James Franklin has long preached the same mindset ahead of every game: Penn State football must treat every opponent equally and every game like it’s the Super Bowl. It sounds cliché, but there is no better time to tap into that mindset.

The Nittany Lions have so far achieved expectations this season. They’ve taken care of everyone they were supposed to beat, including gutsy comebacks at USC and Wisconsin. Their only loss was by a touchdown against Ohio State. Games at Purdue and Minnesota, and home against Maryland, round out the regular season.

With one loss in a close game against a national championship contender, all that stands in the way of the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff berth is those three games, which Penn State will be favored to win handily. The playoffs feel so close, yet so far at the same time. What has eluded Penn State for the longest time will be much easier to grasp if the Nittany Lions dominate for the entirety of games, instead of only the first half or second half.

“The first thing is four quarters — being able to really put four quarters,” Franklin said. “We started out early in the year playing really good in the second half. Last week, we played as good of the first half as I think we’ve played. We got to put it together for four quarters and be able to have a killer mindset, keep your foot on the pedal for four quarters.”

Penn State’s “killer mindset” was evident from the jump against Washington when the Nittany Lions hung 28 points in the first half and only gave up two field goals all game.

Applying that same start shouldn’t be a problem against Purdue, which is allowing a near-last 37.78 points per game. However, stronger passing and running play is an emphasis for the coaching staff to ensure that’s the case.

“We got to be able to consistently throw the ball and make plays and get open no matter who we play,” Franklin said.

Drew Allar impressed with 220 passing yards, a touchdown, and a 71.4% completion rate against the Huskies. Tyler Warren and Trey Wallace also had good performances. However, Warren is the only reliable pass-catcher. To put it lightly, none of the wide receivers have emerged as a consistent target.

On the other hand, Kaytron Allen has emerged as Penn State’s top running back. Nick Singleton left the Washington game with an injury, although Franklin said he’s confident Singleton will play against the Boilermakers. Singleton hasn’t rushed for over 50 yards since he picked up 94 against Illinois, and he hasn’t seen much yardage as a receiver lately, either.

However, Franklin wouldn’t just like to see offensive improvements. He stressed working on penalties, which has been an Achilles’ heel all season.

Penn State has taken 49 penalties this season. Twenty-two of those were in the first three games, so the improvement from 7.3 to 5.4 per game over nine played is notable. However, the Nittany Lions are allowing 49.89 penalty yards per game. One of those penalties was an unsportsmanlike conduct call against Elliot Washington II, which turned a third-down stop into a touchdown drive for Ohio State. Franklin said it was addressed, and he stated the penalty woes were “embarrassing” earlier in the season.

Franklin mentioned special teams continuing not to give up big plays, such as a blocked field goal. Penn State allowed a fake punt for a first down at Wisconsin, but that’s it so far. Franklin is adamant his team still has improvements to make, even as it ends the season with a manageable schedule.