The Penn State Nittany Lions may have a James Franklin problem. Penn State’s Saturday night loss to the Oregon Ducks dropped Franklin to 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents and 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams.
“I get that narrative, and it’s really not a narrative — it’s factual. It’s the facts,” Franklin said after the 30-24 double overtime loss, according to ESPN. “I try to look at the entire picture and what we’ve been able to do here. But at the end of the day, we got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it. And I take ownership. I take responsibility.”
The loss was sealed when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw an interception in the second overtime.
“I tried to get the ball over the guy’s head,” Allar said. “He jumped up and caught the ball.”
“Obviously, it hurts,” Allar said of the loss. “We had our opportunities. … But it’s a long season ahead of us. We’re going to have more opportunities to fix this, and I’ll be the first one to go into the fire.”
Frankling acknowledged the frustrations the fan base after coming up short under the bright lights once again.
“We have a passionate fan base,” Franklin went on. “When we win, there’s nothing better. When we lose, there’s nothing worse. So I get it. I get the frustration that comes with a fan base that is invested and cares.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.