James Franklin addresses frustration from Penn State fans: ‘I get it’

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks played a double overtime thriller on Saturday night in Happy Valley. In the end, it would be the Ducks walking away with the win in the White Out, and Penn State head coach James Franklin, who was saddled with another big-game loss.

The Nittany Lions have been close to getting over the hump under Franklin for years now. However, wins against Top-10 opponents have been hard to come by, and after the Oregon game, he’s just 4-21 against those teams since he got to Penn State in 2014. With that, fans have seemingly become frustrated with Franklin. At one point during the White Out, the student section could even be heard chanting, “Fire Franklin.” Other times, audible boos could be heard for the offense.

After the game, Franklin addressed the frustration that has built up for fans. He’d praise that passion that the Penn State fans have while admitting that he understands why there is growing frustration.

“Yeah, we have a passionate fan base,” James Franklin said. “111,000. The environment was awesome. They’re passionate. When we win, there’s nothing better. When we lose, there’s nothing worse. I get it, I get the frustration that comes with a fan base that is investing and cares. So, I get it.”

Since getting to Penn State, James Franklin has found plenty of success. He now has a 104-43 record there. That’s after he inherited a program that was coming off the brief Bill O’Brien era and heavy sanctions. He’d win a Big Ten Championship relatively quickly in 2016. However, it took until 2024 and the expanded College Football Playoff for Penn State to make the Playoff. That, when combined with those struggles against top-ranked teams, have given Franklin and his Penn State program a reputation for losing big games.

The loss to Oregon comes in a season where Penn State has national championship aspirations with the return of quarterback Drew Allar and star running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Of course, a run to the CFP is still on the table, but the path did just become more difficult.

Despite that, not everyone bought into Penn State over the offseason. That’s exactly because of the reputation James Franklin has developed for big games. Among those who had concerns was Paul Finebaum. At the time, he said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Now, Penn State is 3-1 and looking to get back to the drawing board. The season isn’t over yet, though, and the Nittany Lions will have more chances to get over that big game hump. That includes multiple games against top-ranked Big Ten teams. First, however, Franklin and the Nittany Lions will turn their attention to a road trip against the UCLA Bruins next week.