Blue-White Breakdown | A Penn State Football Podcast from Pennlive.com

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to James Franklin's Monday news conference with the Lions' coming off a disheartening loss to Oregon at home. Penn State's offense was stuck in neutral for 45 minutes vs. the Ducks before waking up in the fourth quarter and in OT. Franklin brought up all of the issues the offense had on first down and how it impacted third down. Bob and Max discuss some...

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph wrap up Penn State's heartbreaking 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon in the White Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their final predictions for the Penn State-Oregon White Out at Beaver Stadium. The Ducks beat the Nittany Lions in last year's Big Ten Championship, but will history repeat itself? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Max Ralph and OregonLive’s Aaron Fentress collaborated for a special White Out week edition of the Blue-White Breakdown/Ducks Confidential. With No. 3 Penn State hosting No. 6 Oregon, the guys break down what stands out about each team in 2025. Can the Nittany Lions get revenge from a 2024 Big Ten Championship loss to the Ducks? Every episode of the PA High School Football Report can be...

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders share their takeaways from Penn State coach James Franklin's Monday press conference ahead of the Lions' White Out showdown with Oregon on Saturday night. The Ducks are 4-0 and put up 45 points on PSU's defense last season, but Franklin believes this defense is better equipped to slow down Oregon. Has Penn State held anything back on offense in the first thre...

Penn State is 3-0, but has it been good enough thus far? Plus, is there an anti-Penn State bias among national media? Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal break it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State is on the bye week but there are no bye weeks for the Blue-White Breakdown podcast. PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders discuss what they've seen from Penn State after three games, and what they've learned about James Franklin's Lions. Plus, Max and Bob share some of their observations of first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and discuss the importance of wideout Devonte Ross...

Penn State is 2-0, but the offense has left a lot to be desired thus far, especially QB Drew Allar and RB Nick Singleton. Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their picks for the Villanova game and call on a few key players to watch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to James Franklin's Monday press conference ahead of No. 2 Penn State's non-conference matchup with Villanova on Saturday afternoon. Franklin discussed quarterback Drew Allar's performance and went into detail on why the Nittany Lions' offense struggled to convert third downs. Plus, Max and Bob share their thoughts on why star running back Nick Singleto...

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal made their picks for Penn State’s Week 2 matchup. They also analyzed a trio of trending names on the roster (two up, one down). As a bonus, Johnny made an Eagles-Cowboys pick as he embarks on his first season of coverage of the reigning Super Bowl champs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders share their takeaways from James Franklin's Monday press conference with No. 2 Penn State prepping for Saturday's home game with Florida International. Franklin was encouraged by the play of his defensive line backups and also praised backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and reserve running back Cam Wallace. Franklin also said a veteran defensive lineman is c...

How many points will Penn State beat underdog Nevada by? Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal went live on the Blue-White Breakdown to make their picks. Plus, James Franklin named his backup quarterback for Week 1. The guys break down who won the job and why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to James Franklin's Monday press conference previewing the Lions' season opener vs. underdog Nevada on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Redshirt freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter is expected to be the starting safety opposite veteran Zakee Wheatley. Franklin said the Lions will play four safeties, but Belgrave-Shorter's emergence in a short time is worth not...

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their official picks — with detailed explanations — for Penn State's 2025 season. Will the Nittany Lions actually win it all? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders are back with some thoughts on Penn State's offseason with preseason practices winding down. Max and Bob look at several offseason storylines that could impact Penn State's regular season and beyond. Are some of the storylines flying under the radar with the Nittany Lions opener approaching fast? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph discuss a handful of Penn State true freshmen who have impressed James Franklin and might be key players for the Nittany Lions in 2025. They also answered a myriad of questions from the chat, including a breakdown of the preseason AP top 25. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Bob Flounders discuss what has occurred recently in the Penn State football world. Johnny and Bob go deep on the cross-country journey of Vega Ioane, who grew up high school football in the state of Washington. How did PSU land Ioane, who is one of the top guards in the country? Plus, Johnny and Bob share thoughts on Stan Drayton's impact on Nick Singleton and Kaytr...

PennLive's Bob Flounders recaps a busy week for James Franklin's Penn State program. The Nittany Lions, preseason favorites to win the Big Ten, are halfway through preseason practices. Franklin provided a team health update on Thursday. New running backs coach Stan Drayton believes returning 1,000-yard rushers Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have significant room to grow, and he has focused on el...

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph break down Johnny's preseason Associated Press top 25 ballot, which has Penn State ranked No. 1. Are the Nittany Lions deserving of the top spot?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders look back at Penn State's Media Day sessions on Saturday and have a few takeaways. Plus, Max discusses what stood out to him at Saturday's PSU practice, and Bob and Max share thoughts on the backup QB competition and the Lions who made Bruce Feldman's annual Freaks list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph break down the five biggest questions facing Penn State as the Nittany Lions start fall camp. Less than a month away from the start of the 2025 season, who will step up for Drew Allar? And who will back up the star quarterback? That and much more are discussed on this episode of the Blue-White Breakdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

Max Ralph and Bob Flounders hopped on the latest Blue-White Breakdown to discuss a ton of news and notes from Las Vegas last week. Flounders was in attendance, as James Franklin, Drew Allar, Zakee Wheatley and Nick Dawkins discussed big-time expectations for this year’s roster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Bob Flounders react to some of the preseason Big Ten polls on this episode. Penn State is ranked No. 1 in preseason for the first time in the Cleveland.com poll, and James Franklin is the preseason choice for coach of the year.  Plus, a few PSU standouts receive recognition on the offensive and defensive side.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph discuss which Penn State players are underrated after the release of EA Sports College Football 26. Also, Max's takeaways from talking to Penn State strength coach Chuck Losey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph discuss McGonigal’s one-on-one interview with Penn State QB Drew Allar and the three-part series of stories that followed. Allar broke down the CFP loss to Notre Dame, his NFL draft decision and the Nittany Lions’ push for a national title. Ralph and McGonigal also discussed Gavin McKenna’s commitment to Penn State men’s hockey and much more. Learn more ab...