James Franklin is leaning into Penn State fans’ frustration in the aftermath of an 8th straight loss to Ohio State, this one on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley when the program set an attendance record at Beaver Stadium and seemed primed to show again that this year was different.

Except, in the end, it was more of the same, as the 3rd-ranked Nittany Lions fell short against the 4th-ranked Buckeyes, 20-13, falling from the ranks of the unbeaten and damaging their College Football Playoff hopes. Even worse, Penn State had the ball twice inside the Ohio State 5-yard line, once at the end of the first half and again late in the 4th quarter, and both times the Nittany Lions failed to score a point.

Franklin couldn’t even make it to the postgame press conference without feeling the wrath of the Penn State fan base, with a fan confronting him as he made his way toward the tunnel.

When Franklin, who has been criticized for many years at Penn State for not winning games against big-time opponents, finally did get to the postgame press conference, he didn’t shy away from all that frustration Nittany Lions fans were once again feeling.

“I understand the frustration. Guys in the locker room are just as frustrated, if not more, but college football has changed, and we have an opportunity moving forward to right some wrongs from today,” said Franklin, alluding to the expanded 12-team Playoff format that gives 1-loss teams like Penn State a good chance to still squeeze their way into the postseason.

“We had an unbelievable crowd here. We get unbelievable support. You don’t do that without passion. There’s great things that come from that and there’s hard things that come from that. That’s part of the job. That’s part of the job and I own it all.”

 

His team will now attempt to win out to state its Playoff case, starting next Saturday right back at Beaver Stadium against Washington.