Penn State vs. Illinois Position Grades

Oct 31, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts to a play against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State won 39-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Coaching:

I’d have to really dig deep in order to find something negative about the coaching in this game. The play-calling was finally creative. The coaches used the strengths of the players to maximize the most production.

The only negative would be the weird sequence in which Penn State was forced to take three timeouts, two-in-a-row, whenever Illinois lined up for a fake punt. That one is on the coaches, as they should have had something planned for that situation.

I felt that this was perhaps the best coached game since James Franklin arrived in Happy Valley. The in-game coaching was exactly what it needed to be, even the decision to bench Joey Julius was one that needed to be made.

Perhaps the best thing the coaching staff did this week was in its preparation leading up to the game. Penn State has had a long stretch of now nine games in a row without a break. Because of that, Franklin decided to dial back practice heading into the game with Illinois in an effort to give his team a rest. It certainly worked, as the Nittany Lions looked refreshed and ready to go on Saturday.

With three games remaining, let’s hope the coaching continues to trend up.

Grade: A