Do Penn State Football Fans Believe in '1-0' Now?

James Franklin's favorite phrase might prompt eyerolls, but the Nittany Lions are riding it to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas (91) celebrates after their 31-14 win over the Boise State Broncos in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas (91) celebrates after their 31-14 win over the Boise State Broncos in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GLENDALE, Ariz. | The exact moment Penn State football coach James Franklin started talking about “going 1-0 each week” is long lost to time, but the phrase has become synonymous with his overarching approach. Let the main thing be the main thing. Don’t look too far ahead, don’t get distracted. Routine, routine, routine.

The phrase has always been quick to generate eye-rolls because it’s coachspeak at the highest level. Everyone knows that teams aren’t just looking at the next game or aren’t aware of how the schedule is laid out. At the same time, it has been uttered in and outside the Lasch Building so many times that it’s hard to ignore how much it has become part of the program’s ethos.

So maybe it’s not about ignoring the big picture, but simply abiding by something else.

“I just think being present is such an important quality for all of us, right?” Franklin said Tuesday night after the Nittany Lions’ 31-14 win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. “That's what 1-0 is all about, right? Whether it's the game, whether it is the exam or the class, and even for myself, sitting with my wife and kids and my phone is going off, pushing the phone away and being present. I know I got to be better about that. It's just an important trait and quality that I think you have to have. I think it could be a differentiator in today's society and specifically in college football.

“The fans all look at our schedule and they want to talk about certain games. We understand the importance of certain games, I get it. But it's also a big part of consistency in college football. There's teams that get a big win against a certain opponent, and then they lose to somebody the next week they shouldn't do. For the most part, we haven't done that. I think our guys have embraced it. We have reinforced it over and over and over again. As you know, I'm a big believer in routine, and I'm a big believer in consistency and consistency in message.”

Routine is very much a word to pair with any analysis of Franklin’s program management. He is intensely routine oriented, living by a fierce loyalty to keeping everything the same as long as it works. Mid-day walks are mandatory. Sunday practices are mandatory. This happens this way, that happens that way.

"Here’s what he does: It’s our consistency,” Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen said. “And that’s the reason why some teams didn’t make the playoffs, because they had a week where they blew it. And so to his credit, he does a phenomenal job of having a consistent mindset, a consistent message, and the kids have bought into that.” 

There’s something to be said for players buying into the singular focus of now. It’s one thing to sell something, it’s another thing to buy it. Because it can be hard, as the confetti rains down on the field, to remember that the playoffs aren’t over. In a lot of respects, the Fiesta Bowl’s postgame celebration was about winning something of note. But if you paused long enough to really think about it, you’re reminded that, in a sense, Penn State hasn’t really done anything yet.

But back to going 1-0. Thirteen times.

“I think in general, we always set goals — individually and as a team. And when you set goals, you have dreams at the end of the season, but it's a work in progress and a process to get to those goals,” quarterback Drew Allar said sitting in front of his locker. And you can't accomplish those goals without going 1-0. I think it just really fits us really well, and especially in the day and age, we're in with college football, with so many distractions on the outside, it's just great to keep the focus on whoever we're playing that week.”

Familiarity is an interesting dynamic here as well. While it might come across as a slightly neurotic chase of routine, doing the same thing over and over again eliminates the guesswork, the stress and the unknown. Did you go 1-0 last week? Do everything you just did, again.

As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“It really helps limit the stress when you can really believe in a 1-0 mentality,” running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider said. “You think about all the things that get you to 1-0. Your Sunday, you get to do the same Sunday over again. Your Monday, you get the same Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

“Being this consistent, I never saw it this way until I was with coach Franklin. There are teams that say it's a 1-0 mentality, but okay, you may alter something like, we’re not gonna practice on Sunday. So our kids understand, our process is a process of the process. When we say 1-0, it's all about whatever it takes to be 1-0 at the end of the week and give yourself a chance throughout the week to be successful … and then adapt that to the climate that we’ve never been in until this moment. So you see it all working right there in front of you.”

The results tend to speak for themselves. Of any given shortcoming Penn State might have, it is not a program that loses when it shouldn’t. The Nittany Lions are 13-2 and not all that far from being even better than that. These sorts of things don’t happen by mistake, and until something changes, there’s no real reason to think the overarching consistency that has been present for the last half decade or more, will be going anywhere soon.

So yes, maybe it makes you roll your eyes, but James Franklin’s favorite saying has his team two wins — or two 1-0s — away from a national title.

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What we learned about the Nittany Lions after the Fiesta Bowl

What they said after Penn State's win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl

Ben Jones has been covering Penn State athletics for 13 years, having been to countless home and road games for Nittany Lion sporting events spanning from the Rose Bowl to the NCAA Tournament. He's also the author of the book Happy Valley Hockey. You can read his work at https://benjonesonpennstate.substack.com and follow him on X (Twitter) at Ben_Jones88


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Ben Jones
BEN JONES

Ben Jones has been covering Penn State athletics for 13 years, having been to countless home and road games for Nittany Lion sporting events spanning from the Rose Bowl to the NCAA Tournament. He's also the author of the book Happy Valley Hockey. You can read his work at https://benjonesonpennstate.substack.com and follow him on X (Twitter) at Ben_Jones88