Michigan Football: 3 overreactions to Penn State win

3. James Franklin gambled too much

This one can go either way, but it’s an overreaction because he didn’t gamble enough to do whatever it took to get the win at home.

Franklin’s offense went 4-6 on fourth downs, but couldn’t get the last one to extend the last series of the battle for Penn State. That’s one of the reasons why they came up one gamble too short.

In the first quarter, Franklin called a fake punt that worked to perfection, and Michigan football wasn’t ready for it.

The drive stalled however and only ended with three points, which was another thing that stood out in the outcome of the game.

Michigan’s defense held the Nittany Lions to field goals and not touchdowns. That turned out to be one of the main differences in why Franklin’s core ultimately lost.

When he did try a fake field goal, it got blown up by Michigan. Whether the failed attempt would have actually worked is unknown, but it could have been the one gamble that Penn State needed to overcome the sixth-ranked school in the playoff rankings.

In the meantime, Penn State and James Franklin are left wondering of what could have been, and Michigan strides ahead confidently to greener pastures.