Article Written by Mac Young
Originally Pubished on October 13, 2023
1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0.
That has become the identity of Penn State head football coach James Franklin. This week it seems to be more important to preach than ever as Penn State hosts 1-6 UMass.
The undefeated Nittany Lions are favored by six touchdowns against a Minutemen side that has lost six straight games.
Next weekend Penn State will travel to Columbus in what will be one of the biggest games of the year in college football… should be.
UMass should be a breeze for this extremely talented Penn State team, but it’s imperative to not get caught looking ahead. Crazier things have happened, this is college football.
The squad should not just overlook UMass, but the whole weekend as well.
It’s homecoming weekend in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions will wear their special “generations of greatness” uniforms and Beaver Stadium will be graced with sleek, retro-looking diamond endzones.
The whole program should take it all in and enjoy it while putting a good product on the field.
Penn State will likely not overlook UMass and win by a million points since James Franklin’s side has been ridiculously good at winning comfortably this season (5-0 against the spread by the way).
But, teams get caught off guard all the time. The weather is not looking good for Saturday with rain in the forecast.
I hate to keep bringing it up this season, but Penn State was having a promising season a few years back just to lose to unranked Illinois in nine overtimes. That game was also off a bye, in the special uniforms and in bad weather.
If you are going to talk the talk of “1-0” you better prove that on the field by taking care of business against the teams you should beat.
The Nittany Lions usually do walk that “1-0” walk, they have not underestimated any opponent thus far. If they get the sweet, blowout win over UMass on Saturday, the whole university can get amped up for a top-10, undefeated matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
But before any of that, you have to go 1-0 against 1-6 UMass.
Mac Young is a senior broadcast journalism major at Penn State.
To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.