Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Football coaches, perhaps more than any other sport, are big proponents of structure, routine, consistent messages.
From his earliest days in Happy Valley, Penn State’s James Franklin has stuck to the 1-0 philosophy.
Yes, it’s a cliche. One day at a time, one game at a time, one game at a time – a mantra heard in the sports world almost every day.
Franklin’s players bought into it wholeheartedly, pushing the show to the next level and away from the scandal that threatened to drag the show down.
“I wouldn’t say it’s overly special, but I really believe in being there,” Franklin said after Tuesday night’s Fiesta Bowl. “For a lot of our guys, it helps when things get crazy, they’re pulled in a thousand directions and you can take a deep breath and focus on them, whether it’s 1-0 or our core values. .”
Franklin’s philosophy has evolved over the course of the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff.
No. 6 seed Penn State (13-2) opened with a strong win over SMU in front of a deafening home crowd and advanced through the quarterfinals, over No. 8 Boise State for a 31-14 Fiesta Bowl victory.
It’s 1-0 twice.
The victory in the Fiesta Bowl earned the Nittany Lions a berth in the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against the winner between No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame in a Sugar Bowl that was pushed back to Thursday because of the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Eva.
Another CFP semifinal — in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 — will be decided on Wednesday, when top-ranked Oregon faces No. 6 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and No. 3 Texas plays No. 12 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl. .
“At this point in the season, you’re going to play good people and we’re excited about the opportunity,” Franklin said.
Penn State has become a very good team under Franklin, a long way from the shadow of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal that sent late-revered coach Joe Paterno into prison and left a huge dent in the program. who was a common carrier. for college football.
Franklin built the Nittany Lions steadily through consistent messaging and attention to detail with six straight New Year’s bowls.
Penn State reached the CFP for the first time this year behind a team as complete as any in the country.
The defense has been strong, ranked in the top 10 nationally in many categories. The Nittany Lions gave Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty a hard time in the Fiesta Bowl, holding the Heisman Trophy runner to a career-low 104 yards on 30 carries, just 3.5 yards – a half. of the seasonal average.
“We knew who we were up against. “We knew we had to have tackles every play because every play he can break,” said Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley, who blocked time and he recovered. “We did that the whole game.”
Penn State’s offense has been balanced all season.
The Nittany Lions may not have a back like Jeanty, but the combination of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton proved two is better than one Heisman Trophy winner — at least for one night. They combined for 1,820 yards and 16 touchdowns before the Fiesta Bowl and were important cogs in defeating Boise State.
Allen ran for 135 yards and Singleton had a heartbreaking 58-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Tyler Warren won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end and had a big impact in the Fiesta Bowl, catching two passes.
Then there’s Drew Allar.
Penn State’s quarterback faced criticism throughout the season, but continued to win. He was aggressive all night in the Fiesta Bowl, throwing three touchdowns in very tight windows.
“We played a complete game — offense, defense and special teams, football,” Franklin said. “You did something special tonight.”
They’ve been doing it all season, winning 1-0 games 13 times – and counting.
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