Ad Disclosure
James Franklin torched as Penn State loses Big Ten title game to Oregon
Published:
James Franklin is 0-12 in games where his ranked team faced an AP Top 5 opponent.
The latest such defeat came on Saturday in Indianapolis at the Big Ten Championship. Penn State had a chance to drive for a game-tying touchdown in the final 2 minutes, but quarterback Drew Allar took a deep shot and was picked off.
Oregon ran out the clock on a 45-37 victory to win the Big Ten in its first year in the league.
PSU tailback Nicholas Singleton ran for 9 yards on the play prior to Allar’s interception. With 2 minutes on the clock, Penn State chose to throw it deep rather than run on a defense it had gashed all game.
Singleton ran for 105 yards on 10 carries. Kaytron Allen ran for 124 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Allar had 54 yards on the ground. Remove the 1 sack Oregon recorded and Penn State averaged 8.8 yards per rushing attempt.
Allar threw it 39 times and was picked off twice.
As is the case when Penn State loses a big game, Franklin immediately came under fire. Since winning the Big Ten in 2016, Franklin is now 2-15 straight up in games where his Nittany Lions are a betting underdog. They were a 3.5-point dog in Saturday’s game.
Since that Big Ten title, Franklin is also 12-19 against AP ranked opponents.
Since the start of the 2022 season, Penn State is 32-7. That record includes a 1-7 mark against AP Top 15 teams and a 31-0 mark against everyone else.
Franklin’s reputation is that of a coach who simply cannot win the “big” game. Saturday’s result will not help that narrative. Penn State put up 518 yards of total offense and actually outgained the top-ranked Ducks. But the Nittany Lions lost the turnover battle 2-0, missed a field goal on the first drive of the second half, and unsuccessfully tried to convert a 2-point play after a fourth-quarter score that brought them within 8 points.
Here’s some of the reaction to Franklin’s latest loss:
Dan lanning. Big game coach.
James Franklin. Vanderbilt coach.
— Max Dolente (@Philly_Mays) December 8, 2024
The James Franklin effect in big games pic.twitter.com/C43p5JryVv
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) December 8, 2024
It’s so funny that Penn State exists. “What if a bronze medal was a university”
— No Escalators (@NoEscalators) December 8, 2024
https://twitter.com/bluecrue_MI/status/1865567249496453532
James Franklin vs any decent team pic.twitter.com/4mSTU0Y5Z5
— BPJ✈️ (@bpjauburn) December 8, 2024
James Franklin when it’s time to play a real team pic.twitter.com/oSEupuIpvj
— J 🅴 (@CamNewtonFan69) December 8, 2024
Penn State so clearly has the talent to hang with the elite programs but its also clear that they don't have that IT factor needed to beat them. No NIL or coordinators will change that, as long as James Franklin is calling the shots they will lose 99% of these games.
— The Belk Report (@BelkReport) December 8, 2024
https://twitter.com/incarceratedbob/status/1865619883850977333
1. Penn State is 1-24 vs. AP top-5 opponents since 2000.
2. Penn State is 1-14 against AP top-5 teams under James Franklin (lost 11 straight)
3. Penn State has lost 12-straight to top-5 opponents.
4. Y'all really think this is gonna change if you put Penn State in the CFP.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) December 8, 2024
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.
