Dec 21, 2024
Penn State head coach James Franklin watches from the sideline during the first half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Oregon, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions embark on the CFP:
One of the sidebars of Saturday’s game will be the atmosphere.
Contributing factors include pricing — for tickets, parking and certainly hotels — the colder weather, the Christmas/holiday season, fewer students, potential more (costly) travel to warmer climates and, in SMU, the absence of a name-brand opponent.
We’ll see how many empty seats it adds up to, but there almost certainly will be fewer than 100,000 present — regardless of the listed attendance figure.
By agreement, Penn State will control the music and sound effects. SMU does receive a pre-game video, and its band will play at halftime. Traditional scoreboard advertising will not run.
James Franklin acknowledged it will be different.
“It will not feel like it normally feels to us playing a home game in Beaver Stadium,” he said. “But overall, in general, obviously we’re glad and fortunate to be home. So we’ll take it. This is the structure that exists, and we’re going to embrace it.”
Sentiment surrounding the CFP has been positive about home-field sites in the first round, but this is also the latest Penn State has ever hosted a home game. (Illinois closed the season at PSU on Dec. 19, 2020 — the Covid season).
It should be fun for those who brave the weather on what is one of the great football TV days of the year (three CFP games and two NFL games, including the Steelers at Ravens.)
But don’t be surprised if you have some extra leg room.
n Defensive coordinator Tom Allen is coming off the unit’s worst game as the Lions were torched for 45 points in the Big Ten title game against Oregon two weeks ago.
Though SMU doesn’t have the Ducks’ superior passing game, keep an eye on the Lions’ secondary.
“Many valuable lessons (were) learned” against the Ducks, Allen said. “You’re always looking to adapt and grow. Obviously, we didn’t play to our standard. We know we have a big challenge with our secondary.”
Allen said the focus has been “a lot of meeting time and putting our guys in the best position to be successful. Anytime you have a team that does things to do you that causes you to struggle … we collectively have learned, and we’re going to utilize those things going forward.”
n Abdul Carter is considered a Top-10 pick when he (inevitably) declares for the NFL after this season, but Oregon ran right at him with success. Let’s see how SMU manages him Saturday.
n Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki met the media for the first time since the season began and addressed two situations that contributed to the Lions’ two losses — at the goal line against Ohio State and the late interception that sealed Oregon’s victory.
Kotelnicki said there was concern about “how many times can you go to the well,” in not running Tyler Warren in the OSU red zone and said he felt the Lions “needed to get a chunk play” on their last drive vs. the Ducks.
At their own 46, there were two minutes left, and the Lions had two timeouts plus the two-minute warning when its deep pass was picked off.
n Penn State has already landed a coveted receiver from the transfer portal when USC’s Kyron Hudson committed this week. Hudson caught 38 passes for 462 yards and three touchdowns this year after a 2023 season of 32 catches for 341 and five TDs.
Hudson caught four passes for 36 yards and a TD in a 33-30 loss to PSU this season.
The Lions are still pursuing receivers in the portal so they could lose a couple as well.
n Drew Allar is listed among the top Heisman candidates in 2025.
n According to 247 tracker Matt Zenitz, Beau Pribula has already visited Missouri and is expected to visit Iowa, UCF and Indiana. From this view, that ceiling may be too high for the run-first Pribula.
n Wonder if James Franklin regrets not getting true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, now the backup, the half-dozen series that were available against Kent, Purdue and Maryland. Grunk could have gotten his feet wet and not burned his redshirt year. Instead, Pribula was throwing late TDs so Franklin could roll the score up.
n Ohio State watch: If the Buckeyes lose to Tennessee tonight, Ryan Day’s job status will become a lead story. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky speculated that he thinks Mike Vrabel will be the frontrunner to succeed Day while Urban Meyer — even with a loss to the Vols — does not think a change will be made.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.
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