Next task for Penn State? 'Build this thing'
PASADENA, Calif. - For the first time in more than three months, the prevailing emotions spreading through a postgame Penn State locker room were sadness, anger and crushing disappointment.
PASADENA, Calif. - For the first time in more than three months, the prevailing emotions spreading through a postgame Penn State locker room were sadness, anger and crushing disappointment.
The Nittany Lions couldn't help but feel any other way Monday after blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and losing the Rose Bowl, 52-49, to Southern California. It marked the first time all season they had lost after holding a lead, and a late interception that set up the Trojans' game-winning field goal on the last play provided a more bitter taste.
Still, the Lions exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations. Even with a nine-game winning streak snapped, they still finished the season 11-3 and showed plenty of resilience in rallying from deficits of 10 points or more for victories in four contests. They almost did it again in the Rose Bowl, trailing by 13 points on three occasions in the first half.
In James Franklin's third year as head coach, Penn State showed steady improvement from a plethora of young players after its one-sided loss at Michigan on Sept. 24. With all but six starters coming back, that bodes well for next season, plus the program enters 2017 with a pair of Heisman Trophy candidates in Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley, who will be juniors.
Franklin, while acknowledging "a lot of hurt going on" in the locker room, painted a bright picture of the future as he conceded that much work lies ahead.
"It's going to be a long, steady, difficult climb," he said. "We're going to have to fight even more to sustain [the team's success]. And there's a lot of things that are going to go into that.
"If we realize that we've got a great opportunity right now and capitalize on it, keep working, I think we can continue to build this thing and continue to do special things."
Barkley, a sophomore, rolled up 306 all-purpose yards, including 194 on the ground, and scored three touchdowns, one on a 79-yard run on Penn State's initial play of the third quarter. He said the team will take lessons learned from the senior class into next season.
"The seniors have done a tremendous job of leading the way," he said. "Obviously this loss [stinks], but we'll use it as motivation in the offseason. We were so close to being Rose Bowl champs and we still have so much work to do. We're still a young team with a lot of guys coming back, so we'll use this as motivation and be the best team we can be next year."
After just barely missing the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions likely will enter the 2017 season as a top-10 team, but they will face a tall order matching what they achieved this year.
Barkley finished the season with 1,496 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns while McSorley broke program records for passing yards, total offense, and touchdown throws. In addition, Franklin and his leaders established a chemistry that might be difficult to repeat next season.
The Lions also will wait to see if junior Chris Godwin, who set Penn State bowl records with nine catches and 187 receiving yards, will return or opt for the NFL draft. The website NFLdraftscout.com lists Godwin, who led the team in receiving with 59 catches for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns, as the Lions' top prospect, projected as a fourth-round pick.
"I'm not worried about looking at next year right now," Godwin said. "I'm just worrying about spending this time with my guys, with this 2016 team. I feel bad for the seniors, that we couldn't go out on top for them."
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