The answer is no. But also kind of yes. Let’s discuss…

From the opening kickoff last weekend against UCLA, the Penn State Football Program and its players looked broken, shell shocked and disinterested. Even after they finally broke through the hangover of a devastating loss to Oregon, the execution was still sloppy and the defense was wildly ineffective at stopping an offense three days into a new scheme.

Then came the excuses. Not accountability. Not rage. Defeated excuses. The program has obviously been lower due to off the field circumstances, but this is without a doubt the lowest point since. Let’s ask some hard-hitting questions…

Is Jim Knowles an Ohio State double agent? His defense was what really lost that game against UCLA. They were dreadful. Tony Rojas could not have gone down at a worse time, but there’s no one – not one single player – on a top flight program who is athletic enough to spy the opposing quarterback? Where has Dani-Dennis-Sutton been this season? Sure, he blocked a punt last week but where is the pressure on 3rd or 4th down? Where are the sacks? He and Zane Durant were supposed to spearhead a dominant defensive line that was worthless in the biggest moments against Oregon and almost the entire 60 minutes against the Bruins.

Is the running game beyond fixable at this point? We have the talent and size on the offensive line and in the backfield and still the production lacks. Can we bring back the T formation from a few seasons ago? Maybe some I formation to get the run game juices flowing again? I’ve had enough of Andy Kotelnicki’s gimmicky offense. It’s all bark and no bite.

I must be honest, while I was never rooting for Penn State to lose, I was somewhat glad to see it happen. For nearly a decade, James Franklin and this program have sidestepped their inability to beat top ten teams by pointing to their record against the rest of the Big Ten. That facade is now shattered. Franklin and his program are fully exposed out in the cold with nowhere to hide. Reality has finally revealed itself to Franklin. You can see it in his deflated demeanor and his lack of energy. He broke.

Let’s do a complete 180… wouldn’t it be the darnedest thing if Penn State rips off seven straight wins, including two against top ten opponents? I’m certainly not saying it’s likely. I won’t even say it’s doable. It’s not impossible, though. A 10-2 record with a top five win, a top five loss, and another top ten win would certainly get the Nittany Lions back into the playoff. From that perspective, everything Penn State hoped for this season is still in front of them. They’ve just removed any margin for error.

Who knows, maybe that’s what Franklin and this program have needed all along: To be pushed so far into a corner with no other option than to defeat the giants in front of them. There’s no work-around this season. It’s through Ohio State. It’s through Indiana. It’s a program defining opportunity that lies ahead. They’ve been left for dead and forgotten. Strong cultures survive these storms. We think we know what Franklin and his program are made of and Penn State is ready to move on. This is his chance… and perhaps his final chance… to prove everyone wrong.