Penn State coach James Franklin not only led his team to a victory over Pitt this past weekend, but he decided to add some fuel to the in-state rivalry fire.
That's right. Now that Penn State is supposedly good, James Franklin is hurling some shade toward the general direction of the Pittsburgh Panthers. You know, as if Pitt needs another reason to hate its state brethren.
“I know last year beating us for them was like the Super Bowl,” said Franklin during the post-game press conference, as transcribed by CBS Sports. “This was just like beating Akron for us.”
Of course, Akron becomes a casualty of Franklin's shade by being the coach's go-to for saying Pitt is similar to some ho-hum small program. Poor Akron. What did the program ever do to deserve this?
Does anyone even believe Franklin, either? This was a pretty important game, one that kept Penn State on the map, and the rivalry is a big one in the state of Pennsylvania. The sentiment of the shade, while probably insincere, does add some more to the rivalry though.
One can only imagine how the Panthers will react moving forward. Does the program hurl its own shade whenever Penn State loses? What happens when/if James Franklin falls victim to an Akron upset?
The good news for those who are in the Pitt fan base bubble is that the two teams will play again next season at Heinz Field on Sept. 8.
As for this season, Penn State defeated Pittsburgh 33-14 win on Saturday in Happy Valley.
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