Frustrations with James Franklin fume from fans and himself

Serious conversations regarding No. 3 Penn State football head coach James Franklin's ability to lead the Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten), who fell to No. 6 Oregon in the White Out at Beaver Stadium Saturday night. He was met with a "Fire Franklin" chant from fans as he made his way off the field and into the locker room.

"They're passionate," Franklin said of the Penn State fanbase to reporters after the game. "And when we win, there's nothing better. When he lose, there's nothing worse. So, I get it. I get the frustration that comes with a fanbase that is invested and cares. I get it."

Quarterback Drew Allar put up a fight in the fourth quarter after performing well below average for his expectations. The problems with Allar under center aren't new, but they were overshadowed by hope and blaming his poor feats on others. One of those being Franklin's leadership.

Both Franklin and Allar know that they're the first ones to face the heat from critics. Following Saturday night's results, opinions are split once again. What doesn't lie, though, are stats. Unfortunately for both parties, the stats don't fall in either of their favors as a saving grace.

After the first three weeks of the season, faith in Allar was already on the decline. Week 5 was just the opportunity for Franklin's abilities to catch up to speed with that consensus as well. As Penn State's head coach, the loss to the Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) gave him his 21st loss to a top 10 opponent and 30th loss to a top 25 opponent.

After Saturday, Franklin couldn't deny it either.

"I get that narrative. It's really not a narrative, it's factual, it's the facts," Franklin said of the "Big Game James" title he's been given. "I get it, but I try to look at the entire picture and what we've been able to do here. But at the end of the day, we got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it. I take ownership. I take responsibility."

Allar ended his night on an interception. A tale as old as time — well, as long as he's been at Penn State at least. He completed 14 of 25 throws for 137 yards, two touchdowns, and that game-ending interception.

The third-year starter threw out some hope for the Nittany Lions to latch onto as he went on to fire up the offense and tie the game 17-17 at the end of regulation. From there, Penn State put up a touchdown in overtime, allowed the Ducks to do the same twice in a row, and then fell to the inevitable fate of Allar and Franklin's performances in big games.

"At the end of the day, I wanted that for those kids in that locker room," Franklin said. "I wanted that for those kids in that locker room. How hard they work, how much they sacrifice, and we had our opportunities. We had our opportunities."