Penn State and James Franklin Face a Newly Important Road Trip to UCLA

James Franklin looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there, standing behind a microphone, facing those jackals. That wasn't new. The Penn State coach's Wednesday media availabilities can be 10 clenched minutes, especially after a loss, especially when he doesn't want to hear any uninformed diagnoses of his team's issues.

But this past Wednesday, Franklin looked even more eager to get out of there — not just the interview session but State College in general. To extract the Nittany Lions from that environment as well.

"It's a good time to get out of town, for sure," Franklin said, almost hopefully, one day before Penn State got out of town.

This has been a rough week for Penn State, which fell in double overtime to Oregon last Saturday and then lost top linebacker Tony Rojas to a long-term injury during practice. The loss to Oregon reset (or perhaps just reinforced) a host of perspectives regarding the 2025 Nittany Lions.

Every Penn State fan knows the numbers 4 and 21, Franklin's won-loss record against AP top-10 teams, and knows that Penn State has not beaten a Power 4 top-10 team since its win over Utah in the 2023 Rose Bowl.

Hot seat? After an overtime loss to the defending Big Ten champ that was ranked No. 6 entering the game? Yeah, the narrative is wriggling through from the national voices.

Coincidentally, the NIttany Lions return to Pasadena on Saturday to face a winless UCLA team that could remain that way all season. The Bruins (0-4) have interims at head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. Their lineup could be a shuffled deck of cards if players decide to opt out, preserve their redshirt years and enter the transfer portal.

So yes, this is a perfect combination of time and place for Penn State to play its first road game of the season. Even with all the "uncertainty" surrounding the Bruins, as Franklin termed it, Penn State will confront some major uncertainties of its own.

"It;s going to be an important game for us and an importrant trip," Franklin said.

Another important Penn State trip 20 years ago

The 2005 Nittany Lions, who held a 20th reunion for the FIU game, faced a similar circumstance during their Big Ten-title run. One week after a wincing, last-second loss at Michigan, the Nittany Lions went on the road to Illinois. The Illini (2-4 at the time) hosted Penn State in a decent prime-time atmosphere that peaked with their first-drive field goal.

Quarterback Michael Robinson proceeded to lead Penn State on eight first-half touchdown drives and a 56-3 halftime lead. Penn State ultimately won 63-10, making a firm statement a week after one of the most bitter losses in program Big Ten history.

At Memorial Stadium, Penn State cared nothing about consistency in that first half. Robinson threw four first-half touchdown passes and ran for two scores in a performance that absolutely certified his alpha personality among Big Ten quarterbacks. Yet this week, Franklin kept using that word, or a variation, when referring to his offense and quarterback Drew Allar in particular.

"Obviously we talk about the inconsistency, and it's all across the board on offense," Franklin said. "I think you see flashes of brilliance and inconsistency."

Penn State's 2005 and 2025 offenses are nowhere similar. Robinson was an electrifying college quarterback who made an NFL career playing running back and fullback. Allar is a pro-style quarterback in a pro-style system, as Franklin reminded reporters in an exasperated tone Wednesday night.

"I'm not going to get into what’s going on out there in terms of opinions [about Allar's fit with this offense] and those types of things," Franklin said. "I didn't feel that way last year [in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's first season]. I thought we did some really, really good things last year. I thought we’ve done some good things this year, just not consistently enough. It’s a pro-style offense."

Penn State needs a big first half from its offense

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar is tackled by Oregon Ducks linebacker Blake Purchase. — Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) is tackled by Oregon Ducks linebacker Blake Purchase (9) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

It's also a pro-style offense that needs a day, and start, like that 2005 team produced in Champaign. Penn State has not been a good first-half offense in particular. The Nittany Lions rank 67th nationally in points at halftime and are tied for 63rd in first-quarter scoring, according to TeamRankings.

Penn State has scored three first-quarter touchdowns this season, of course none against Oregon. It also has scored just three second-quarter touchdowns, none against FIU or Oregon.

The Nittany Lions have shown an inability to put their offensive boot on an opponent quickly and take over a game. That leads to shortened drives, more time-of-possession disparity and a defense that was laboring by overtime against Oregon.

"It's good to get back on the grass and get our focus on our next opponent after making the corrections and learning from some of the things we could have done better [against Oregon]," Franklin said through gritted teeth Wednesday.

Saturday's game belongs, strategically and psychologically, to Penn State's offense. If the Nittany Lions can't subdue UCLA's will early, as the 2005 Nittany Lions did to Illinois, Franklin might be looking for another road game to steer clear of State College.

Trouble is, Penn State's next game (Oct. 11 against Northwestern) is homecoming. Which makes this week's road trip even more important.

Another important Penn State trip 20 years ago

Penn State needs a big first half from its offense

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