Shortly after Penn State lost its eighth straight game to Ohio State, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin got into a brief exchange with an angry fan in the stands.
As he walked toward the tunnel, Franklin heard a fan yell something at him and then walked toward him, stopped and appeared to exchange words with a Penn State supporter.
Penn State coach James Franklin had a testy exchange with a fan as he left the field after another loss to a top 10 opponent. pic.twitter.com/zJYUXleZck
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 2, 2024
While the loss marks another stumble in Franklin’s record against top-ranked teams during his tenure, the Nittany Lions got off to a good start against the Buckeyes.
Zion Tracy intercepted Ohio State quarterback Will Howard’s first pass of the game and returned it for a touchdown for the early 10-0 lead.
But the Buckeyes played their way back into the game and kept Penn State’s offense out of the end zone, including a signature goal-line stand over four plays from the 3-yard line.
The loss drops Penn State to 7-1 overall with a 4-1 mark in Big Ten play, effectively ending the team’s conference title prospects and hurting its national postseason chances.
And while the expansion of the College Football Playoff to twelve teams means this loss isn’t technically the end of the season in terms of national title hopes, it does leave questions about how this roster is built to be able to compete in the future compete.
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