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How do analytics factor into Penn State's approach on 4th down? James Franklin explains | Centre Daily Times

Joe Paterno gambled in 1967 and lost, while facing an issue college coaches still stare down today: When to go for it on fourth down.

James Franklin, at his third and final Coaches Caravan stop on Wednesday, said he talked to a booster this week about the 1967 Gator Bowl — a 17-17 tie between Penn State and Florida State. The Nittany Lions led 17-0 early in the third quarter when Paterno went for it on 4th-and-inches from Penn State's own 15-yard line. The Seminoles held.

"The momentum swung at that time," Franklin said. "But if I turned that exact play into the analytics company, they'd say he was right going there.