Penn State fans chant 'Fire Franklin,' voicing frustration as Penn State struggles vs. Oregon
College football is not for the faint of heart. And even when you’re really good, you’re only a few plays away from being on the outs. James Franklin is learning that on Saturday night.
As Penn State‘s offense floundered in a key conference showdown against Oregon, fans were getting sick of it. Oregon, on the other hand, has been sharp.
The Ducks had the chutzpah to go for it on fourth down in the red zone and ended up converting for a touchdown to take a 17-3 lead. It was a stark contrast with the Nittany Lions, who had earlier punted from the opponent’s 36-yard line. And the fans let Franklin have it during the Ducks’ extra point.
“Fire Franklin!” chants rang out in the stadium. They were captured by reporters. Check it out below.
As if inspired by the chants, Penn State immediately answered the touchdown. It took only four plays.
The drive started with a quick pass from Drew Allar to Luke Reynolds, then gained steam with a 19-yard pickup on the ground by Kaytron Allen. After Allar completed another pass to Trebor Pena for 12 yards, the drive was primed.
Allar then struck and hit paydirt by finding Devonte Ross for a 35-yard score. That cut the deficit to 17-10 with 10:30 left in the game.
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And the spark seemed to be infectious, too. The Penn State defense quickly came up with a stop against Oregon and the offense would get another chance to drive down the field for a tying score.
The ensuing drive wasn’t nearly as quick as the previous one, with Penn State taking a big chunk of the clock out ensuring it could reach the end zone. The drive featured multiple fourth-down conversions, getting the Nittany Lions into the red zone.
The drive was capped by a 7-yard touchdown by Ross on a nifty pop pass from the backfield. The extra point tied it at 17-17 with 30 seconds left in the contest. The game would go into overtime.
Suffice it to say, however this one ends the ‘Fire Franklin’ chants are likely to be quickly forgotten by the home fans. It was a great response from the Nittany Lions after the frustration of the first three quarters.