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Penn State’s James Franklin is putting a new twist on an old tradition this season
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James Franklin is entering the 2021 season with a bit of a new approach. OK, not really, but he’s at least found a new way of addressing his approach.
In the past, Franklin has emphasized his team’s focus on the opponent ahead on the schedule with a tweet. That post usually includes the opponent’s name approximately 157 times (maybe 12 in actuality), to ensure that everyone is not looking past the week on hand.
Here’s an example from the past:
Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin!
— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) November 30, 2016
This year, Franklin is putting a new spin on that message. Instead of spelling out the team’s name, he’s now just simply going with a “1-0” mantra. Either way, it marks the beginning of a new football season in Happy Valley.
Here’s Franklin’s message from Sunday night:
1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 1-0 #WeAre
— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) August 30, 2021
Penn State will have its work cut out for it in the season opener. The No. 19-ranked Nittany Lions travel to Camp Randall Stadium to play No. 12 Wisconsin in one of the more intriguing Week 1 bouts in college football.
The winner will be thought to be the biggest challenger to Ohio State’s B1G title chances. The loser will have to play a little catch-up throughout the season.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 12 p.m. ET and the game will air on FOX.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB