It is typically pretty easy to be a little nitpicky when a team loses a hard-fought game against a high-quality team. This was the case following Penn State’s loss to Oregon two weeks ago. But when a team takes a loss as a massive favorite against one of the worst teams in all of FBS college football, that is the time to definitely admit when you were wrong.
Perhaps it was the overly optimistic side of me that saw Penn State as a team to take seriously going into this season as a strong College Football Playoff contender. I thought Penn State had an excellent chance to make a run back to the Big Ten championship game and battle for one of the top four seeds. Today I feel foolish and mortified that I believed this year could truly be different. Shame on me.
It was a rough weekend for Penn State, and the echo chamber is once again flooding the headlines with questions about where this program is heading under James Franklin, and whether or not he should even be allowed to steer the ship anymore. It may be time for Penn State to have some tough conversations about the future of the program, at least behind closed doors. I see no way Penn State ultimately makes the move to part ways with Franklin, given the amount it would cost. That is an error in judgment and financial strategy that cannot be undone at this point, no matter how many GoFundMe pages will try to prove otherwise. But that is a whole other conversation.
In the wake of the latest catastrophe that was Penn State’s mind-blowing loss to UCLA, I came up with the five myths that were told about this Penn State team going into the season. Only a couple may have time to change things around in time to save some face, but it is safe to say these myths about Penn State football in 2025 have all been busted.
Myth No. 1: This year is going to be different
Coming off a run to the College Football Playoff and being within a few key plays or drives from playing for a national title, Penn State looked to have everything it needed to make a return trip and take the next step in the offseason. The roster returned some key players that played a pivotal role in Penn State’s success, the team added some key additions to the offense from the transfer portal, and the school backed up a Brink’s truck to lure away a key member of Ohio State’s national championship roster.
Everything was in place to make this season the outlier to the Penn State norm over the past decade. Getting Oregon and Indiana at home seemed great as far as the schedule was concerned, and left room for a possible loss on the road at Ohio State. Penn State was supposed to have the fewest questions to answer in the Big Ten this season, and now they have the same familiar questions that have plagued them for years.
Myth No. 2: Drew Allar is a first-round NFL draft pick
It is possible Penn State quarterback Drew Allar could have turned pro this year and been a first-round draft pick. Maybe he should have taken that leap because his draft stock has taken a nosedive this season. Whether that is entirely on Allar or not is up for debate, and maybe his skills will shine better when it comes time for the NFL scouting combine, but his performance on the field this season has been erratic enough to warrant some concern from the scouting community.
He has missed more than enough throws to open the door to skepticism about his ability at the next level, and his decision-making and inability to react to pressure at times have only done more damage to his draft profile. The good news is he can still turn things around and give his draft stock a boost, but he has fallen in the eyes of the draft community. He will most certainly be drafted, but any thought about being among the top quarterbacks chosen may be gone unless something changes in a hurry, and in the biggest games remaining.
Myth No. 3: Penn State’s wide receiver transfers will be the missing ingredient
Let’s go back to those transfer portal additions. Penn State brought in three talented and accomplished wide receivers in an effort to give the passing game a jolt. Following offseason departures of players like Harrison Wallace III (Ole Miss) and Omari Evans (Washington), and tight end Tyler Warren moving on to the NFL, Penn State made a commendable effort to add Trebor Pena (Syracuse), Kyron Hudson (USC), and Devonte Ross (Troy). Those three players figured to give the Penn State offense some more balance, and, to be fair, they have each had some good moments this season. But the passing game is still lagging behind expectations overall as offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnecki and Drew Allar have been inconsistent with pass distribution and playcalling.
Penn State must find ways to get the passing game to be a more consistent threat if things are going to steer the other way this season.
Myth No. 4: Penn State has its best offensive line of the James Franklin era
We have heard this argument before. It seems the last few years has seen Penn State going into the season with arguably the best offensive line of James Franklin’s career. In fairness, the early years were still recovering from recruiting depth hurdles hampered by the NCAA sanction phase, but that issue is a distant memory at this point. Penn State has worked to recruit offensive linemen with some good results, but the results suggest any thought that this offensive line is the best of the Franklin era is not holding up. The running game has put together decent numbers, relatively speaking, but the home run plays on the ground have not been seen yet this season. And Drew Allar has been under a little more pressure than you would expect to see so far for a line as touted as this.
Myth No. 5: Jim Knowles helps put Penn State over the top
There have been no reasons to be concerned about the defense this season, until this past weekend. Facing a UCLA team that promoted Jerry Neuheisel to offensive coordinator in the middle of the week to direct an offense that hadn’t held a lead at any point in the previous four games it played, Penn State’s defense was absolutely shredded from start to finish. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava looked like the kind of player he was hypeed to be when he arrived at Tennessee and he ripped over 90 combined rushing yards on three separate 3rd-and-long plays against the Penn State defense.
Every coach and defense is entitled to a bad day or an off performance. But not against UCLA when trying to rebound from a loss the week before. There is reason to trust Knowles will have better plans for upcoming opponents, but he got completely outcoached and outfoxed by a first-time playcaller who held the role for just about 72 hours. That is extremely concerning.