Penn State’s shocking loss to UCLA was bad enough — but James Franklin’s explanation for the collapse somehow made it worse
James Franklin’s explanation for Penn State’s historic loss to UCLA only makes matters worse.
The Penn State Nittany Lions’ 2025 season entered Saturday at the Rose Bowl teetering on the brink of déjà vu. The program left Saturday’s 42-37 loss to the UCLA Bruins on the brink of something else. Disaster. Penn State’s offense was lethargic in the first half, the defense looked like they’d never seen an athletic quarterback before, whereas a slew of little details were capitalized on by a UCLA program that has already underwent a mid-season coaching change.
It’s unacceptable, particularly for a program with national championship aspirations. Those big picture goals may already be out the window, especially with big bad Ohio State looming on the schedule. We all know how those games have gone under James Franklin.
But Franklin’s explanation of this farce of a game that should have Lions fans even more steaming mad than they already are. It makes a bad loss even worse.
James Franklin’s explanation for Penn State’s flat start on Saturday only makes matters worse
“Obviously we did not handle last week’s loss (to Oregon) well. We also lost some players in that game, during the week. And then everything else…the travel, everything else…Did not come out with the right energy to start the game, and before you know it they get a touchdown drive and an onsides kick, and now you’re fighting. They gain confidence, and we’re fighting for the next three quarters. That’s my responsibility, and I didn’t get it done.”
— James Franklin on why Penn State was unprepared for Saturday’s loss to UCLA
Penn State’s remaining opponents in 2025
- Home opponents: Northwestern, Indiana (8), Nebraska
- Away opponents: Iowa, Ohio State (1), Michigan State, Rutgers
Are we serious? Ability to move on from a loss, injuries, travel. These are the context behind why a four-score favorite fell against a winless UCLA Bruins team on Saturday? Against a team that had just two days of practice amid a new offensive play caller? It’s devastating. And Franklin is absolutely right about one thing — it is his responsibility. So even if the reasonings Franklin is providing is the whole, absolutely truth with nothing else to blame, it’s an indictment on the thing that has always held talented Penn State teams back during the Franklin era. James Franklin.
To say this part out loud, especially with a touch of passive blame onto the players for not moving on from last week’s loss to Oregon and missing the right energy to start the game, should only make anyone reeling from this loss feel worse.
This was avoidable. The Bruins deserve credit for coming out after a coaching change and playing loose and inspired. They’re clearly a more talented team than their 0-4 record indicated. But Franklin once called this Penn State team the ‘best combined personnel’ of his tenure. To lose this game is appalling. To credit the travel and injuries is even more so. And it makes it very easy to identify where this Penn State team is currently stuck.
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The Penn State Nittany Lions were left shellshocked after their 42-37 loss to UCLA in Pasadena, CA, on Saturday. Boasting a four-score advantage from betting services heading into the road trip, Penn State appeared to be a prime bounce-back candidate after losing to Oregon at home in double overtime last week. Instead, James Franklin’s Nittany […]
