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If James Franklin slept at all and woke up Sunday morning thinking he was in a time loop, it would be understandable.
Eight straight losses to Ohio State might seem like 80 to the Penn State football coach.
He might think he was Phil Connors and that Ryan Day was Ned Ryerson.
What does he have to do to stop having the same nightmare and feeling like it’s Groundhog Day every year?
“There’s nobody that’s looking in the mirror harder than I am,” Franklin said. “I will say this: 99% of the programs across college football would die to do what we’ve been able to do in our time here. But I also understand when you’re in a place like Penn State, there are really, really high expectations. I get it.”
The bottom line is that Franklin is 1-10 against the Buckeyes and 1-13 against top-five opponents. His record in those games is a stain on his 11-year tenure at Penn State that he could have begun to cleanse with a win Saturday.
The Lions’ 20-13 loss to Ohio State, their first of the season, reinforced the big-game narrative about Franklin. It enhanced the perception that the program is very good, but not elite.
It was a game that Penn State could have won. The Lions blew a double-digit lead against the Buckeyes, like they did in 2017 and ’18.
Franklin’s frustration was clear immediately after the game ended. He got into a verbal spat with a fan in the student section instead of ignoring him.
Only one Penn State coach has lost more consecutive games to the same opponent, and that was Joe Paterno’s nine straight losses to Michigan from 1997-2007.
The record crowd of 111,030 at Beaver Stadium and those fans watching on television will remember that Penn State twice had first downs at the 3-yard line and did not score.
Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun made a spectacular interception to spoil the first threat…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-loss-ohio-state-044600495.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2024-11-04 04:46:00
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