could enter the portal. All of them (aside from Whittingham). They all had plenty of time - or at least about the same amount of time (3-4 weeks) prior to the portal opening, and all had their chance to pitch to every guy before the portal even opened.
If there is anything in the FUBAR process that is owned by Campbell, it is the choices he made in who to pursue - or not pursue - in the portal.
Whether he had as much cash as some of his competitors? That may be a legit issue. I doubt if anyone has really accurate numbers (and of whatever total spend Campbell had available, one advantage he had was that nearly ALL of it was available for portal guys - since the inherited roster was basically all bargain basement, as opposed to some programs that may have had bigger overall budgets, but also likely had multiple million $+ guys as legacies on their rosters)
What PSU did actually reap from the portal, given that there were almost $0 tied up in existing roster, was really almost a complete crapper. No doubt. Some of the decisions were head-scratching from the get-go (Grunk vs Becht? So many guys who are clearly no-way no-how P4 level talents?) and have aged very poorly.
Campbell can wear that for 2026 (and should) and needs to do a lot better in 2027. Time will tell.
Having the PK (and Posse) albatross tossed off of his back would probably help a lot. That could happen - IMO - anytime from lunchtime today, through this time next year.
For Campbell's sake, I would hope it is lunchtime today - but I fear it will be closer to "this time next year".
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Might be the reason why we are seeing the return of Joe Paterno... Fundraising they need the money and a way to get an influx of cash would be to bring Joe back and honor the Paterno's.
To make playoffs, you need to be able to beat Pitt’s 2nd Team QB on your home field at night.
Franklin also severely underachieved under Sandy.
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