Penn State’s inability to win big games has become a defining feature of head coach James Franklin’s 12-year tenure. Entering Saturday night’s matchup, Franklin held a 4-20 record against top-10 foes, though he’s typically been the underdog in those matchups.
Saturday’s game against No. 6 Oregon had a different feel to it. The Nittany Lions were at home, with a night White Out, hosting ESPN’s College GameDay off a bye week. The Ducks, on the other hand, had to travel across three time zones into one of the most hostile environments in college football.
Penn State also closed as a consensus 3.5-point betting favorite, and Franklin has a track record of success when favored (26-2 as a betting favorite since the start of 2023). So after two long weeks of anticipation, 111,015 fans packed into Beaver Stadium, the second-most ever, to watch a marquee matchup.
“We have a passionate fanbase, 111,000, the environment was awesome. They’re passionate. And when we win, there’s nothing better,” Franklin said. “When we lose, there’s nothing worse. So I get the frustration that comes with a fan base that is invested and cares. So I get it.”
The Nittany Lion faithful were loud from the jump, creating a false start on Oregon’s first drive and another later in the game. As the game wore on, smattered boos rained down from the crowd. But they were just an appetizer for the “fire Franklin” chants that broke out as the Nittany Lions trailed 17-3 in the fourth quarter.
On the set of GameDay on Old Main lawn, Franklin had promised “the best environment in the history of college football tonight.” That quickly turned on him when the team’s anemic offensive output spoiled an impressive defensive performance.
Though the team roared to life in the final frame and into overtime, the end result was one all too familiar for Penn State fans: another top-10 loss, this time 30-24 in two overtimes. Franklin’s chance to shift the narrative with a team many dubbed as his best yet came and went, and 4-20 turned to 4-21.
“I get that narrative, and it’s really not a narrative. It’s factual. It’s the facts,” Franklin said. “I get it, you know, but I try to look at the entire picture and what we’ve been able to do here, but at the end of the day, we got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it, and I take ownership, and I take responsibility at the end of the day. I wanted that for those kids in that locker room.”
Wide receiver Devonte Ross, who finished with four receptions for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns, said he didn’t hear the chants during the game. But even if he did, it’s not something he concerns himself with.
“We try not to focus on anything like that … I love Coach Franklin,” Ross said. “He’s an amazing person and an amazing coach. So we’ll rally around him like we do our teammates. You know, love each other.”
A portion of the fans’ outrage subsided after the team’s late surge, but the game will still go down as a loss, and Franklin will catch heat for it. As Franklin alluded to, it comes with the territory of being a Division I head football coach.
White the fans may ultimately hold him accountable, no players pointed fingers or minced words. They were insistent that the loss ultimately fell on them.
“Anytime we lose, I feel bad for Coach Franklin. I feel like I let him down,” defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said. “Even though I know it’s a team effort and things like that, I love Coach, so anytime we don’t win or I don’t do a good enough job, I feel like I let the team down, let coach Franklin down.”
Players also have to see what the fans never will: the way Franklin is impacted by disappointing losses. Center Nick Dawkins said Franklin gets “crucified” and can’t walk around campus after losses.
“When you have someone who’s invested in you, and you see them taking shots and taking flack for things that you don’t really deem as their responsibility, you feel guilty,” Dawkins said. “So I feel guilty.”
Franklin will have opportunities later this season to redeem himself — a trip to No. 1 Ohio State and a home game against No. 9 Indiana are big opportunities, as well as any potential postseason matchup.
But despite bringing back a majority of the team’s starters from a semifinal run, adding three transfer wide receivers, bringing in the consensus top defensive coordinator in the country and playing in front of one of the greatest stadium atmospheres in all of sports, Saturday’s loss had the same end result.
The one constant in Franklin’s tenure, across different coordinators, players and opponents, and despite constant upgrades to team facilities, funding and personnel, is losses in big games. Until the team starts winning top-10 matchups, the criticism will continue, and Franklin acknowledged as much.
