Penn State needs to create its own excitement at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - When Penn State took the field one week ago, the electricity flowing through Beaver Stadium was palpable, the juice that came from a "whiteout," a sellout crowd of more than 107,000 and the opponent's being No. 2 and then-undefeated Ohio State.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - When Penn State took the field one week ago, the electricity flowing through Beaver Stadium was palpable, the juice that came from a "whiteout," a sellout crowd of more than 107,000 and the opponent's being No. 2 and then-undefeated Ohio State.
Seven days later, on Saturday, the 24th-ranked Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) will meet Purdue (3-4, 1-3) in a 92-year-old concrete bowl known as Ross-Ade Stadium, where the Boilermakers this season have averaged 36,747, or less than two-thirds of capacity. The electricity will be hard to detect.
Coach James Franklin has spoken to his players all week about it and his request to them is, "Bring your own juice."
According to running back Saquon Barkley, the coaches have not played music at practice to simulate noise in an opposing stadium, making the players find the energy on their own.
"We're having no music and creating our own juice so we can try to start fast on the road," Barkley said. "Our two losses this year have been on the road. So we're trying to create our own juice because we don't have that static and that energy from Beaver Stadium."
As for how they create it, the sophomore said, "Just being more loose and more relaxed. It's football, have fun with it, create your own energy. It's not like we're joking around but just having a lot more fun and being a lot more loose and relaxed, and just playing football."
Penn State has lost seven straight games in true road venues, picking up its last win late in the 2014 season at Indiana. The Nittany Lions defeated Maryland in Baltimore last season, but the Terrapins play their home games at their College Park campus.
A quick start is imperative against Purdue. The Lions fell behind, 28-7, in the second quarter at Pittsburgh and trailed nationally ranked Michigan, 28-0, in the Big House at halftime.
Of course, the key word for the Lions is letdown. The magnitude of the 24-21 upset of the Buckeyes cannot be downplayed for what it did for the program, leading to its first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 since before the NCAA issued sanctions in 2012.
The seniors have done their best to keep everyone focused. Then again, there are only 12 of them, and other leaders have stepped forward.
"We're just trying to make sure those younger guys aren't reminiscing a little too much, getting too big of a head," senior center and cocaptain Brian Gaia said.
Purdue does not have a gaudy record, and its head coach, Cinnaminson native Darrell Hazell, was fired on Oct. 16. But the Boilermakers outplayed undefeated Nebraska last week in the first half on the road, so they are no pushover. They have the Big Ten's top passer in sophomore David Blough, who has thrown for 2,065 yards.
For interim coach Gerad Parker, who is making his home debut, it's a matter of putting two halves together, a task easier said than done.
"Coach Franklin has his team at a very high level right now," Parker said. "They had a huge win Saturday night that I think the whole world saw. It's a huge challenge. We'll see if we can continue to improve and take steps forward so these guys will have something they can be proud of here, especially when our seniors are finishing out their last season."
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