For the 10th time in the last 11 meetings, James Franklin and Penn State came up short against Ohio State, falling 20-13 in Happy Valley. Frustrations boiled over after the game when Franklin had a heated exchange with a fan before walking off the field.
In a low-scoring affair, the No. 3 Nittany Lions had their chances to put more points on the board, but they failed to capitalize on red zone opportunities. Penn State came up with just three points on three red zone trips, including five plays inside the Buckeyes’ five-yard line. Penn State’s only touchdown came on a defensive pick-six.
As Franklin was headed toward the tunnel in Beaver Stadium, one Penn State fan let him hear about those missed opportunities. Franklin didn’t take kindly to the comments, and that resulted in a tense exchange before the fan walked away.
“If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” Franklin asked.
With under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Penn State had the chance to tie the game with four plays inside the Ohio State five-yard line. The Nittany Lions failed to convert on fourth down, and the Buckeyes got the ball back at their own one-yard line.
Penn State never got the ball back as Ohio State ran out the clock with 10 consecutive running plays. The loss dropped Franklin to 1-10 all-time against Ohio State and 1-9 against top-five teams.
