Using his terrible infomercial level acting, Franklinstein attempted to channel his inner Jim Harbaugh, which led to unflattering comparisons to the guy whose lines he was verbally plagiarizing.
After the smoke blows over, Franklin's name will be in the rumor mill again, the PSU AD will panic, and Franklin with get yet another raise and extension after PSU outbids him for whatever top-tier job may open up next.
"He was close" will be the rallying cry from the PSU base, as usual.
He will continue to recruit OL, and defensive players who produce, but can never dominate in the biggest games, and these guys will be plus NFL players. But his overall issues are in-game. PSU is an ugly team that needs to play ugly to win ugly.
Big OL, running back talent out the wazzoo, great and multiple TEs. Game manager at QB.
Sound familiar? Franklin couldn't take the smoke that Coach Moore did (and still does) for buttoning up the offense, leaning on the running game to eat up TOP, use the offense as a tool for field position, play mistake free, and lean on the D...Michigan did so in a 2023
win vs PSU ironically, Michigan and J.J. only passed for 44 yards, with only one attempt (a PI) in the 2nd half.
That last part drove a HUGE part of our fanbase to greatly criticize the game plan, and many in the media (Urban Meyer for example) stating that Michigan could not "win big" with this strategy. Many stuck with this take all the way up to the Washington game, where J.J. had a mundane 141 yards in a boring win where Michigan wasn't really challenged...oh, and Michigan RAN for 303 yards...Harbaugh, and then OC, and sometimes Game Coach Sherrone Moore (PSU, OSU notably) were killed in the media, and on message boards for their conservative approach, and scolded at the time for "not opening up the offense".
For that very reason, Franklin may be more concerned with something such as public opinion and scrutiny over "winning ugly"- He seems like a thin-skinned guy, who may have had those very secondary things above actually winning, in order to impress the media and recruits.
I laugh at how some Michigan fans are still upset about PSU 2023, enroute to an undefeated natty season because of "passing yards", and "no WRs want to come here", as if WINNING was not the only objective. This ain't fantasy football.
Perhaps this season will "unspoil" some Michigan fans, after realizing that "Ugly" wins over OSU and Alabama can be very satisfying. I was happy with the ugly wins over USC and Minnesota as well, while many were more focused on passing totals.
Allar had not completed one pass to a WR in this game and basically killed his team by "feeding" one of them with an errant pass. One play after Nick Singleton ran for 13 yards.
That team was another that basically should've been every bit as good as Michigan was last season:
- Veteran 3rd year starting QB who was a former elite QB Prospect? Check.
- Killer pressure D, stocked with pros at all three levels? Check.
- Two big-time RBs, one of them a former 5-star recruit? Check.
- One of the best, if not THE best TE in football, with other TEs behind him? Check.
- Gigantic OL (unlike Michigan 2023, PSU actually has had at least one 5-star OT each of the last 6 seasons).
But you will never see a Franklin team just feed Kaytron Allen (1108 yards rushing, 5.0 YPC, 8 TDs) and Nick Singleton (1099 yards, 6.4 TPC, 12 TDs) in order to impose his team's will on the other.
Franklin
must pass, because he feels too uncomfortable to do whatever is necessary to do whatever it takes to win.
I love the fact that Sherrone Moore doesn't have a "football appearances ego" as well- It gives a team great flexibility when it DOES have a great QB to not absolutely have to depend on only that QB to win every big game (USC/Caleb Williams Syndrome).
That's channeling Jim Harbaugh, who doesn't give a crap HOW he wins, and knows that there are no points awarded for stats...
And the media is already out with the PSU excuses. I hope that PSU sticks with Franklin like ND stuck with Kelley- Far too long.
