James Franklin’s afternoon could’ve been so much different, so much better.

Instead, it turned into a nightmare in a matter of moments, and then things really went bad. First, Penn State’s head coach was a couple of plays away from finally beating Ohio State and keeping the Nittany Lions’ perfect season alive. But, yet again, it got away from Franklin and his 3rd-ranked team when it mattered most against the 4th-ranked Buckeyes, whose goal-line stand late in the 4th quarter preserved a 20-13 victory, their 8th in a row over their Big Ten rival.

That was bad enough for Franklin, who had a prime opportunity to quiet the doubters about his inability to beat top-10 opponents at Penn State. A Beaver Stadium record crowd was on hand for the showdown on FOX, but after racing out to an early 10-0 lead the Nittany Lions’ offense fell flat, failing to score even a point on 2 separate trips inside the Buckeyes’ 5-yard line, once late in the 1st half and once late in the 4th quarter.

After the game ended, Franklin tried to make his way off the field, but 1 of the legions of angry Penn State fans confronted Franklin just before he could make his way down the tunnel.

Franklin, who can be emotional, especially in moments like Saturday’s, wasn’t afraid to shout back at the fan, yelling: “If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?”

The fan turned and walked away, Franklin finally got down that tunnel, and an afternoon with so much promise in Happy Valley was anything but happy.