“Big Game James” Blows Another One
Former New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora is known for many epic coaching rants after bitter disappointments.
Whether it was coaching for New Orleans with the “Diddly Poo” rant after a 1996 game against Carolina Panthers, or everyone’s favorite “Playoffs?” rant after losing to the San Francisco 49ers as Indianapolis head coach in 2001, Mora always seemed to have a good colorful rant after a disappointing loss.
One of Mora’s lesser-known rants came after a frustrating loss to the San Francisco 49ers in 1987. Mora let loose the infamous "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" tirade that set a tone for the 1987 Saints.
For the fans of Nittany Nation, it was some more soul searching, and asking “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” themselves.
Coulda: Penn State quarterback Drew Allar would have played better if he had better protection from an offensive line that many considered to be a strength for the Nittany Lions.
Allar had no time to really set his feet, scan, and have time to deliver an accurate pass. The freshman quarterback took it hard postgame. When Allar was asked to assess his performance, he used one word, “Sucked.”
I don’t blame Allar. I won't be as tough on Allar as he was on himself. I feel everyone on offense, including the staff and outside of the running backs and tight ends, failed Allar. Honestly, if Allar felt he “sucked” yesterday, all those who failed him sucked even worse than he did.
Woulda: the Penn State coaching staff, in particular offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, have more confidence in its passing game if the wide receivers not named KeAndre Lambert-Smith could get any sort of separation and make a play?
Shoulda: the Penn State defense, who demonstrated against an elite Ohio State offense, that they deserved a better fate than the pathetic offensive showing where at one point the Nittany Lions were 0-15 on third downs (finished 1 for 16 on third downs).
After their miracle win in 2016, every year has been "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" for Penn State when it comes to Ohio State - whether it was Donovan Smith being a turnstile for Ohio State EDGE rusher Joey Bosa in 2014, the collapses in 2017 and 2018, seemingly not prepared in the 2019 showdown, or the J.T. Tuimoloau explosion in the fourth quarter last season.
Postgame, Penn State head coach James Franklin displayed plenty of apathy when he responded to the question about it being fair people judge him on his pathetic 1-9 record against Ohio State, “I totally get it. I totally get it. That's a good football team. What I'll talk about is today."
"We lost to a really good football team, on the road. We had our chances, we battled, we weren't able to capitalize. Big-picture things, I'll be happy to talk about that at some point. But right now, I want to talk about we lost to a really good football team on the road. (We) didn't make enough plays when we needed to make plays."
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"And I think it's a fair question, I get the question, but right now, I'm worried about this game.”
The problem is Franklin doesn’t get it when he says, “I totally get it,” he doesn’t get it or refuses to acknowledge his own inadequacies as a coach.
Part of the reason I listed Franklin in my list of better recruiters than coaches is that there hasn’t been a progression in these high-profile games, the ones that Franklin is ultimately judged on, that I can say, he gets it.
Franklin and his offensive staff completely failed his defensive staff and fans. I am beginning to question whether his staff has the ability to properly develop Drew Allar and wide receivers.
Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day meets Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin after the Buckeyes won 20-12 at Ohio Stadium.
© Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Yahoo Sports Dan Wetzel asked a fair question: if we have seen the ceiling of Penn State with James Franklin, I feel Penn State has hit the glass ceiling, and it isn’t going to get any better with programs like Southern Cal, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington joining the league next season. Franklin hasn’t earned the trust and faith to believe he is good enough to take Penn State to that elite level.
While Franklin has taken Penn State to heights with New Year’s Six bowls that haven’t been seen since Joe Paterno’s early 1980s teams, it goes to show how second-rate the program is. PSU likes to talk about being in the same class as the Alabamas, Georgias, Clemsons, Ohio States, Oklahomas, and Michigans of the world have been in the last decade. But the facts show Penn State is a second-rate program behind them.
When Mora had his "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" rant, his Saints responded to win nine consecutive games, securing the first winning season in Saints history, and the first playoff berth.
With Franklin, he plays a victim when the media presses about his failures in big-time opportunities, but really, the victim is Penn State fans and a school paying a coach to produce major wins and secure championships. They've settled to believe the occasional bowl win and beating up in White Outs against Iowa or Minnesota is a giant flex. It really isn’t.
The Penn State community has to stop accepting being close. It has been "close" since 2016, failing every season since. Franklin needs to be held accountable for his lack of achievements in big games:
- 4-15 record against Ohio State and Michigan - the Top 2 programs in the Big Ten East
- 3-16 record against AP Top 10
- 1-11 record against AP Top 5
Penn State isn’t close to the elite of Big Ten East powers of Ohio State and Michigan.
Mora’s assessment of his Saints about being close is a spot-on analysis of Penn State being amongst the national elite, “We’re close, and close don’t mean shit.”
Penn State fans should have no sympathy for Franklin’s failures unless they want to accept his failures as acceptable.
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