Nittany Lions response against Washington a mature one

Penn State football fans have to feel like they are Phil, Bill Murrays beloved character in the movie Groundhog Day.

The scene on Nov.

2 in Happy Valley played out like it has over the last eight years, with a close loss.

Its a game that has been stuck on repeat for the Nittany Lions, much like Phil was in Punxsutawney, to the point that he started calling out what other people were going to say before they said it.

The result immediately after each one of their losses has been interesting to track.

In 2017 and 2018, the Nittany Lions let those losses linger, losing to Michigan State in back-to-back seasons the week after.

Since the 2020 COVID year (which was an anomaly in so many ways), the results have been different, however, with two blowout wins against Maryland, a lopsided win over Indiana and a 33-24 victory against Indiana last season.

Say what you will about the inability of James Franklins teams to not beat the Buckeyes, but in recent years they have responded well the following week, including this past Saturday when they drubbed Washington, 35-6.

To be clear, this isnt exactly the same Huskie team that played for a national championship last year, but it certainly wasnt a team that people expected the Nittany Lions would just walk all over.

But they did.

The Nittany Lions did whatever they wanted on offense, scoring touchdowns on all four of their first half drives while limiting the Huskies to 76 yards of total offense in the first half.

The game was over at halftime, with Penn State leading 28-0.

Turning the page after such a tough loss is something the Nittany Lions have repeatedly had to do, and to their credit, they have done it well.

The performance on Saturday against the Huskies in the White Out was a mature response from a team that could have let yet another loss to the Buckeyes linger.

Its not the position they wanted to be in, but they handled their business, and theres a lot to be said for that.

SCHEDULING COMPLAINTS Penn State and Ohio State fans seemed to unite on social media in recent days over scheduling complaints, specifically related to the White Out, as well as Foxs Big Noon Kickoff.

Saturdays game against the Huskies was relegated to the streaming service Peacock, something a lot of the country wasnt going to pay $5 to watch if it didnt involve the team they are a fan of.

On the other side of the coin, Ohio State will now play its last six games of the regular season at noon, after it was announced that their showdown with No.

5 Indiana in two weeks will be a Fox Big Noon game.

I see the frustration on both sides.

The Penn State White Out is one of, if not the best atmosphere in the country, and it wasnt on any of the major networks.

Columbus also provides one of the best night environments in the country, and they have to play at noon week after week after week.

The game between the two teams on Nov.

2 was also a noon kick.

Ohio State-Penn State should always be in primetime, or at the very worst part of the mid-afternoon 3:30 p.m.

window.

To showcase your best teams, week after week, at noon or on a streaming service is a disservice to the fans.

I saw Joel Klatt, the color commentator for those Fox Big Noon games and one of the most respected voices in college football, recently pointing to the ratings as a sign that Big Noon is working.

I see his agrument, but lets also make one thing perfectly clear fans of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Oregon and some of the top programs in other conferences would tune in to watch if the game was at 3 a.m.

Point being, yeah, youre still going to get a big number, but youre taking away from not only fans watching on TV, but the game day experience for fans that are in attendance.

A change would be welcome.

DOWN THE STRETCH Penn State is at 1-8 Purdue this week and is currently a 29-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook.

After that, they close with a road game at Minnesota and end the regular season by hosting Maryland.

They will be double-digit favorites in those final two games as well.

The disappointment will still linger among the fan base from another Ohio State loss, but the fact of the matter is that if they do what theyre supposed to over the final three weeks, the Nittany Lions will finish 11-1 and almost assuredly host a first round game in the college football playoff, something that should make every fan excited.

The questions will still be there about whether Franklin can win when it matters most, but the fact of the matter is that, unlike past years, they should have another opportunity to rectify those big-game woes this season..

This article has been shared from the original article on bradfordera, here is the link to the original article.