They often say confidence is the key. But they also say that overconfidence kills! That’s something that the Penn State Nittany Lions and their HC James Franklin need to follow to the T. Well, we know that Penn State’s confidence must have reached rock bottom after the blow landed by Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks. However, they might be feeling a bit more relaxed now that they know they’ll be facing the SMU Mustangs next. Now who takes Rhett Lashlee’s squad seriously? At least not the Nittany Lions. 

The only goal for HC Franklin now is to fix up his reputation. Already the man landed in a hot seat for making a salty remark about the Oregon band that disrupted his post-game conference by blasting the fight song at full volume. So, Franklin, who had already been upset with the loss, commented, “I have no problem with them celebrating, but this is kind of a JV set-up.” And BOOM! Hate comments started to flow for the Penn State HC. But does he really have enough free time to ponder over the brutal remarks?

Definitely not! Franklin and his squad need to shift their focus to SMU. The No. 6 seed in the CFP, Penn State, is set to face the No. 11 seed Mustangs next Saturday at Beaver Stadium in a playoff showdown. And let’s be real—the Mustangs aren’t the pushovers Penn State might think they are. To make things easier for the Nittany Lions, on the Big Ten Football podcast, analyst David Woods came up with some last-minute tips. 

He started with, “The first thing James Franklin’s got to do is half these players probably don’t have much respect for SMU.” The primary rule for any game is to respect your rivals. That’s because you only truly unleash your best potential when you respect your rivals as worthy opponents. To make Franklin understand the gravity of the present situation, Woods then referred to former Oklahoma State University HC Jimmy Johnson’s strategy. 

“I remember Jimmy Johnson talking about it sometimes games like this you got to cause a crisis. You got to get your team’s attention as far as what the heck we’re facing this week,” stated the analyst. After all, it’s not the old SMU that can be taken lightly. In 2024, Rhett Lashlee’s boys have given up 2.8 yards per carry. Plus, their QB Kevin Jennings, to quote Woods, “can fly.” So, that’s why they must bring back the Big 10 Championship mentality they had against the Oregon Ducks. 

Rhett Lashlee’s respect for James Franklin amidst rivalry

The last time Penn State Nittany Lions faced off against SMU Mustangs was 46 years ago, in 1978. So, Franklin’s notion about Lashlee and Co. being weak is dependent only on second-hand experiences. So what, they didn’t face each other? Lashlee had his eyes on the Nittany Lions’ performance. But again, the Mustangs HC has some familiarity with Franklin’s program due to a mutual connection. 

“I watched them a lot more last year when we weren’t playing because Manny Diaz was the DC and a friend of mine,” stated Lashlee. From there, SMU now has the idea of the Nittany Lions’ length and speed on defense. So, the Mustangs are aware of the strength points of their opponents. “I know what they do on offense. I know they got a really good quarterback, a big time tight end…And then I just know James Franklin’s reputation, just being a consistent winner,” the Mustangs HC said.

Now that Rhett Lashlee has taken note of James Franklin’s and Penn State’s drawbacks, he now knows where exactly to land the attacks. For instance, their “leaky” defense. Already, the Mustangs came off strong with a 10-game road-winning streak. Thus, the era of underestimating rivals is over. James Franklin needs to treat every matchup like a championship bout!