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Penn State was on the wrong end of a three-point game on the road against Michigan State on Saturday, and Penn State kicker Jordan Stout certainly doesn’t need to be reminded of that fact. Stout, who had been so reliable all season long, missed an extra point attempt and a short field goal in the game played in snowy conditions.
Making things even worse is the idea head coach James Franklin may have frozen Stout all by himself.
Michigan State jumped out in front of Penn State quickly in the first quarter with a 14-0 lead after two offensive possessions, but the Nittany Lions clawed their way back to even the score at 14-14 early in the second quarter. Michigan State then went on a 15-play drive that was forced to settle for a field goal, the only time in five red-zone trips the Spartans did not reach the end zone in the game, regaining the lead at 17-14 with about six minutes remaining in the first half. But Penn State had their own productive drive that looked as though it was setup to either take the lead or tie the game once more before halftime. But as Stout lined up on the snowy turf for a 27-yard field goal with just under a minute left in the first half, Franklin called a timeout.
Naturally, Stout then proceeded to miss the 27-yard field goal attempt.
Penn State misses the short field goal. MSU gets the ball at the 9 with two timeouts and :56 on the clock
— Sam Sklar (@sklarsam_) November 27, 2021
So, did Franklin freeze his own kicker, in Big Ten snowy conditions on the road? If you believe in freezing the kicker, then there is certainly a strong argument to be made on this particular moment. After the game, Franklin was asked about the decision to even bother calling a timeout in that spot, and he stressed the clock management as the reason for the timeout.
“We were just trying to burn as much time off of the clock as possible, so after we kick the field goal we leave them with the least amount of time as possible,” Franklin explained in his postgame comments, according to Lions 247.
This feels like a poor response, or perhaps it was just poor coaching execution in that particular moment. If franklin was determined to call a timeout at the last possible second, then why even line up the field goal team on the field just standing around and lining up as if to kick the field goal? Why not allow the kicker to remain on the sideline getting himself mentally prepared for the moment before even having to send him on the field?
This is some hindsight being a 20/20 reaction, of course, but Franklin may have brought that on himself on this one. Franklin, and many coaches, will call a timeout at the last possible second before punting the ball away, but calling a timeout as the play clock is expiring on a field goal attempt with the kicker already on the field is not common. And that it happened in the weather conditions Penn State and Michigan State played in is even more puzzling.
Had there been 10 men on the field, or 12, the timeout would make sense. But Franklin said he was only focused on how much time would be left for Michigan State just before halftime. Sometimes a coach can overthink the situation, and Franklin may have done that here.
Of course, Stout missing on four possible points in the game certainly leaves you a reason to direct blame at the kicker for the loss, but there were plenty of other reasons Penn State lost to the Spartans on Saturday as well. But when you play on the road against a quality team like Michigan State, you cannot afford to make the many mistakes Penn State did and expect to come home with a win.
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