By Kyle Golik
This year’s Ohio State was as brutal as any loss in the James Franklin era at Penn State. Franklin has had many head-scratchers and frustrating losses. What happened this year definitely warrants consideration when you consider that Penn State had a vulnerable Ohio State team coming to Beaver Stadium with issues on the offensive line and a secondary that teams have found success on.
If you would have came to any Penn State fan and say that Penn State would win the turnover battle, take a 10-point lead to start the game, hold Ohio State to only 20 points, and have a time of possession advantage entering the fourth quarter – considering all those factors with Penn State at home they would think their Nittany Lions would have gotten the win.
Penn State’s offense showed they truly don’t have a vertical threat. Franklin had another 4th and 5 play call in infamy down seven late in the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions never used tight end Tyler Warren, who set it up there on a 33-yard run. In the four plays turning it over on downs at the one yard line.
A defense that was amongst the nation’s leaders in run defense got absolutely mauled by an Ohio State unit with four first downs, and drained the final 5:13 in game time.
So if this year’s Ohio State defeat didn’t make Franklin’s five worst losses, what does?
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#5 2021 Iowa – “Is There A Quarterback In The House”
The only other Top 5 matchup of the James Franklin era came in 2021 when Penn State visited Iowa. Penn State seemed to dominate the game and it looked like Franklin was going to get a signature win.
Penn State would suffer two injuries that would change the trajectory of the season when defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher and quarterback Sean Clifford went out with injuries.
The Clifford injury grounded a Penn State offense that early in the second quarter had nearly 200 yards of total offense, Penn State the rest of the way had in nearly three-quarters of play only 105 yards of total offense and watched its 17-3 lead evaporate in the end to a 23-20 loss as Ta’quan Roberson was ineffective.
#4 2022 Michigan
If there ever was a game that Penn State looked like they didn’t physically belong on the same field as their opponent, it was their 2022 visit to Ann Arbor. While the 2016 game in Ann Arbor had similar furor for the 49-10 rout, the difference was Penn State’s linebacking group was decimated due to injuries against Pitt the week before. You could also chalk it up to Franklin still ramping up the program building depth after the program had to deal with scholarship reductions between 2012 and 2014.
What makes 2022 Michigan more difficult to watch is Penn State allowed 418 rushing yards to Michigan, the third most in a game that Penn State has kept track of since 1947. Some may say Connor Stalions may have played a part in this, and that may be true, but Franklin didn’t scramble Stalions enough to make the game even remotely competitive.
#3 2017 Rose Bowl Collapse
The 2016 season started with two rough losses to Pitt and Michigan, the run Penn State went on to win the Big Ten Championship, which included the program’s last win against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Rose Bowl was supposed to be a coronation for Penn State after being snubbed in the College Football Playoff and pushed the issue of the “four best teams” narrative for the committee.
It looked like Penn State was going to serve up some justice on the committee after a see-saw battle early, Penn State entered the fourth quarter with a 49-35 lead that included a highlight 79-yard touchdown run.
In the fourth quarter, Penn State could not muster any offense, as Sam Darnold engineered a comeback to tie it at 49. If there was any knock on quarterback Trace McSorley in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s scheme, he would throw it up at times when he shouldn’t – see the ending of the Pitt game that season.
McSorley threw an untimely interception with 42 seconds left that allowed Southern California to drive to put kicker Matt Boermeester in position for a 46-yard game-winning field goal.
#2 2018 Ohio State Collapse a.k.a “4th & 5”
The 2018 Ohio State Collapse gave so much horror it has a compelling case to be No. 1 on my list. The amount of horror was so great, it gave the viral shocked Penn State fan above, it had an epic collapse, and a Franklin call on “4th & 5” that still angers Penn State fans to this day.
Penn State had many opportunities to win this game as Franklin was bit a few times going for it on fourth downs, but somehow Penn State held a 26-14 lead with 7:39 to go in the game.
If any game could serve as a tutorial video, kind of like Tom Emanski videos that were endorsed by Fred McGriff for championship baseball teams, the fourth quarter of this game of Penn State’s inability to tackle is one every defensive coach needs to have. This was put on display on Ohio State wide receiver Binjimen Victor’s 47-yard touchdown where Victor weaved through a series of Penn State defenders.
With Penn State not able to counter on the ensuing series, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins guided the Buckeyes on a drive that was capped by a K.J. Hill touchdown to give Ohio State the slim 27-26 lead.
Penn State had one last opportunity, with McSorley driving the Nittany Lions to the Ohio State 43-yard line where the Buckeye defense began to tighten up.
Ohio State forced a fourth down, much like the 2024 game where Tyler Warren was seen as the go to offensive player, McSorley was that for the 2018 group especially this game, and Franklin called a read play where it was a handoff to running back Miles Sanders. Ohio State’s Chase Young sniffed that out and put an end to the game.
#1 2017 Ohio State Collapse a.k.a The J.T. Barrett Game
It takes something special to overtake 2018 Ohio State, I mean it checks a lot of boxes but it doesn’t check one box. That one box is what differentiates it from the 2017 collapse in Columbus and that was how close Penn State was to entering the national championship conversation.
Say Penn State holds on in this game, they were ranked No. 2 entering the game and maintained that ranking. It’s hard to say how much the weather delay against Michigan State, if it were to happen in this alternate universe, would have impacted Penn State. I feel an undefeated Penn State would have found a way to win ugly that day. This may have been Penn State’s first College Football Playoff team and may have kickstarted a different reality for Penn State football.
The game itself had the same feel as the Rose Bowl collapse as Penn State entered the fourth quarter with a 35-20 lead. Saquon Barkley had a highlight 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game, but the Ohio State defense kept Barkley in check the rest of the way holding him to only 44 rushing yards.
Penn State took an 11-point lead with 5:42 on a Tyler Davis field goal, but it was Penn State’s inability to get into the end zone where Penn State got to the Ohio State three and the Buckeyes turned away Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley on three consecutive runs.
This allowed Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett to engineer the comeback as Penn State was driven back nine yards on their final two series to allow Ohio State to get the 39-38 comeback.
It was the closest Penn State was to a national championship in the Franklin and maybe this is where the Ohio State curse began and continues to this day.
