Sports

Penn State Fans Lose Their Minds After Pathetic Start Against 0-4 UCLA

#College Football
by
Penn State coach James Franklin

© James Lang/Imagn


One week after yet another devastating loss to a top-10 opponent under head coach James Franklin, the Penn State Nittany Lions flew to Los Angeles for what should have been a get-right game against UCLA.

Instead, the Nittany Lions came out and laid one of the biggest eggs you’ll ever see against an 0-4 Bruins team that just fired its head coach as well as several assistants.

UCLA entered the game scoring just 13 points per game, which ranked third-worst in the country among FBS programs. But the Bruins quickly marched down the field for an opening-drive touchdown, giving them their first lead of the season against any team.

They then proceeded to execute a surprise onside kick, recovering it and again marching down the field to take a 10-0 lead after a short field goal.

Penn State Fans Have Unanimously Turned On James Franklin After UCLA Debacle

When Penn State did finally get the ball, it quickly took the ball down the field for a touchdown to make it 10-7, but the Bruins came right back with another touchdown drive of their own before forcing another stop and scoring yet another touchdown.

That made the score 24-7 UCLA, despite the Bruins entering the game as 28.5-point underdogs. As you can imagine, Penn State fans were none-too-pleased with the pathetic performance.

“The most ardent Franklin supporter cannot defend this. He has to go,” one fan wrote.

“Franklin sucks against top 10, out of a bye, and generally facing any kind of adversity,” said another.

The Nittany Lions did get the ball back with just under five minutes to play and a chance to cut the lead before receiving the second half kickoff.

Instead, Penn State quickly marched to midfield before Franklin brutally mismanaged the clock, the Nittany Lions turned the ball over on downs, and UCLA kicked a last-second field goal to go into the half leading 27-7.

The James Franklin Era may not be over in Happy Valley, but it certainly feels like these past seven days could be the tipping point for his tenure.