Just a few weeks ago, James Franklin promised his fanbase was about to produce the greatest environment in the history of college football.
Those weeks must feel like centuries right now for the Nittany Lions, who lost a third straight game on Saturday. In a 22-21 loss to Northwestern, Penn State lost its starting quarterback to an injury and Franklin may have officially lost the fan base.
Penn State fans serenaded Franklin with chants calling for his firing as he walked off the field. Penn State was the No. 2 team in the country on Sept. 27 when it took Oregon to double-overtime. It lost that game, 30-24, to prolong the big-game blues under Franklin.
A week later, the Nittany Lions gave up 42 points to a UCLA team that was winless and had just jettisoned its entire coaching staff. At home on Saturday, Penn State fixed the defense (sort of), but the offense fell apart.
Penn State averaged 5.4 yards per play and turned it over twice. Quarterback Drew Allar completed only 13 of his 20 passes for just 137 yards and a pick.
The Nittany Lions now have multiple losses to unranked opponents for just the second time in the last 10 years. And fans are ready to be rid of Franklin, who is tied with Rip Engle for the second-most wins in program history.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
