Penn State coach James Franklin got into a shouting match with a fan on Saturday following the team’s 20-13 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Franklin was heading toward the tunnel at Beaver Stadium after the game when one fan began angrily calling out the Nittany Lions’ red zone inefficiency on Saturday. The fan could clearly be heard yelling “three times inside the ten, three points,” while another fan next to him repeatedly berated the showing as “awful.”
Franklin stopped and responded to the heckling.
“What’s your name? If you’re going to be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” Franklin asked.
Ultimately, the fan did not respond and simply walked away, prompting Franklin to head down the tunnel without further incident.
James Franklin responded to heckling Penn State fans after the loss to Ohio State: “If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” pic.twitter.com/kILxOn8UqU
— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) November 2, 2024
In this particular instance, emotions were clearly running high and everyone was frustrated. Fortunately, neither side got personal, and cooler heads largely prevailed.
The problem for Franklin is that the fan is correct. Penn State had four red zone trips on Saturday and came away with only two field goals in a game they lost by seven. They were also stopped on 4th-and-goal at the 1 with just over five minutes left, and the Nittany Lions did not get the ball back after that. Penn State’s play-calling was sharply criticized as a result.
The biggest problem for Franklin is that he has consistently failed to win big games like this one during his tenure at Penn State. To Nittany Lions fans, that is likely the biggest source of frustration.
