Penn State’s Franklin on another big game loss: ‘I own it’

State College, Pa. — Penn State coach James Franklin took a familiar walk after a big game loss, stopping to talk with former players and other dignitaries on his way off the field Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

He walked through the end zone where No. 3 Penn State failed to score twice from first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line against No. 4 Ohio State. Before the team reached the victory bell on the side of the tunnel, Franklin had a brief exchange with two fans who questioned Pleckling before Saturday’s second goal-to-go sequence of 111,030 in Saturday’s 20-13 loss, the largest crowd ever at Beaver Stadium. Then, Franklin headed to the tunnel to address his team after its eighth straight loss to Ohio State, its fourth at home.

Penn State’s last big-game loss under Franklin came down to two failed chances inside Ohio State’s 5-yard line, several untimely penalties, a few critical officiating calls and an offense that never once reached the end zone, despite a punt less than 10 minutes into the game. 10-0 lead. But the result, however it happens, will be grouped with others under Franklin, who fell to 1-12 against AP Top-10 teams at Penn State and 1-15 overall as an FBS coach.

Franklin said he “understands” the fans’ frustration

“We’ve got an incredible crowd here; we’ve got incredible support,” he said. “You don’t do it without passion, and there are great things that come from it, and there are hard things that come from it. It’s part of the job, and I own it all.”

Franklin, seeking its first College Football Playoff appearance despite a 95-40 record at Penn State, hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2016, which marked the Lions’ last Big Ten title. The Buckeyes improved to 10-1 against Franklin, which has six AP top-20 finishes since 2016 but none in the top five.

“No one looks harder in the mirror than I do,” Franklin said. “Ninety-nine percent of programs across college football would die to do what we’ve been able to do in our time here. But I also understand that when you’re at a place like Penn State, there are really, really high expectations. … I get it, I totally understand. Got it.”

Franklin added that he planned to address several items in his postgame press conference but decided they were “not worth saying right now.” He later noted “a ton of calls, 50-50 calls that could go either way and those are critical in this type of game.”

Quarterback Drew Aller said Penn State “didn’t win enough moments” Saturday, including Downs’ key turnover with 5:13 to play. After Tyler Warren snapped for 33 yards, Penn State’s longest play, the offense was set up at Ohio State’s 3-yard line. But three Kaytron Allen made a short run through the middle of the net, and on fourth down Alla couldn’t connect with tight end Khalil Dinkins, who covered well.

“We wanted to get it to Ty Warren,” said Aller, returning from a knee injury, who passed for 146 yards and ran for 31 runs with an interception in the end zone late in the first half. “The safety or nickel did one. It was a good job of playing over it and running it, short of the goal line or incomplete.

Penn State’s defense, which had kept Ohio State out of the end zone early in the second quarter, had a chance to make a stop and recover possession. But Ohio State’s rushing trident of Quinson Judkins, Trevion Henderson and Will Howard overwhelmed the Lions as the rest ran out the clock.

The Buckeyes finished with 176 yards on Saturday, coming off a season-low 64 rushing yards last week against Nebraska.

“Kind of an uncomfortable feeling,” linebacker Kobe King said. “We prepare all week, and we do certain things for certain packages and coverages. We didn’t execute it the way we should have. Mistakes were made. Guys have to be in the right spots.”

Several Penn State players moved away from Franklin’s blame and reiterated their support for the 11th-year coach. In years past, Saturday’s loss would have eliminated Penn State from CFP contention, but the stretch field puts the 7-1 Lions in the mix.

Still, there’s an acknowledgment that coaches and teams are evaluated based on games like Saturday’s.

“If you don’t judge yourself after a play like that, it makes you question your love for the game,” offensive lineman Sal Wormley said. “Like, there’s no way you go into a game like this, strictly pointing fingers at other people. You could have done something.”

Penn State finishes the regular season with four underdog opponents — Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland — before awaiting its postseason fate.

“Well, we lost, now we need to keep pushing, because it could be the difference between you winning the national championship and not winning the national championship,” defensive lineman Davon Jay-Thomas said. “So how we respond to this loss will be a big indicator of the type of team we are, and the type of team you’ll see in the playoffs.”