Head coach James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions were looking for a bouncemack win on Saturday after falling to the Oregon Ducks last weekend. Things appeared to set that up perfectly, with Penn State taking on the winless UCLA Bruins.
What actually transpired was stunning. The UCLA student section stormed the field after the Bruins’ 42-37 upset victory in what was the biggest upset of the college football season thus far.
“We made mistakes today that we normally don’t make,” Franklin said after the game, according to ESPN. “A ton of missed assignments, turnovers at critical times, penalties at critical times, things that we really don’t do and have not done for a very long time.”
“Obviously, we did not handle last week’s loss well,” Franklin went on. “We also lost some players in that game during the week, and then everything else, travel, everything else. [We] did not come out with the right energy to start the game. … That’s my responsibility and I didn’t get it done.”
After the shocking loss, Franklin emphasized the team needing to have unity and tune out the noise. Before the season started, Franklin spoke about believing this to be the best team he’d ever been a part of in terms of the balance between coaching and talent. He was asked about those comments on Saturday.
“How am I supposed to answer that when we lose the last two games? Obviously, that’s all that matters,” Franklin responded. “Obviously, I felt that way or I wouldn’t have said it, but after two losses, it’s hard for me to answer that question and say that that’s the case.”
As bad as things seem right now for the Nittany Lions, starting quarterback Drew Allar still believes a college football playoff appearance could be in front of them.
“I firmly believe we have one of the best cultures in college football. I don’t think one or two games define us.”
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.