James Franklin, Oregon and Penn State
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Penn State's White Out magic faded in a double-overtime defeat, while Ohio State's defense and a former Division II standout left their fingerprints all over Week 5 for the college football season.
Penn State's offense has had one player provide a clear spark through four games. We could see more of him moving forward.
The Nittany Lions have now lost 15 consecutive games against top-six opponents under Franklin, who holds the second-worst record (minimum 20 games) among all coaches, behind just Hall of Fame Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who went 2-24 against top-six teams.
Week 5 brought painful reality checks for a handful of prominent coaches like Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly and Kirby Smart who need to turn their seasons around fast.
It’s UCLA week for the Penn State program. But it’s difficult to wrap-up Oregon week without tying up a few loose ends. James Franklin’s team, a prohibitive favorite over UCLA on the road this week, dropped a gut-wrenching 30-24 overtime decision to Oregon on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
The boo birds were out early as Penn State's offense struggled, and the frustration boiled over after Oregon scored to make the score 17-3. From the student section, a clearly audible "Fire Franklin" chant was briefly belted into the night before the tide briefly turned and the Lions stormed back to force overtime.