Building On The Pinstripes

The Penn State Nittany Lions take the field for the first time since the epic Pinstripe Bowl victory.
By Vito Purpura, Lion’s Eye Editor, vap5077@psu.edu

Many months have passed since former walk-on Sam Ficken drilled an extra point at Yankee Stadium that gave Penn State a 31-30 overtime victory.

It was Penn State’s first bowl victory following a postseason ban. Since then some players have left for the NFL, while others have graduated and began life after football. As summer approaches, Penn State continues its preparations for next season.  One of which includes the annual Blue & White game held at Beaver Stadium.

The Blue & White game, which is essentially an overhyped practice, provides a glimpse at the team and what plays they might be running this season. Making assumptions based off of the Blue & White game is almost impossible.

“If we analyzed the Blue & White game like a normal game, then Nick Scott might be a Heisman trophy candidate,” Penn State fan John Derosier said at the annual event.

Nick Scott had an impressive day running the ball, which included a 52-yard touchdown run.

Expectations are high this year for the Penn State football team. Coming off of a New Era Pinstripe Bowl championship, they look to improve and make it to a major BCS bowl game. Now with a full year under his belt, Coach James Franklin can continue to build his ideal team. People sometimes forget that he inherited a team molded by Bill O’Brien and originally constructed by the late Joe Paterno.

As time goes on, one would hope Coach Franklin continues to excel in recruiting and build the program he has in mind. Some are still skeptical about Coach Franklin.

“Sometimes he reminds me of a guy who’s full of you know what,” Season ticket holder Jordan Gillespie on Coach Franklin.  “He talks a big game, but really all I care about is what he produces on the field. Talk doesn’t put points on the board.”

Just a short time ago, Joe Paterno was continuing his legendary coaching career, Penn State was flirting with top 25 rankings and they were still being revered as “Linebacker U”. While the name, traditions and for the most part the uniform remain the same, the Penn State football program has unfortunately lost some of its prestige. Winning fixes everything, but the question remains if James Franklin can.

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