By: Jason T. Davis
There's no discussion in the college football world as to who should be awarded the National Coach of the Year. It's going to Brian Kelly for his out-of-nowhere undefeated season and national championship game Fighting Irish. It's well deserved and I agree with it. But let me take a minute and talk about one of the runner-ups of the award. The real winner in the country's heart. Bill O'Brien has done an incredible job at Penn State in his first year as head coach. I can't begin to understand the type of situation he walked into. It must've felt like he moved to a village that had been torn apart by a ravenous monster who crept in the shadows for decades preying on their kids. Yea, eery stuff. But this didn't just happen to some big metropolis. This is a small, football-loving town. Football is why they're so famous. Penn State football is why they're so well known. It has mostly defined them and helped them cherish Saturdays as much as Sundays. However, I don't think people can still quite gauge the ramifications from these molestations. This is Happy Valley. This is Penn State Football. This is Joe Paterno...err wait, never mind. Another great point though: Their "savior" of football and routine was now intricated in this disgusting situation of abuse and cover-up. That adds to the sting and now DIVIDES the town. They can't just be healing, they now have to be divided as well. Divided on the guy who did a TON of good for many people's lives but made a costly mistake...costly. To add to it, he's now passed away and can't even speak of the incidents themselves or the reasons behind it all. The silence adds more pain. Point being, Bill O'Brien did much more than coach football, and much more than any other football coach was asked to do this year. Maybe ever. And he did it in the raging spotlight on a talent-ridden team. The man moved to a town that had felt destroyed from within. Where it was once the beating heart of the sports world, Happy Valley now felt completely segregated. They were now pinned under a microscope and poked at for being a cesspool for evil. They were hungry for a taste of something sane. Bill O'Brien and that Penn State football team gave them a reason to believe, an excuse to forgive, and a chance to move on.
Silas Redd's departure, along with other transfers, coupled with seniors graduating, set Bill back extremely far on the depth and talent chart. To tackle the stigma that had been placed on the once so legendary helmets? That would be a much bigger ordeal. How did his players feel after being ostracized and badgered by the media, abandoned by locker-room brothers and forced to learn an entire new system of football? Apparently, under new head coach Bill O'Brien, they felt united. That, solely, shows me what he is capable of. Not only did he help these kids overcome these demons that were resting on their shoulders with no responsibility, he also led them to believe in their football abilities despite the influential losses on the roster. These kids knew it. They were on a sinking ship. They watched top recruits now change their minds on where to attend school and multiple friends and players transfer. They knew even wins couldn't get them to an epic bowl game based on the sanction laid down. Sanctions that only affect and hurt the kids who had nothing to do with it(story for another time). Bill put it all together, and by doing that has put a new face on Happy Valley. He is truly a leader of men and has proven as well to be a healer of a broken community. Through all hostility and setbacks, the Nittany Lions still went 8-4 this season in the Big Ten Conference. Just a thought, but they OF COURSE lost their opener given all the emotion. So taking that one back because it would've taken a miracle to pull that out given the circumstance, they went 8-3. Either way, 8-4 is a better record than USC; the Pre-Season No. 1 team and the landing spot of their lone star rb, Silas Redd.
A key sign to the "man within?" Bill O'Brien knew exactly what he was walking into. He braced his family for the landing and took a leap of faith. A leap of faith that he could win games, recruit good players and help move a community forward. He was willing and ready to take on this enormous challenge. It speaks volumes. This didn't just fall onto his head. He knew what laid ahead, and for that I'd like to congratulate the entire community on the first step to healing. It's incredibly impressive and shows the character of one man, one town and a legendary group of young men who stayed in the trenches to fight together. Congratulations, Penn State.
Jason T. Davis @WisdomOfSports
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