Last campaign, Penn State lost to Ohio State, a biting 13-20 defeat. It stung pretty bad. So, to resolve its defensive woes, James Franklin brought in OSU’s defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to University Park. But it’s not working, is it?

With a $3.1 million contract, Jim Knowles came to Penn State, bringing his multi-layered defensive schemes to help Franklin’s roster. A roster that gave up 1,630 rushing yards last season, busied itself, plugging into Knowles’ defensive playbook. Franklin had stated that his players need to play with more confidence and speed. But in a recent conversation, he peeled back those layers, where it’s the combination of players’ speed and confidence, along with the new defensive system, which is the crux of the crumbling defense.

“It’s both. Ultimately, it’s on us to give them enough that they can go out  play winning defense,” he said to the press. “Because if it’s too simplistic, that’s going to be a problem as well. And it’s also those guys, you know, trusting their training and letting it fly. It’s a combination of both.” Franklin further elaborated. Knowles came in January and, with his complex designs, the roster didn’t have enough time to be molded into those schemes, utilizing those defensive maps to the fullest.

Different from the traditional defensive principles, his scheme, a 4-2-5 scheme, has a lot of moving parts, a higher emphasis, and demands from the linebacker and safety unit. “Dex (Anthony Poindexter) talks about it all the time: If you make a mistake at safety, it’ll cost you seven points,” Franklin said, “and if you’re making mistakes at linebacker, and you can’t run the defense, then it’s hard to execute.” LB Tony Rajas departed so did other experienced defense players, including Jaylen Reed and Kobe King.

The roster is still adapting to his defense. Presently, the Nittany Lions haven’t been able to reap the fruits, but given that Knowles’ strategies have been celebrated at Oklahoma State and Ohio State, maybe it will take more than this season for Penn State to see the results.

The defensive coordinator, who led the Buckeyes to win the national championship game, now leads the Nittany Lions. Naturally, fans expected more, but those expectations have come short. A 3-2 loss, with a stinging Oregon defeat, was too much to take in. But hardly were the Penn State faithful ready for a 37-42 blowout against UCLA. So, can James Franklin and Jim Knowles salvage the rest of the season?

Penn State’s future hangs in the balance

Remember how Paul Finebaum called Penn State’s schedule “cupcakes,” with Desmond Howard piping in, it’s essentially a two-game schedule (against Oregon and Ohio State). Well, we know the “White Out” concluded. So, can Franklin salvage the rest of the season? USA Today’s Tyler Nettuno gives his biting take, which the Penn State faithful knew all along.

“The assumption was that Franklin would win the remaining games on the schedule that he should, but after losing to what could be the worst team in the Power Four, I don’t believe that to be true anymore,” Nettuno wrote. Nico Iamaleava’s Bruins went 0-3 into the season, with their head coach fired. They ranked at the bottom of the ladder. The Nittany Lions’ defense gave up 42 points to that offense, which was led by inexperienced play caller Jerry Neuheisel, who was tasked with sketching out schemes and game plans two days prior to the clash. Naturally, a meltdown was in the making at University Park. So, what next?

“Barring a turnaround the likes of which we’ve never seen Franklin pull off before, this team isn’t going to the playoffs. Assuming that’s the case, this could be the game that kick-started the permanent souring of Penn State’s relationship with its longtime football coach.” Franklin was already cradling a hot seat; now it’s smothering.