James Franklin's biggest offseason change will give Penn State better chance vs Oregon

Not many teams would go to the conference championship game, finish the season in the College Football Playoff semifinals, and then happily move on from one of its coordinators, but James Franklin did. And in his Monday press conference leading up to No. 3 Penn State’s Big Ten title game rematch with No. 6 Oregon, he explained why. 

“I think we didn’t have enough tools in our toolbelt,” Franklin said, detailing his defense’s shortcomings against the Ducks last season. But that's not all he said about his former defensive coordinator.

Franklin didn't go so far as to blame Allen's game plan for the Big Ten Championship Game loss, but he got close. Then, how he talked about Jim Knowles, its clear that Franklin has a newfound confidence in that side of the ball after making that bold offseason upgrade.

James Franklin should thank Dabo Swinney for taking Tom Allen off his hands

To Franklin’s point about man coverage, Penn State had no answer for Oregon slot receiver Tez Johnson in Indianapolis last year. Johnson, a man coverage nightmare because of his quickness and run-after-the-catch ability, caught 11 of his 12 targets for 181 yards and a touchdown, victimizing seven different Nittany Lions in the process. 

Johnson, now in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was 6th in the Big Ten in yards per route run against man coverage last season and third in the conference in receptions perfect against man (per PFF.com). Penn State didn’t have a corner who could cover him, especially not in the slot, where Cam Miller, who has since transferred away, and Zion Tracy were helpless. Yet, Allen didn’t adjust. 

Then, after the season, Dabo Swinney plucked Allen off Franklin’s staff, and the 12th-year head coach of the Nittany Lions didn’t put up much of a fight. Once Allen walked, it opened up an opportunity for Franklin to hire Jim Knowles from Ohio State’s staff, after Knowles helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. 

Knowles memorably neutralized Oregon’s quick passing attack in the Rose Bowl CFP quarterfinal by using a three-safety defense and inserting Caleb Downs in the middle of the field to dissuade underneath targets to Johnson. His bespoke game plan dared Dillon Gabriel to beat Ohio State over the top, and he couldn’t. 

With talented rosters all over the country, sometimes game planning can be the difference between an exciting CFP semifinal run and hoisting the trophy at the end of the year. That’s why Franklin needed to upgrade his coaching staff, and he clearly feels that he has. 

Oregon’s offense has a new look with second-year transfer Dante Moore now at quarterback after sitting behind Gabriel last season, and true freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore as the focal point of the passing game. But the Ducks still have offensive coordinator Will Stein calling plays, and through two games last season, which the two teams split, Knowles got the better of his counterpart while Allen was thoroughly outmatched.

Now, at Clemson, Allen and Dabo Swinney are 1-3 with two ACC losses and a defense that ranks 53rd in the EPA/play and 63rd in success rate despite boasting an defensive line with two potential first round picks in Peter Woods and TJ Parker. Franklin learnd the hard way that Allen doesn't maximize the talent he's given with losses to Oregon, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, now Swinney is getting a very early crash course in that same lesson.