Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from big win over Michigan in Week 8

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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 19: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions high fives fans on his way into the stadium before the game against the Michigan Wolverines on October 19, 2019 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

1. The narrative is changing at Penn State

After Penn State lost to Ohio State by one point last season, James Franklin commented, “We are a good team; we aren’t elite … elite teams win games like this one.”

Tonight’s game is changing the narrative in College Park. Last week, the Nittany Lions went to Kinnick Stadium, as tough a night environment as any, and defeated a ranked team on the road for the first time under Franklin. On Saturday, they punched Michigan in the mouth — hard — and the Wolverines punched back. The offense went away for almost two quarters, and that allowed Michigan to get back in the game.

Good teams get in trouble like this, and don’t recover. Elite teams find a way. Teams counted among the nation’s elite win close games — ask Clemson. Penn State found a way.

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Are they an elite college football program? That is still yet to be seen, but the games they’ve won the last two weeks are the types of wins that changes the narrative about your program.

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