Penn State post-mortem: Lions have issues, but winning in the trenches powers through them
STATE COLLEGE - Kaytron Allen bulled his way into the end zone, from five yards out with four minutes left, and Penn State had overcome itself and Illinois to improve to 4-0.
Then Allen gave a big, theatrical kick.
"Kicking the door down,'' was what that meant. "Let you know I'm here. For real.''
Then, amusingly, quarterback Drew Allar and most of the offensive line, standing next to Allen, did big, theatrical kicks, too.
Allen admitted he didn't see that coming.
"I damn near wanted to cry. I'm not gonna lie to you. I love football. Anytime I get in the end zone, I can express myself."
Penn State has issues, despite its record, its two-touchdown defeat of the country's 19th-ranked team Saturday and its own No. 7 national ranking.
We'll get to the issues in a minute.
But underneath the mess is a foundation that should travel well, literally and figuratively. Penn State won this game because it can run the ball and stop the run, and did both Saturday against an opponent that wants to do both, wants to turn the game into a rock fight and knows how to win them.
"That game really played out, for a long time, the way Illinois wants,'' Penn State coach James Franklin said afterward.
"Where I think it went different is I challenged our O-line against their D-line, and I challenged our D-line against their O line. We rushed for 239 yards. They rushed for 34 yards.''
And now, the issues:
*Kicker Sander Sahaydak missed both his field goal attempts, both from 40 yards. He's now 3-for-9 in his college career.
Lack of belief in Sahaydak had to have been an element in Franklin's choice to go for a fourth-and-hree at the Illinois 17 with a 14-7 lead late in the third quarter. The offense failed to convert.
A walk-on kicker, Ryan Barker, made Penn State's final PAT Saturday. There's also a transfer-portal kicker, Chase Meyer, on the roster.
"We just won a game, and Sander should be celebrating like everybody else,'' Franklin said. "We'll have a competition, and all of these things will factor into some decisions we're giing to have to make.''
*With seven penalties per game, Penn State is tied for 83rd in the country (with some of the better teams in the country, including LSU, Miami, Missouri, and Texas A&M).
Penalties don't usually beat you, but as Franklin noted Saturday, "we made it a lot harder than it needs to be.''
Franklin went nuts on the refs about a personal foul call near halftime, and unleashed an expletive about them in a radio interview as he left the field. Postgame, he made some borderline fineable comments.
"We got a reputation for jumping offsides, and (the refs) know it,'' he said. "They're going to keep (calling) it until we get it cleaned up. ... I just want to feel like it's being called both ways. That's ultimately all I care about.''
He admitted, though, that, "It's hard to complain about a bad call when we're getting as many penalties as we are,'' and blamed himself.
"We've got to provide more discipline all the time,'' he said, "being more disciplined by how they are in meetings, how they sit up, how they take notes, all of that. And I believe (that) will transfer on the field. And that's my job.''
*In the season opener with West Virginia, Penn State didn't score until the second quarter of a 34-12 win. Week two, the Lions gave up 286 yards in the first half to Bowling Green. Even against hopelessly overmatched Kent State, it was a 7-0 game in the second quarter.
Illinois marched 75 yards for a touchdown with the opening kickoff Saturday night, and didn't score again.
Sluggish starts have been an issue.
"I think opening drives on offense and defense are very telling about how prepared,'' Franklin said. "That's a week's worth of preparation to open the game. We got to break some tendencies (so) that people aren't as comfortable.''
