It wasn’t all that long ago that James Franklin bemoaned the difference between good and great and elite.
For those who don’t know what I’m referencing, a quick refresher:
In a passionate post-game speech following Penn State’s 27-26 loss to Ohio State on Sept. 29, 2018, Franklin vented frustration with a program that was “comfortable with being great” — too comfortable for the coach’s liking — and vowed to help push it to that next and final level, the land of milk and honey where only the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and, yes, Ohio State, could call home.
“It’s the little things that are going to matter,” he said.
The Nittany Lions are 27-16 since that moment, including 1-2 in bowl games, and have as many wins (11) in their last two seasons combined as they had amassed in three of the previous four seasons. After going from average to good to great, Penn State has somehow, but assuredly, slipped back to the “average” rung of the ladder, with “elite” barely in sight.
