James Franklin opens up on how he keeps faith amid struggles vs. Top 10 teams

For Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin, Saturday night was another loss in a long list of big-game blunders. Now, he’s looking for a way to keep the faith amid his personal and the Penn State program’s struggles in those big games.

It would be an epic White Out, going into double overtime before a Drew Allar interception ended it and gave Oregon the win. With that, James Franklin moved to 4-21 during his time at Penn State against AP Top 10 teams. It’s a poor record that has contributed to a reputation that Franklin can’t seem to shake. He doesn’t win important games.

After the loss, Franklin opened up about his struggles in those big games. In particular, how he understands that there is a real narrative there and that it falls on him.

“Again, I kind of look at the entire picture,” James Franklin said. “I get that narrative, and it’s really not narrative, it’s factual. It’s the facts. I get it, you know, but I try to look at the entire picture and what we’ve been able to do here, but at the end of the day, we got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it, and I take ownership, and I take responsibility.”

James Franklin has found plenty of success since getting to Penn State in 2014. That includes putting together a 104-43 record in Happy Valley and winning the Big Ten in 2016. However, it took until last season to make the College Football Playoff for the first time. That became a semifinal run before falling to Notre Dame.

“At the end of the day, I wanted that for those kids in that locker room. I wanted that for those kids in that locker room. How hard they work, how much they sacrifice,” Franklin said. “And we had our opportunities. We had our opportunities, but yeah, I take responsibility.”

Fans in Happy Valley have seemed to get frustrated throughout the loss to Oregon. There were audible boos that could be heard for the offense during the game. Then, at one point, the student section could even be heard chanting, “Fire Franklin.” That clear frustration was also something Franklin addressed, praising the fans and doing his best to own the mistakes.

“Yeah, we have a passionate fan base,” 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.”

James Franklin and Penn State are hoping to bounce back next week with their first road trip of the season. They’ll hit the road to take on the UCLA Bruins next week.