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Hope for Penn State against Ohio State became the same old story for James Franklin

Hope for Penn State against Ohio State became the same old story for James Franklin
Posted on | Posted on angela

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The walk through the Beaver Stadium tunnel couldn't have ended soon enough for James Franklin.

Penn State's head coach, who had family members on both sides, was greeted with boos and chants of “Fi-re Franklin!” after the No. 3 Nittany Lions' 20-13 loss to No. 4 Ohio State.

Beaver Stadium's record-breaking crowd of 111,030, many of whom sat in traffic for hours, had thought Saturday might be different. This was supposed to be a crowning achievement for an undefeated Penn State football team that was at the center of the college football world on Saturday morning with ESPN's “College GameDay” and Fox's “Big Noon Kickoff.” This was Penn State's close-up, a potential coming out party for a team ready to make a statement that it is a national championship contender.

Franklin's team thrilled the home crowd as they took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Suddenly something terrible began to unfold at Beaver Stadium. It's the kind of feeling you don't feel too often when the Buckeyes come to town: There was hope. There was cautious optimism in the Penn State fan base, which had endured losses to Ohio State for nearly a decade. They held on to the idea that this could finally be different.

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With quarterback Drew Allar, defensive end Abdul Carter, running back Nicholas Singleton and other key third-year players, this squad was prepared to compete against an Ohio State program that it hasn't beaten since the memorable upset in 2016. Allar, who was injured last week at Wisconsin, took off his knee brace in the second half and looked like a healthy quarterback. Carter ripped off the edge to demonize Ohio State's struggling offensive line and piled up two sacks. NFL scouts watched from the press box as Carter established himself as one of the most dominant players on the field.

Penn State even scored a pick six from second-year cornerback Zion Tracy, who raised his right index finger in the air as he crossed the goal line in the first quarter. And a Will Howard touchdown was wiped off the board in the first half after Zakee Wheatley cleverly hit the ball and Howard fumbled it through the end zone for a touchback.

This was Penn State's best chance. There was a path to a win against a top-five opponent, something Penn State has done only once since 2000. But by late afternoon that optimism had evaporated and been replaced by anger.

Another year, another Penn State loss to Ohio State. That's eight straight losses in a streak in which Franklin is now 1-10.

The boos in the Beaver Stadium tunnel grew louder as Franklin turned left and headed to the locker room. Recruits walked by, some with disbelieving looks on their faces. Former Nittany Lions safety Marcus Allen, who memorably blocked the field goal on the winning touchdown in 2016, was also watching. Sure, there's still a path to a playoff spot and even hosting a first-round game in the new 12-team format, but after the offense played on Saturday, there should be a lot of belief that Penn State is making a serious run can start if this is the case does the bracket make?

“There’s no one who looks in the mirror harder than me,” Franklin said. “I'll say this and I've said it before: 99 percent of the programs in all of college football would die if they did what we were able to do in our time here. …I totally get it. We have looked at all of these things very closely and we will continue to look at all of these things very closely.”

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Once again, a Nittany Lions offense that should have leapt forward stalled, yielding zero points for two drives inside Ohio State's 5-yard line. An offense that entered Saturday ranked seventh in yards per game under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki scored just six points, three of them on the opening drive.

Yes, Penn State's defense scored more points than its offense. Yes, Penn State even had three cracks from Ohio State's 3-yard line and one from the 1-yard line to score in the fourth quarter and failed to score when the game was on the line.

“We gave the ball to the running back three times and threw the ball the last time,” Franklin said. “Yeah, should we probably have given Tyler Warren the ball after the plays he made? Yes, I understand the question. I understand it.”

This was the most devastating offensive performance Penn State ever produced under Franklin against Ohio State. For the second time in Kotelnicki's career as a play caller, his offense failed to score a touchdown. The last time? In 2021, when his Kansas offense was kept out of the end zone by Oklahoma State. Jim Knowles was the defensive coordinator both times.

The Nittany Lions finished the game with 270 yards of total offense and were 3 of 11 on third downs (after going 1 of 15 against Ohio State last year).

“I’m just upset,” Singleton said. “If we score at the end, we will be in a completely different position and win. At the end of the day we just have to make it happen. I have to finish.”

The fact that Warren didn't make contact around the goal line on the first three plays late in the fourth quarter – after Warren's 33-yard run put Penn State in position to tie the game – was startling. The do-it-all tight end, who regularly runs Wildcat sprints, was Penn State's leading rusher with three runs for 47 yards. Warren not getting the ball there is comparable to Trace McSorley's handoff in the infamous four-and-five debacle in 2018 against Ohio State that still scares Penn State fans.

“It’s heartbreaking,” guard Sal Wormley said of the final scene of the attack. “We are right there. We are always there. This game wasn't a blowout, it wasn't a shutout. The offense just needs to come together and get something going. …Insult, we’ll just have to figure it out.”

Warren was the target on Allar's fourth-down pass, but when Ohio State covered him, Allar opted for tight end Khalil Dinkins in the middle of the end zone. His pass was incomplete.

Penn State's need for a No. 1 wide receiver, which has had a negative impact on this team over the past two seasons, was once again evident. Singleton's six receptions for 54 yards were a team high, and Warren had four catches. The only wide receivers to catch a pass were Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming (one for 4 yards) and Harrison Wallace III (two for 45 yards). Wallace was also the intended target on Penn State's final play of the first half, when Allar was intercepted in the tightest window of the end zone by Davison Igbinosun.

Instead of having something to show for first-and-goal at the Ohio State 3, Penn State came away empty-handed, just as it did later in the fourth quarter.

“I was thinking about a 1-on-1 opportunity against (Wallace),” Allar said. “I have to give him a better chance to make this play, and these are plays that he will make nine times out of 10. I just have to do a better job of giving him a better chance.”

As disjointed as the offense was against an elite Ohio State defense, the Penn State defense also couldn't tie the game late after the Buckeyes' score at the goal line. With 5:13 left and Ohio State getting back within 1, the defense could have opened the game with a safety in front of a roaring crowd. There could have been a stop to get off the pitch and give Allar and the offense a chance to try and push the game forward and equalise.

Instead, it was another disappointment from Penn State at a crucial moment. Ohio State finished with 10 consecutive runs and a kneel down in the final 5:13 of the game. On the field and in the Big Ten rankings, it has prevailed over Penn State and is now in a direct due break. When the first College Football Playoff rankings are released on Tuesday, it will certainly be ranked higher.

“They ended up having a championship run there,” Franklin said. “We didn’t play well in an obvious run situation.”

Another year, more of the same.

(Photo by Kaytron Allen: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)

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