What They Said After Penn State's Loss to Northwestern

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin says he will "get it fixed" after the team's third straight loss.

The Penn State Nittany Lions sing their alma mater following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State coach James Franklin vowed to "get it fixed" after the Nittany Lions' 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. Whether he will get the opportunity is the question.

Franklin left Beaver Stadium with a 3-3 record that includes three straight Big Ten losses. Afterward, Franklin chose not to address his future when asked directly about it. Here's what the head coaches said after the game.

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Penn State coach James Franklin

James Franklin was asked if he still wants to be the head coach at Penn State.

He didn’t answer the question.

“I’m committed to the guys in the locker room.” pic.twitter.com/j1CHz2LVD1

— Chase Fisher (@chase_fisher4) October 11, 2025

ON THE LOSS: First of all, you have to give Northwestern and Coach [David] Braun a ton of credit. We shouldn’t lose that game. It’s 100-percent on me, and we have to get it fixed, and I will get it fixed.

ON WHETHER HE STILL WANTS TO COACH AT PENN STATE: Yeah, for me, it's always been about our players, and those guys are hurting right now. And the fans are frustrated, and I totally get it. We have great fans here. We get unbelievable support. I understand their frustration. Trust me. We’re as frustrated as anybody, the guys in the locker room. But to me, ultimately, it's about the guys. It's about the guys in the locker room, and they're hurting in there, and I’d do anything I could to take that hurt away from them. But like I told them, we got to stick together. We got to tune out all the noise, and we got to get to work. That's the only answer is, get to work. We've had some adversity in the past, not like this, and we're going to get to work. I love those kids. I am committed to those players in that locker room, and I've been that way for 12 years. I've been that way for 15 years of my head coaching career, and I've been that way for 30 years. That won't change. It's always been about the players for me. That won't ever change. That's what it's all about for me. So my commitment is to the guys in that locker room and all the guys that have been in that locker room in the past. So that's where my commitment is.

ON WHETHER HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT OUTSIDE DISTRACTIONS: Yeah, we have worked really hard to keep the building as positive as we possibly can and close out all that noise. But for me to say that it doesn’t impact them, would not be honest.

ON THE RUN DEFENSE'S INEFFECTIVENESS: Probably the answer that you don’t want, that I need to watch the tape. But at the end of the day, the stats and the results are what they are, and it’s my responsibility to get it fixed. And we will get to work tomorrow, and probably even tonight. Again, it’s totally on me, and we will do everything we can to get it fixed.

ON WHAT HE THINKS IS MISSING WITH THE TEAM: Yeah, there’s obviously a ton of different dynamics in college football now, but we’re all dealing with the same thing. And whatever the situation is now in college football, everybody must embrace it — and that doesn’t allow us to use that as the reason. Again, at the end of the day, it is my responsibility completely, and I take full responsibility for all of it. I hired all the staff; I recruited all the players — believe in all of them. But at the end of the day, we’re not getting it done right now, and again, I own that.

RELATED: Penn State and James Franklin have reached the end of the road

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

ON WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE OFFENSE: I thought early in the game, we got the running game going. Kaytron [Allen] was very productive. Obviously, Nick [Singleton] was able to get the touchdown as well. The early turnover, obviously, was significant, because we went right down the field after the blocked punt and were in a great situation. That was obviously a big series in the game. You go down and you score on that drive — could be a very different game. But again, we’ve got to handle whatever comes and respond to whatever comes. But I thought early on we were able to run the ball and mix some things up. In the second half, we weren’t able to run the ball either.

ON GETTING MORE PLAYMAKERS INVOLVED: I think that's fair. It can't just be the running back and one wide receiver. We need multiple guys making plays. We need to distribute the ball. We need to get as many guys involved, because they're capable. So again, that is on me to make sure that that happens. And again, you know, all I can say is, I take full responsibility.

Northwestern coach David Braun

Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun looks on from the field prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

ON THE WIN: I’m really proud of our guys. We’ve got a locker room full of men who’ve been working and believing, and they showed that tonight. To have an opportunity like this, in a place like Penn
State, and to see our leadership tested, guys like [linebacker] Mac Uihlein, I couldn’t be more proud of how they responded. It wasn’t one of our stated goals to get to this point, but our players earned it in 24 hours by trusting the process and staying committed. I think this football team has grown a lot. They’ve faced tough situations, shown resilience, and kept responding. Now, it’s about shifting our focus, getting back to work, and finding ways to keep improving each day.

ON HIS MESSAGE TO THE TEAM: The message was really that we were facing a football team with its back against the wall, maybe even questioning who they are. We knew they’d come out hungry at home, ready to fight. Our guys responded to that challenge. We knew Penn State had talent, but we also believed they could be attacked. Our players stepped up, stayed composed in a tough environment, and showed who we are as a team. That’s a reflection of our identity, we know who we are, and we execute together.

ON WHAT LED TO NORTHWESTERN'S RESPONSE SATURDAY: Our leadership and maturity. This group respects one another and believes in each other. That kind of trust shows up in moments like today. Even when momentum swung, nobody panicked. We’ve talked all year about handling adversity, and today our guys did exactly that. We left some opportunities out there, sure, but the defense made big stops, and we kept finding ways to respond. That’s the sign of a team that’s growing together.