Penn State made a decisive early move against SMU last week, leaving its offense on the field for a pivotal 4th-and-1 attempt from its own 19-yard line.

For all of James Franklin's success at Penn State -- and he's had plenty of it -- there's been a prevailing narrative that the 11th year coach cannot deliver in crucial moments. The ironic moniker "Big Game James" has been thrown around to ridicule his efforts against top competition,