Penn State vs Michigan Game Grades

Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts from the sidelines in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Coaching

Where do I begin? Let me preface this by saying Bob Shoop is the only thing holding this grade from being an F. It’s still early in the Franklin era and I’m by no means giving up on it or questioning the plan ahead, but Saturday’s game plan and decision making was putrid. Questionable play calls, the use of the wildcat in poor situations, wasted timeouts, coaching miscommunication, the list goes on and on. Franklin is a great recruiter and he’s had success, but the plan didn’t play out on Saturday. The run game was finally working, but the coaching staff went away from it. Hackenberg had no time to throw, but was rarely asked to move out of the pocket. The wasted timeout at the end of the game before the intentional safety was unbelievable, as many others were. The coaching staff has time to recuperate and get this thing on track, but Saturday was not inspiring.

Grade: D