James Franklin shut down Penn State on-field celebration at USC

Even after a very shaky start, No. 4 Penn State came back to beat USC 33-30 in overtime at the LA Coliseum. James Franklin’s team is one of very few in the Big Ten to win after a long road trip this season, but Franklin wasn’t happy with his cross-country explorers planting a flag in the furthest reaches of Big Ten country. 

Lincoln Riley, Franklin’s counterpart in Week 7, is familiar with those types of antics. Famously, his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield, knocked off Ohio State at the Horshoe in Columbus in 2017 and planted a flag a midfield. Mayfield later apologized for his antics and Franklin could be expecting the same from Audavion Collins, his redshirt sophomore cornerback. 

When Mayfield did it, he was in the midst of a Heisman trophy season and on his way to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Collins is a rotational defensive back happy to see any playing time after a win by his No. 4 ranked Nittany Lions over an unranked USC team coming off a loss to Minnesota that fell to 3-3 on Saturday. 

Franklin was smart to shut down his team’s postgame showboating because after nearly getting upset on the road, there shouldn’t be a lot to celebrate. No. 2 Ohio State is still looming on Penn State’s schedule, a team that is incredibly tough to beat, even at Beaver Stadium. Franklin knows that all too well and Franklin also knows that with an underwhelming strength of schedule, 10-2 may not be enough for the Nittany Lions to finish within the Top 12. 

Penn State escaped, they didn’t play like a national championship contender, and only national championship contenders deserve to plant flags.