Penn State lost 30-24 in double-overtime to No. 5 Oregon, continuing a trend of falling short in high-stakes games.
Coach James Franklin’s record against top-10 opponents dropped to 4-20, leading to fan frustration.
Quarterback Drew Allar’s performance was inconsistent, culminating in a game-ending interception in the second overtime.
STATE COLLEGE, PA – The moment was too big for James Franklin, for Drew Allar and for No. 2 Penn State. But the moment is always too big for the Nittany Lions.
Nine years ago, the Nittany Lions used a special teams touchdown to beat then-No. 2 Ohio State 24-21, landing a marquee win that at the time seemed to set the stage for a renaissance in Franklin’s third season. Looking back, the entire program should’ve posed for a picture beneath the scoreboard at Beaver Stadium, capturing for posterity a rare victory against an opponent with similarly massive expectations but the actual wherewithal to see those goals through to fruition.
This season was supposed to be different. Penn State was supposed to have learned painful lessons from a narrow loss to Notre Dame in the national semifinals of last year’s College Football Playoff. After years of missteps and fumbled opportunities, the Nittany Lions were supposed to take that last step and cross the divide separating the very good teams of the Power Four from the very, very best.
But the 30-24 double-overtime loss to No. 5 Oregon on Saturday night reestablishes the Nittany Lions as college football’s surest thing, at least in games against the best of the Bowl Subdivision: When push comes to shove, Franklin’s program will inevitably come up short.
“It’s tough for me and everyone in this program,” said senior edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton. “We put so much into this year-round, so when you don’t win, it’s like, what do you do that for? But we know we’re going to bounce back next week.”
In this case, the offense should take a share of the blame. Penn State scored first on a 49-yard field goal early in the second quarter but wouldn’t score against until nearly five minutes into the fourth, when Allar sparked the first of two touchdown drives to force overtime.
But those two possessions accounted for nearly half of the Nittany Lions’ 276 yards of offense. The list of issues is long and troubling, and predate the loss to the Ducks to include a troublingly ineffective run through nonconference wins against Nevada, Villanova and Florida International.
“We just didn’t execute the way we were supposed to in the beginning of the game,” said senior offensive lineman Nick Dawkins. “We got it going a little bit at the end, but that’s inexcusable. That’s not our standard.”
There is still a distinct lack of game-breaking talent at wide receiver. The Nittany Lions managed just 75 yards after the catch with just one completion of more than 16 yards, while touted Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena failed to make an impact with only two catches.
An offensive line praised during the offseason as the best of the Franklin era — damningly light praise given how this unit has played for most of the past decade — allowed five tackles for loss and two sacks, along with a number of other busted assignments in protection that hindered the timing of the Nittany Lions’ passing game.
Allar continues to be a conundrum. After missing throws for three quarters, he piloted Penn State to those two late touchdown drives by taking matters into his own hands, especially as a runner. His 42 rushing yards were the fourth-most of his career and the most since going for 54 yards in last year’s Big Ten championship game loss to the Ducks.
But struggles in tight, high-pressure spots against elite competition continue to define Allar. He was intercepted late in the fourth quarter of last year’s loss to the Fighting Irish, setting up the go-ahead field goal with seconds remaining. After the defense stopped Oregon’s 2-point conversion in the second extra frame, setting up the possibility of a walk-off touchdown, Allar’s throw on first down was intercepted by safety Dillon Thieneman.
“I’m always very critical of myself,” said Allar, who finished 14-of-25 for 137 yards. “Our process is our process, and we won’t change that. We have to learn from a lot of stuff from this game. Obviously, the outcome sucks.”
The contrast with Oregon sophomore Dante Moore was clear. In his first year as the Ducks’ starter after transferring from UCLA and spending last season in a backup role, Moore completed 29-of-39 attempts for 248 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
“I think we have the best quarterback in college football,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. While that’s open to debate — Moore is one contender in a crowded competition for the title — the sophomore was easily the best quarterback here Saturday night, dramatically outplaying the Nittany Lions’ seasoned senior starter.
The offense will shoulder some of the blame; the rest falls on Franklin.
“I get that narrative, and it’s really not narrative, it’s factual. It’s the facts,” said Franklin, who dropped to 4-20 at Penn State in games against top-10 competition. “I totally get it, and I take ownership, and I take responsibility. At the end of the day, 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, but yeah, I take responsibility.”
After Penn State had dropped behind by two scores in the fourth quarter, a very audible smattering of “Fire Franklin” chants broke out in Beaver Stadium, summing up the frustrations of a fan base impatiently waiting for this program to finally take the next step a dozen seasons into his tenure.
“Fans have their opinions,” said Dawkins. “He takes the blame for all of this. We have to rewrite that narrative.”
He’s not the only established winner in the Power Four feeling the heat after the first month of the regular season. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is on the defensive. LSU is souring on Brian Kelly. But the biggest difference between those two situations and what’s continuing to occur at Penn State is seen in how these fan bases approach this disappointment.
The question for Clemson and LSU asks: Why are we bad now? The question for the Nittany Lions asks: Why aren’t we great yet?
“We made plays. We battled,” Sutton said. “They’re a great team, as well. It’s not like they’re not a good team — they’re a great team. We competed all the way to overtime. Now we know, at least we’ve been in that position and been battle-tested. I think we’re going to learn from this and grow from this and that’s going to help us later in the season.”
The loss to Oregon puts Franklin back in familiar yet nonetheless strange territory. Among coaches in the Power Four, maybe only Swinney can match Franklin’s combination of win-now pressure against the backdrop of nearly unimpeachable job security.
Something has to change. That won’t be on offense, at least from a dramatic, back-to-the-drawing-board perspective. The personnel won’t change, especially with former backup quarterback Beau Pribula now the starter at Missouri.
What’s obvious, though, is this loss won’t be the single spark that ignites a run to the program’s first national championship in nearly four decades. The Nittany Lions have been here before, time and again against top competition, and never learned their lesson.
But there is no easy answer. Once again, Penn State looks very good, but not great. There should be something to be said for being consistently very good, as the program has been. But the Nittany Lions want to be great. After Saturday, greatness feels as far away as ever.
“The way college football is today, there’s going to be very few teams that finish the end of the season unscathed,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to learn from this. We need to have a great week next week. We’ve got to tune out all the noise, and we’ve got to get better from this and get on a roll for the rest of the season.”