Penn State got the signature win. Happy Valley got the signature win. James Franklin got the signature win.
Even if Franklin never admitted it in the preseason, Saturday’s game against No. 2 Ohio State was an all-in “White Out.” The Nittany Lions had not defeated a ranked team under Franklin the last three seasons.
Penn State, Happy Valley and James Franklin were looking for that signature moment to help pull the program out of the aftermath of the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal that led to the firing of Joe Paterno. It wasn’t a once-and-for-all moment, but it was a moment. Penn State got that in a 24-21 victory.
MORE: Penn State-Ohio State box score
"I'm just happy for our kids,” Penn State coach James Franklin said on the telecast afterward. “The former players, the lettermen, this town has been through a lot. So, this is the start of our healing process tonight. I couldn’t be prouder.”
There’s still work to do to become a legit Big Ten East championship contender, but this was the building block. Penn State nearly pulled it off in the “White Out” against Ohio State in a 31-24 double-overtime victory in 2014, but this was different. This time Ohio State had a 21-7 lead with 8:31 left in the third quarter.
Then the rally started. Quarterback Trace McSorley started that with a two-yard touchdown run. Tyler Davis kicked a 34-yard field goal, and the defense rattled J.T. Barrett with five second-half sacks. The “White Out” was in full effect by then, and that came to a head with 4:27 remaining when Grant Haley returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
That’s the signature moment. That’s the one where everybody at Penn State — everybody at Happy Valley — will know where they were when Haley stumbled into the end zone.
It’s not going to win the Big Ten East. The Nittany Lions lost 49-10 at Michigan and would need to win out to even have a chance to go to Indianapolis. This win takes some heat off Franklin. He was 0-7 against Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State coming into this game, and the Nittany Lions lost those games by an average of 22 points. This win helps Franklin, it helps recruiting, it helps everything Penn State needed help with as it continues to move on. Franklin is right. Those former players, letter-winners and the town had been through a lot.
A group of players rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to make them happy, at least for a night. That should help with the healing process.
Franklin should be proud to put his signature on that.
