Ad Disclosure
James Franklin destroyed by social media for disastrous ending to Orange Bowl
By Paul Harvey
Published:
James Franklin had a chance to re-write the narrative around his big-game abilities in the Orange Bowl. And early on, it looked like Penn State might dominate the game.
In the first half, the Nittany Lions took control of Notre Dame on either side of the ball. Franklin’s team built a 10-0 lead, and even after the Irish tacked on a field goal, it felt like this was Penn State’s game entering halftime.
However, Notre Dame would not be denied. They would claw to a 17-10 lead and rallied back once again after Penn State had regained the lead at 24-17. Notre Dame would score the final 10 points of the game, and it was a stretch greatly aided by one of the most questionable coaching decisions of the season.
Late in the 4th quarter, the Fighting Irish had a chance to drive for a potential game-winning field goal. The Penn State defense stood tall, forcing a punt after Notre Dame was unable to get into field goal range.
It gave the offense the ball with less than a minute remaining and deep in its own territory, but James Franklin still went for the kill. The decision ultimately led to an interception from Drew Allar in one of the worst decisions of his career, and the Fighting Irish were already on the fringe of field goal range.
It led to a game-winning kick from Mitch Jeter as Notre Dame advanced to the national championship game and sent Franklin to address his coaching record in big games yet again. Here’s how social media reacted to his latest flop:
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
