In 2022, Penn State Returned From its Detour

The Lions got their groove back this season. But first, they had to find their belief.

PASADENA, Calif. | Penn State returned home from Michigan in October wondering where it's season was headed, particularly on defense. The Lions got bulldozed in Ann Arbor, giving up 418 yards rushing on a day that prompted James Franklin to wonder whether his team had enough size, strength and determination to win a trench duel.

The next day, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz laid bare his expectations. After the entire defense watched the grim film, Diaz said that size, in fact, wasn't the issue. Trust was. Player simply didn't have enough trust in the defenders around them.

"That was the hard talk," Diaz said before the Rose Bowl.

Hard talks like that — Franklin calls them "transparent conversations" — led Penn State to Monday night, when it pieced together a gem to cap a resolute season. The Lions won 11 games for the fourth time in Franklin's nine years, finishing the run with a 35-21 victory over Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl.

The Lions closed the year with five consecutive victories by an average margin of 27.8 points. They led Utah by 21 before the Utes scores a late touchdown in the rain against Penn State's backups.

The game showcased Penn State's outgoing seniors (quarterback Sean Clifford and safety Ji'Ayir Brown were voted MVPs) and its coming talent. Freshman Nicholas Singleton scored on an 87-yard touchdown run, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith staked his claim to No. 1 status with the longest touchdown reception in Rose Bowl history.

Having balanced young and old, veteran and new, Franklin and his staff conducted one of their best seasons at Penn State. That 2016 title run remains Franklin's crowning achievement, as he took a late-sanctions team stacked with unformed talent on a nine-game win streak to the championship.

That year pivoted on a bitter loss at Michigan, after which the program conducted a hard internal look. It happened again this season, notably on defense.

Diaz said his group played slowly at Michigan because "we didn't believe in the guys around us." It was a remarkable admission from a defensive coordinator unsure of his program's direction.

"We had to be very up front and honest with what happened that day in Ann Arbor," Diaz said, "and I think that was actually a very important day in hindsight because it forced us to decide whether we were going to go all in and really believe in each other and what we were doing or not."

Franklin has pointed at his captains and Leadership Council as forming the centerpiece of that turnaround. Defensively, PJ Mustipher and Ji'Ayir Brown backed Diaz's hard choices: continue playing outside the system, either through inexperience or their freelancing tendencies, or focus on internalizing Diaz's system.

"It's not a talent thing," Mustipher said. "It's just us trusting each other. If everybody does their job, and the man to the right and the man to the left have your trust, you'll be where you're supposed to be."

Penn State's staff also blended youth and experience as well as it has under Franklin. Running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider spent the entire preseason pointing to the talents of freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen while toeing a fine line with quarterback Drew Allar.

While those outside the program clamored for the young quarterback, Franklin and Yurcich reiterated their belief that Clifford and his 2,000 career snaps represented the team's best chance to win. And yet, so did the freshman backs.

They threaded a fair needle, getting Allar more reps than nearly any other backup quarterback in the country while allowing him to train at Clifford's side. Both Allar and fellow freshman quarterback Beau Pribula said they valued that approach.

Further, Franklin managed his entire freshman class well, turning several loose (notably the backs and linebacker Abdul Carter) while giving others the room they needed to develop. He did this under the looming threat of NIL, which gives players a free release to believe they're undervalued.

"For whatever reason, a larger number in this class were physically ready to [play], but also from a maturity and a mental approach, really handled things the right way," Franklin said. "Everybody says they want to play as freshmen, but a lot of guys just aren't mature and don't understand what it truly takes. But those guys have done a phenomenal job, and as the year has gone on, their roles have gotten more and more prominent."

Aside from its opener at Purdue, Penn State did not play a one-possession game all season. That's positive and negative. The Lions essentially dominated 10 opponents, were dominated once and let another game (Ohio State) spiral out of control.

But after that game, Penn State won five straight while playing its most consistent football of the season. In some ways, perhaps, the season was almost uneventful because of that. Which was a good sign following the chaos of the past two seasons.

Ultimately, as Mustipher said, Penn State grew from its two losses. "We experienced that failure and we learned and grew from it," he said.

Every coach craves that. For the most part, Penn State achieved it, righting itself back to point where it can contend again. Asked to summarize the season, Brown said this.

"Perseverance," he said. "Keep going even when things don't look right or things aren't going right. Keep going, keep striving, keep digging, and eventually it will all work out."

The detour was difficult, but Franklin got his team's groove back this season. Now comes the hard part, once again: Taking the next step. Penn State didn't get there after the Big Ten title. Franklin's next great coaching season should include a playoff appearance.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.