A Good Time to Get out of Town

#7 Penn State (3-1) vs. UCLA (0-4)

The #7 Nittany Lions are hopping a plane to the west coast, but this trip will more resemble a visit to a psych rehab spa than a Rose Bowl invitation. Spirits in State College seem to be flagging, and a fetid cloud hangs over the campus. When asked about the forthcoming UCLA game after Wednesday’s practice, James Franklin was heard to say, “It’s a good time to get out of town.”

Team psyche must be at rock bottom. The Oregon White Out loss in double overtime was bad enough, especially as exacerbated by its conclusion, a veritable repeat of the Notre Dame airheaded debacle. Now, injury is added to insult with the news that Penn State’s already depleted linebacking corps will lose an important component. Franklin, who typically plays injuries close to the vest, implied that key contributor junior linebacker Tony Rojas had suffered a season-ending injury. We’ll miss you, Tony.

This is the second conference game after three tune-up cupcakes and a bye week. Penn State needs to take this opportunity, and next week’s Homecoming tilt against Northwestern, to regroup and purge the crap. If they can’t get in shape by then, Iowa, Indiana, and tOSU loom just over the horizon.

Emotional Whiplash

That loss to Oregon was devastating on multiple fronts, namely:

• National stage embarrassment: The White Out in prime TV time is PSU’s premier showcase, and they came out flat offensively for three excruciating quarters.
• Deja vu fatigue: Fans are muttering “Same Old Story” again — high expectations, lofty rankings, then an embarrassing collapse when facing premier competition.
• Playoff dreams dented: In the new Big Ten gantlet, a loss that early, at home, puts them behind the 8-ball in tie-break scenarios.

It wasn’t just a loss. It could be narrative shaping, the kind of thing that can either galvanize a team or send them spiraling. With Franklin’s “good time to get out of town” attitude, his skills as a team motivator are suspect. (Ya think?)

Sanguinarian hangover

• Our friends, The Sanguinarians, are furious. They thought this was their year. Now, they’re once again thinking WTF??
• James Franklin is again in the crosshairs — critics pointing out game management miscues, late playcalling panic, and the inability to win “the big one”. Make that “the big ones”.
• How long will Franklin’s recruiting edge persist if candidates keep seeing this same bridesmaid bullshit play out? Sanguinarians pump them up, team performance put them in the opposite mind set.

Locker Room Dynamics

In the past, many times when the Nittany Lions hit a low point, senior team leadership would rally the troops, get them past the loss, get their minds straight, and get them moving forward. Who will step forward in this case? Several team leaders were lost to graduation, the shitty transfer portal, and the big bucks of the NFL.

Drew Allar would be the guy to drive home the message that one loss does not a season make; however, Drew Allar is under significant pressure himself. He’s been inconsistent, to say the least. A few good plays against a slackened Oregon defense gave the team hope. Then, the inexplicable brain fart in the second overtime let the air out. How can we expect Allar to be the motivational leader of the team while they’re blaming the loss on him?

Road psyche vs. wounded UCLA

Will Penn State come out angry, or will they come out flat? It will be a 12:30 PM start in LA, and you know how much Penn State loves noon starts on the road! A good old-fashioned blowout would certainly cleanse the soul of the Lion, but are they up to it, or will they sink into post-loss doldrums, pining away over the loss of Rojas and not waking up until the second half? No one knows at this point, but we’ll soon find out.

UCLA — A Team in Disarray

UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster after just three games into the 2025 season. That was swiftly followed by the departure of defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe under murky “mutual” terms. Just recently, UCLA and offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri agreed to “mutually part ways”, elevating tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel to primary play-caller. Textbook chaos!

It’s been a rocky road on the gridiron this year for the Bruins, who are off to a sparklingly perfect 0-4 start. Outscored 108-43 in their first three games, their start has been a series of brutal beat-downs. Last week, they traveled to Chicago to be humiliated 17-14 by Big Ten whipping boy Northwestern. Their offense is barely functional and defensively, they’re hemorrhaging.

Sophomore 6’6″, 215 lb Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a transfer from Tennessee, hasn’t lived up to the hype. His quarterback skills cannot overcome the deficits handed to him by the organization (or lack of same) surrounding him. Rumors about Malloe protecting Iamaleava from accountability swirled, and might have precipated Malloe’s departure.

What a mess!

Why UCLA might still be dangerous

I don’t want to pretend there’s no hope for them. Even the most fractured teams can spring surprises, as we well know.

Watch out for the emotional reset potential. With a coaching staff playing musical chairs and a 0-4 start, you might see a “what the hell, nothing to prove” surge. But that would require leadership and buy-in. Both are in short supply at UCLA now. But UCLAns possess some decent talent, although scattered around the team. A little cohesiveness, and they could give Penn State a scare or two, especially if they’re not yet awake.

And of course, that’s the big question mark. What state (other than California) will the Nittany Lions be in at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday? Will they be overconfident, nursing the loss hangover and thinking they can dog it offensively for three quarters?

What PSU must do to bounce back (improbable, but we’ll see…)

• Jump early. Get out to a big lead in the first quarter and don’t look back. None of this sleepwalking, three-and-out shit.
• Run the damn ball. If Nick Singleton is not up to the task, don’t program him in there for three quarters of ennui. Put Kaytron Allen in early and wear down the UCLA defense. Six or seven yard consistently on first down would make this Turkey happy.
• Pressure Nico. Force him into third-down situations, make him rush his decisions, and turn him into a turnover machine.
• Keep the offense on the damn field. Sustain drives. Give the defense a break. they were gassed in the fourth quarter of the Oregon game and were porous in the overtimes. Some of that is on Franklin and Knowles for too light a rotation, but they have a shortage of prime talent on D. Give them a break for a change.
• Maintain focus. Yeah, easy to say, but hard to do in these circumstances.

Da Wedda

It’s Southern California. Perfect weather.

Da Bottom Line

Here is where it gets interesting. Our 31-25 prediction of the Oregon win could go to our head, but nahhhhh, this Turkey eats humble pie for Thanksgiving. The infallible Official Turkey Poop Prognostication, some awful offal from the cloaca of this foul old foul will live on to err mightily again. Just give it time.

The oddmakers opened this one up with Penn State as 25.5 point favorites to crush the Bruins. Since then, the spread has narrowed to 24.5. Is the gambling community reflecting doubts in Penn State’s ability to snap back? Are they reflecting the absence of Tony Rojas? Or are they true gamblers looking for value, knowing that Franklin rarely covers the spread? Probably none of the above, as the money line (or lack of same) suggests—no one is interested in gambling on this game. But we will do so here, because mind-betting never dents the wallet. The over/under is 48.5, so we’re looking at something like a 36-12 PSU win in the gamblers’ eyes. Even without Rojas, I like the Lion defense to contain UCLA, but the usual slow start and some stalled drives will keep Franklin’s record of not covering spreads intact. So, Ima say Penn State 27, UCLA 6. Take the under.

I’ll be back after the game for a reminder of why we Penn State fans go through this weekly torture.