Penn State football: Top-10 wins of the James Franklin Era

By Brad Weiss | Dec 1, 2020

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts to a play during the second half of the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 30, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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Hackenberg was terrific in the Pinstripe Bowl (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

Penn State football: Top-10 wins of the James Franklin Era

Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College

To close out his first season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, James Franklin, and his Penn State squad took on Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. In what would be an instant classic, Franklin once again rode the right arm of Hackenberg, who capped off a pretty disappointing sophomore season with 371 yards and four touchdowns.

Down 21-7 in the third quarter, Penn State rallied back, and when the game went into overtime, they took advantage of a missed extra point by BC to bring home the win. It was the Nittany Lions’ first bowl game win since 2011, as they were suspended from postseason play due to the Jerry Sandusky Scandal.

For Franklin, it was a crowning moment in a tough season but was a huge stepping stone in him building back up the program. Once again, Ficken was a hero, as his field goal sent the game into overtime, and his extra-point sealed the victory for Penn State, who finished the season with a 7-6 record.

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