Nittany Lions deserve praise for unity, resilience
If a season is defined by wins and losses on the playing field, then Penn State had a disappointing season, its first with a losing record since 2004.
If a season is defined by unity and resilience and by lessons learned, then the Nittany Lions’ season was not lost.
They worked out at home for several months at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
They saw their season canceled and then reinstated and never really knew if there would be one until it actually began.
They lost some of their best players for varying reasons.
They spent more than half a year away from their loved ones.
They rebounded from the worst start in the program’s history and finished with four straight wins, the last a 56-21
thumping of Illinois on Saturday.
They kept positive COVID-19 tests to a minimum and played every one of their games, one of the few teams in the country to do that.
For all of that, this Penn State football team deserves praise, not scorn.
“We pretty much beat COVID, knock on wood,” defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher said. “It’s tremendous. That’s a testament to everybody sacrificing. We couldn’t be normal college students. Everybody who walked into that building had to change their lifestyle, including the coaches.
“It’s amazing, man. I know we didn’t have the season we wanted, but hats off to everyone in this building for sacrificing. I don’t think it’s talked about enough.”
The Lions watched AllAmerican linebacker Micah Parsons opt out of the season in August. They learned about a month later that running back Journey Brown, who was poised to have a terrific season, was diagnosed
with a heart condition that eventually forced him to retire.
“I look at the preseason and think about what we thought it would look like and what it looks like now and I’m thankful for it now,” quarterback Sean Clifford said. “This year has been extremely difficult for many reasons.
“When you start the year and you lose one of your best friends (Brown), it’s difficult. I definitely took that to heart and I think the whole team did because he means so much to us.”
They lost Noah Cain, Brown’s backup, to a season-ending leg injury on the first series of the first game at Indiana. They lost preseason All-American tight Pat Freiermuth after four games because of a shoulder or arm injury.
At 0-5, they stood on the brink of collapse. The rest of the season could have gone off the rails, but it didn’t. The Lions found a way to jell.
“It says a lot about chemistry and our brotherhood,” safety Lamont Wade said. “After that 0-5 start, we could have opted out. We could have complained. Anything could have happened.
“You see teams all
around the country, their bigger players opted out. You see players going different places in the middle of the season, but we stuck together. We fought through it. That was the lesson of this year.”
The leadership from coach James Franklin and his staff and the team captains was paramount when the season looked bleakest.
“Nobody had slept right in months,” Mustipher said. “It was hard. It was tough. I don’t think people on the outside know what it’s like to lose five games in a row. We were in foreign territory.
“Coach (Franklin) told us, ‘It starts with you guys. There’s not going to be any magic. We have to stay together and execute our jobs at a high level.’ We stuck together. We improved every day and it started showing up on Saturdays.”
Franklin has endured the personal agony of living away from his family since August. His wife, Fumi, and their two daughters are in Florida to better protect their younger daughter, Addison, who has sickle cell anemia, from COVID.
“I have probably learned more about myself this
year, personally and professionally, than at any point in my 48 years on this planet,” Franklin said several days ago. “I’ve had professional challenges before in my career. I’ve had personal challenges in my life, but never really both at the same time.
“I’ve got to find a way to get my family back together. I always knew that I was a family guy. I’ve always known that and I’ve never taken that for granted, but this has been enlightening.”
Penn State players felt the same way. Even though their parents were allowed to come to most of their games, they were not allowed to have close contact with them. It’s no wonder why the Lions decided not to accept a bowl invitation and end their season.
They’re proud of what they accomplished, even if the football was not played at a championship level.
“We never give up,” Mustipher said. “That’s something that people don’t realize. It’s harder than it seems. It’s easy to throw that towel in. It’s harder to fight through adversity. We don’t quit no matter what. We stick together and play for one another.”