UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State football faithful vented their frustrations on Head Coach James Franklin on Saturday night, calling for him to be fired after the Nittany Lions lost to Oregon, 30-24, in two overtimes at Beaver Stadium.
Franklin, who has been the top coach since 2014, dropped to 4-21 against top 10 teams. The disappointment is understandable. It boiled over as Franklin was leaving the field.
The game was a rematch of the 2024 Big Ten Championship in which Oregon defeated Penn State 45-37. The Ducks finished the regular season 13-0 and were No. 1 before losing big to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl (41-21).
Penn State fell behind the Ducks 17-3 but rallied to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left in regulation. What took so long for offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to open up the offense is a mystery. Oregon’s defense bottled up Penn State’s vaunted running game. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 18 rushing yards by halftime.
The Ducks managed to silence a White Out-record crowd of 111,015 and ruined what could have been a good night’s sleep for those watching on television.
Still, the Lions roared back and took a 24-17 lead in overtime before Oregon tied the game and then took a 30-24 lead in the second overtime. The Ducks failed to convert the two-point conversion after their second touchdown, setting up a climactic finish. Quarterback Drew Allar was intercepted on the first play of the second overtime, a crushing blow for a team that is still seeking its first signature win since a 24-21 victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2016.
“When we lose, there’s nothing worse. I get it. I get the frustration that comes with a fan base that is invested and cares. I get it,” said Franklin after the game.
“Again, I kind of look at the entire picture. I get that narrative, and it’s really not narrative, it’s factual. It’s the facts. 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. How hard they work, how much they sacrifice. And we had our opportunities. We had our opportunities, but yeah, I take responsibility.”
Penn State was ranked third entering the game. Oregon was sixth. In the updated rankings, The Ducks vaulted to number three, while the Nittany Lions dropped to seventh.
The atmosphere in Happy Valley was almost melancholy after the game. There was a sense of resignation in the air, as though Penn State’s chances of achieving any of its goals were either minimized or, in a worst-case scenario, vacated.
While the loss was costly in terms of perception, the Nittany Lions have a lot to play for. They still have some big games on the schedule and can vie for a berth in the Big Ten Championship game by winning them. Penn State (3-1) will likely be favored against UCLA, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers. The other two games are against top-ranked Ohio State and No. 8 Indiana.
The feeling in Nittany Nation is that, when it comes to matchups against highly ranked teams, Penn State simply can’t win. The ceiling is too high. That despite the Lions coming within a game of the College Football Playoff championship game.
With the loss behind them, Penn State must make it its mission to play at a high level beginning this Saturday at UCLA. The Lions come home to play Northwestern before going on the road to face Iowa and then Ohio State.
Expressing anger and frustration at Franklin or the coaching staff is counterproductive. There’s too much football to be played. Hopefully, the team can brush off the loss and make the necessary adjustments to future game plans. The Nittany Lions, who’ve undoubtedly lost respect due to their inability to rise to the occasion in big games, are going to have to make a statement in each of their upcoming games. Otherwise, the program will not be taken seriously as a national champion contender.
It could even affect future recruiting efforts, something that is worse than losing an occasional game. Penn State could finish 10-2, but if the two losses are against Oregon and Ohio State, the season is a total loss.
Time will tell if 2025 is the Year of the Lions.
