James Franklin calls road game after Oregon loss 'a good time to get out of town' for Penn State

It was a difficult White Out for the Penn State Nittany Lions, dropping the game in double overtime to the Oregon Ducks. Now, head coach James Franklin is back to the drawing board before the Nittany Lions continue Big Ten play.

Next up, Penn State is ready to take its first road trip of the season, leaving Happy Valley for Los Angeles. It’s just in time too, as Franklin admitted, it’s not a bad time of the season to get out of town.

“It’s a good time to get out of town, for sure,” James Franklin said. “I wouldn’t describe it as a little like a bowl trip, but these opportunities, you hear from a lot of the former players and NFL players that come back to talk, these are the times you miss. The time in the hotel. The time traveling. Obviously, we’ll fly out of Harrisburg and then fly back into [State College]. So, we also have the aspect of getting to Harrisburg. But you know, these are important trips for us.”

On paper, Penn State is a heavy favorite against a winless UCLA team that has already moved on from its head coach. However, James Franklin does know that there are challenges that come from the travel, which can now be seen throughout the Big Ten on these long road trips, that he needs to find a way to navigate.

“We’ve got to handle it well. You look at these West Coast trips or East Coast trips in the conference. Some schools have really struggled with that. So, we’ve got to do a good job,” Franklin said. “And then, just all the uncertainty that comes with this opponent and UCLA, with the amount of changes that they’ve had. So it’s going to be an important game for us, an important trip.”

James Franklin won’t allow losses to define his career

There are a lot of great things that can be said for James Franklin and his tenure at Penn State. The problem is that, for many fans, that all gets overshadowed by his struggles in big games. However, Franklin isn’t prepared to let those losses define his career.

“I will also say this: I’m not going to allow one loss to define our season. I’m not going to allow a few losses to define my career or what we have built here at Penn State. Because even though I don’t think a lot of people spend much time on what we’ve accomplished in 12 years here — and I get it, nobody wants to hear this right now — there are a ton of positives,” Franklin said.

“I say that as someone trying to focus on those positives while still moving the program forward and taking the next step this week. I don’t want this to come off as me ignoring the negatives, but I don’t think yelling, screaming, or pointing fingers solves the problem. That’s not what we’re going to do. There’s also the responsibility of making sure I represent this program and this university the right way — with class and integrity. That probably shows up even more in moments like this than when things are going well. But I’ll be honest — it’s not fun, and it’s not easy when you care as deeply as we do.”

The UCLA game won’t count as a big game for many. It’s important for the Nittany Lions, though, as they look to get back on track after a difficult start to Big Ten play. There will, of course, be time for more major tests later in the season.