Franklin Era: The Heartbreak

Okay, we have celebrated James Franklin a good bit this week. Now it is time for the bad moments. Do not fear, I will not go through all of them because there have been a bunch. I will just highlight my five big ones.

5. November 9, 2019–#5 Penn State @ #13 Minnesota–31-26 LOSS
This one was rough because we were undefeated, and had just won against ranked Michigan & Iowa. There was a lot of talk about the Gophers being great. The game was ugly from the start. I think the worst part about this loss was all the fans wondering if we should have hired P.J. Fleck instead.

4. September 10, 2016–Penn State @ Pittsburgh–42-39 LOSS
This one was heartbreaking because it was freakin’ Pitt! The Panthers led the entire game, but then Penn State came back, and on the final drive, it looked like they were going to win the game. Trace McSorley threw an interception in the end zone to give Pittsburgh the win. Side note, you all know how much I hate Pitt, but can we all agree that those uniforms were the WORST. I like the current ones. The only positive thing I will say about Pitt.

3. October 28, 2017–#2 Penn State @ #6 Ohio State–39-38 LOSS
I swear we could put every Ohio State game on this list, but I feel like this was the worst one. Penn State was winning 35-20 at the start of the 4th quarter. J.T. Barrett was incredible, especially in the final quarter. This was such a back-breaking game because we were undefeated, Ohio State already had a loss. This loss was so soul-crushing that it led to a loss the following week to Michigan State. 

2. January 2, 2017–#5 Penn State vs. #9 USC–52-49 LOSS
The Rose Bowl! This was an amazing game. I believe this was the highest scoring Rose Bowl ever. The worst part of this game was being held to zero points in the final quarter. It was such a dissatisfying end to that incredible season. We all wanted to beat up on the Trojans and prove to the Playoff Committee were wrong to not include us. 

1. October 9, 2021–#4 Penn State @ #3 Iowa–23-20 LOSS
UGHHHHHH!!!!!!!! We were winning this game until late in the 4th. Sean Clifford goes down with an injury, and Ta’Quan Roberson comes in. He does not look prepared at all. He has multiple false start penalties. It is just ugly as hell. And this was one of the games that truly felt like it was Franklin’s fault. Why was Roberson not well prepared for the possibility of playing? I still get mad thinking about that game. 

So what were some of your worst moments from the Franklin Era?