College Football HQ

James Franklin has heated exchange with Penn State fan after Ohio State loss: Video

Watch as Penn State head coach James Franklin is confronted by an angry fan moments after losing to Ohio State on Saturday.
James Parks|
Penn State football coach James Franklin had an change with an angry fan moments after losing to Ohio State.
Penn State football coach James Franklin had an change with an angry fan moments after losing to Ohio State. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Penn State Nittany Lions

Moments after Penn State lost its eighth-straight game against Ohio State, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin found himself in a brief exchange with an angry fan in the stands.

Walking towards the tunnel, Franklin heard a fan shouting something at him and then headed in his direction, pausing there and seeming to exchange words with a Penn State supporter.

While the loss marks another stumble in Franklin’s record against highly-ranked teams during his tenure, the Nittany Lions did get out to a good start against the Buckeyes.

Zion Tracy intercepted Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s first pass of the game and returned it for a touchdown for the early 10-0 lead.

But the Buckeyes played their way back into the game, holding Penn State’s offense out of the end zone, including a signature goal-line stand over four plays from the 3-yard line.

The loss drops Penn State to 7-1 overall with a 4-1 mark in Big Ten play and effectively ends the team’s conference title prospects, and harms its national postseason chances.

And although the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams means this loss isn’t technically season-ending in terms of national title hopes, it does leave questions with how this roster is built to contend going forward.

-

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks

Published | Modified
James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

Home/News