Greg McElroy calls out college football powerhouse that’s ‘hit rock bottom’

Penn State’s 42–37 loss to UCLA prompts Greg McElroy to say the Nittany Lions have 'hit rock bottom.'

College football personality Greg McElroy criticized Penn State football and head coach James Franklin after the Nittany Lions' historic loss to UCLA. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Greg McElroy didn’t sugarcoat his opinion of Penn State’s collapse at UCLA. During Sunday’s episode of Always College Football, the ESPN analyst said the Nittany Lions had “hit rock bottom,” calling their 42–37 loss “the worst defeat of the James Franklin era.”

The words came after a stunning weekend when a winless UCLA team, led by interim coach Tim Skipper and a new playcaller in Jerry Neuheisel, shocked the college football world.

Penn State entered the game as a heavy favorite, fresh off a crushing double-overtime loss to Oregon. It was supposed to be a chance to reset and reassert control of their Big Ten season. Instead, the Lions ran into a UCLA team that had fired its head coach days earlier, reshuffled its entire offensive staff, and somehow found the spark that had been missing through four straight losses.

The loss dropped Penn State to 0–2 in conference play and ignited a national conversation about Franklin’s job security. For McElroy, the deeper issue was not just the loss itself, it was what it revealed about the state of the program.

A Complete Nittany Lions Collapse Against a Winless Opponent

UCLA’s 42–37 upset was historic. The Bruins became the first 0–4 or worse team to beat an AP top-10 opponent in four decades, and they did it by outplaying Penn State in every critical moment. Led by transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava, UCLA scored on its first five drives, dictated tempo, and controlled the clock.

Iamaleava accounted for five total touchdowns and 128 rushing yards, consistently breaking containment on third and long, including conversions of 11, 15, and 22 yards that kept Penn State’s defense on the field.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) passed for 166 yards and two touchdowns and added 128 rushing yards and three scores on the ground against Penn State on Saturday. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

McElroy pointed out that Penn State didn’t lack effort, but execution and coaching failed them. UCLA finished with 446 total yards, rushed for 280, and converted 10 of 16 third downs. Even special teams swung the momentum, as an onside kick recovery and a blocked punt both led to points. The Nittany Lions’ defensive line, long a point of pride under coordinator Jim Knowles, was overpowered as the Bruins dictated the pace of the game.

For a team that entered 2025 with playoff expectations and veteran leadership, the defeat exposed structural cracks, a defense suddenly vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks and an offense that struggles to play from behind.

Fallout And Questions Around James Franklin

McElroy reserved his harshest criticism for the program’s response afterward. Franklin told reporters that travel issues, lost players, and low energy contributed to the loss, an approach that McElroy said “doesn’t fly” for a national power. The postgame tone drew as much backlash as the performance itself, with many pointing out that Oregon faced similar travel circumstances the week before and found a way to win in Happy Valley.

Penn State’s back-to-back losses have derailed its playoff hopes and rekindled speculation about Franklin’s long-term future in State College. His buyout makes an immediate change unlikely, but the optics are brutal: two straight losses, a 0–2 Big Ten start, and a program that hasn’t beaten a top-10 opponent on the road since 2016.

Penn State head coach James Franklin and his Nittany Lions are 0-2 in Big Ten play after Saturday's loss to UCLA. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

McElroy’s message was simple. Penn State’s problems go beyond execution. They are cultural. The Nittany Lions have to rediscover accountability and leadership before the season spirals further. “Penn State’s got some soul searching to do,” McElroy said, noting that excuses and missed opportunities have replaced the urgency that defined Franklin’s best teams.

The Nittany Lions will try to regroup when they host the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday.