Penn State Nittany Lions College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
I’ll say it. The Nittany Lions got hosed in the loss to Indiana to open the season.
The Hoosiers were down 35-34 in overtime, went for the win on a two-point conversion attempt, and QB Michael Penix came up just short of the goal line. The officials got it wrong – all personal opinion, sort of – called Penix’s try good, and Penn State lost.
It shouldn’t have come to that.
1) Turnovers were a problem early, 2) up 21-20, Devyn Ford didn’t go down at the one in the final moments, 3) the coaching staff whiffed by not going for two after Ford scored a touchdown – with just over a minute to play and up 27-20, there was a chance to end it right there – 4) the D that gave up fewer than 100 yards of total offense over the first 58:30 allowed 75 and a touchdown in the last 90 seconds, and 5) a two-point conversion to force overtime, and 6) PENIX REALLY WAS DOWN, and …
It sparked the worst start to a Penn State football season since it started playing in 1889.
There’s no dogging the loss to Ohio State a week later, but to get rocked by Maryland, to lose to a bad Nebraska team, and then to get hammered 41-21 at home to Iowa was more than just not getting over a loss to Indiana.
The season was over five games in, and in embarrassing fashion.
The point? The team started with a painful gut punch, was playing poorly in a gimmicky Big Ten season, and at 0-5 the responsibly safe thing might have been just to pack it in and gear up for 2021.
But James Franklin’s team came back hard, going on a four game winning streak to close things out.
Granted, beating Michigan, Rutgers, Michigan State and Illinois last year was no big whoop, but the Nittany Lions were historically bad, and yet they came back from that start to beat all four by double-digits.
Call it a character-builder going into 2021.
Set The Penn State Nittany Lions Regular Season Win Total At … 9
This year’s team might not have a whole lot of obvious star power, but it’s deep, it got a few excellent and needed parts from the transfer portal, and whatever happens football-wise, it’s not going to be as tough as having to get up for a road trip to Michigan after an 0-5 start.
The games at Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio State will probably screw up any dreams of winning the Big Ten title, and home dates against Auburn, Michigan and Indiana don’t help, but this team is going to be a whole lot better – it’ll win its share of those six showdowns.
It’ll get out to a better start, it should finish strong, and it’ll come up with several big wins along the way.
After 2020, 2021 is going to be a whole lot easier.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– Penn State Football Schedule Analysis