James Franklin on called off scoop and score: 'That was obviously significant'

Arguably the biggest call in Saturday’s top-10 clash between James Franklin‘s Penn State team and Ohio State came in the second quarter on a third down play.

The Buckeyes had 3rd-and-11 at the Penn State 26 with 9:34 left in the second quarter when Kyle McCord took the snap in the shotgun. The Nittany Lions rushed only four with one linebacker playing spy coverage as the six other defenders locked down on the pass catches down the field.

The pocked collapsed quickly and Curtis Jacobs found himself barreling in on McCord trying to escape the pocket. McCord tried to get the ball out of his hands but failed as Jacobs punched it out backwards. Jacobs then ran towards the ball, scooped it up and ran about 59 yards down the field for a score.

But the referees threw a flag on the play. They called star cornerback Kalen King for a defensive holding on star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

The touchdown was wiped off the board. Instead of a 10-3 lead for the Nittany Lions, Ohio State took advantage of the situation to score later in the drive.

Franklin addressed the call in his press conference after the game, which the Buckeyes won 20-12.

“They called defensive holding,” Franklin said. “Obviously, that’s a huge play in the game. Huge momentum play in the game and then I think after that followed up with another interference call. But that was obviously significant. But for me to sit here and talk about how that call looked, I couldn’t tell you. I just know what they told us.”

Even without a tough call like that one, the loss was a heartbreaking one for Franklin and the team. A win would have put them in prime position for a playoff spot with the first rankings of the season coming out Tuesday.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, who broadcasted the game, said on his podcast this week that while the loss no doubt stings, the season is not over for Penn State. There is a route to the playoff.

“Keep plugging away and learn from your mistakes,” Klatt said. “We all thought that it was time to take the next step. But what needed to be learned is that in order to take the next step? It wasn’t about just doing what you do a little bit better. It was finding the small areas within your team where you can find an outpitch where they can take you to even the next level and then the next level after that. You lean into those areas.”