For Penn State and James Franklin, Another Missed Opportunity
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | In 2016, a vocal chorus of Penn State football fans booed James Franklin off the field at halftime against Minnesota. Franklin has recalled that scene occasionally in the seven years since, imitating the "Fire Franklin" chant he heard as a reminder that relationships flourish and fracture.
From that moment (Penn State beat the Gophers in overtime), a Big Ten title was born, and the relationship since often felt like a love song. On Saturday, it sounded more like a breakup song.
As he left the Beaver Stadium field following Penn State's 24-15 loss to Michigan, making his record 0-6 against Ohio State and Michigan the past three seasons, Franklin heard more than boos. It was caustic. Some people shouted venom about the offensive coordinator, his big-game record, and just him.
Once inside the tunnel, Franklin met a crescendo of boos from both sides of the walkway, which grew louder as he approached the locker room. Some of the fans in the members-only Tunnel Club that lines both sides of the tunnel paid $10,000 to be there.
The scene was as visceral as any after a loss to Ohio State or Michigan, which Franklin's teams have done 16 times since 2014. Following a few minutes in the locker room — "You could tell he was emotional," running back Nicholas Singleton said — Franklin composed himself enough for the post-game media session.
"We've lost to the No. 1 and the No. 3 teams in the country," Franklin said. "That's not good enough. We’ve got to find ways to win those games."
Penn State on Saturday was supposed to turn the corner, the same one it crashed into three weeks ago at Ohio State. It had the booster shot of last week's 51-15 at Maryland, a surge of offensive momentum and a villain to jeer in Michigan, whose suspended head coach watched from a State College hotel. Yet by the end, those boos had shifted from Harbaugh's missing presence to Franklin, leaving Penn State at another disconcerting point on its developmental arc.
The Lions are 19-0 the past two seasons against teams other than Ohio State and Michigan. They averaged 43.8 points per game in eight wins over the likes of West Virginia, Delaware, UMass, Northwestern and Maryland this year. But they scored a combined 27 against Ohio State and Michigan.
Quarterback Drew Allar, who threw for a season-low 70 yards and committed what he considered the game-changing fumble, had to learn "another hard lesson," as tight end Theo Johnson said. Penn State's offense had five drives of four plays or less, looked desperate once again facing the nation's top-ranked defense and finished a miserable day on second down. At one point, Penn State ran a flea flicker, Michigan appeared to see it was coming (insert joke here) and Allar was flagged for intentional grounding under pressure.
The offensive coordinator drew just as much heat as Franklin. Former Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton made a staffing suggestion on social media. "Go get Joe Brady," Hamilton said, referring to the former Penn State analyst and current Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach.
"We’ve got to do a better job of calling a game to allow our quarterback to get into rhythm. That is critical," Franklin said, about as strong a statement as he has made of third-year offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
Punctuating the afternoon was an absurd, indefensible decision to go for a two-point conversion, trailing by nine, with 1:59 minutes left in the game. Franklin was pressed twice about the decision but avoided the question, redirecting his answer to a failed 2-point conversion just before halftime.
That choice at least was debatable. Franklin said he expected points and possessions to come at a premium. Fine. Trailing by four or five at halftime really didn't matter at the time. But choosing not to make the game one possession in the final 2 minutes? That was the last straw for a frustrated crowd. And his post-game answer wasn't any better.
"Those were all the numbers we worked through from an analytic standpoint as a staff, and everyone was comfortable that it was the right thing to do," Franklin said, fusing a question about the individual attempts into one explanation that really didn't apply. And this is how Franklin begins to lose some fan faith once more.
In February, Franklin spoke to Penn State's Board of Trustees, which was about to vote on some football funding. He invited trustees to visit the Lasch Football Building, meet the players and get to know what then was as preseason top-5 team in an ESPN poll.
"But there's two schools in our own side of the conference that are also ranked in the top 5," Franklin said.
Penn State is 4-16 against those two schools, including six straight losses, under Franklin. Nobody else in the Big Ten is much better than the Lions, sure, but Franklin isn't program-building any longer. He hasn't been for five years. This season was supposed to be Penn State's launchpad into college football's elite atmosphere. Instead, it crashed into the same two obstacles.
In the locker room, Franklin addressed the team as best he could, careful not to allow his voice go harsh. He was "poised," defensive end Adisa Isaac, trying to prevent fissures.
"Obviously it's tough after a loss, especially being the head coach trying to motivate the team and keeping everybody's spirits up," Isaac said. "It happens. It's football. Somebody's got to win, somebody's got to lose. It's really how you respond to that."
For Penn State, the response to last year's 11-2 season and Rose Bowl victory required a victory over one of their two nemeses this year. That didn't happen. As a result, boos directed at Michigan at noon Saturday turned toward Franklin and Penn State by 3:30. From here, Franklin will have some relationship-mending to do. Again.
More on Penn State
Michigan 24, Penn State 15: The breakdown from Beaver Stadium
Penn State's Kaytron Allen: 'I can't be denied'
James Franklin addresses Michigan allegations, Jim Harbaugh's status
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
