Penn State head coach James Franklin met the media Monday still carrying the weight of a painful defeat. The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 7 in the AP poll, fell to Oregon last weekend, leaving many fans frustrated and disheartened.
Franklin, now in his 12th season, admitted the loss hit him hard as well.
“We have lost to really good teams,” he said. “I take that very hard and take that very personal because I know how important it is to so many people.”
The team travels west to face UCLA on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Penn State enters at 3-1 and a 24.5-point favorite against a Bruins squad sitting at 0-4. Despite the disappointment, Franklin made it clear the setback would not define the season.
Franklin, Allar take defeat personally while UCLA struggles continue
Franklin addressed the emotions surrounding the loss and pointed out that no one feels the sting more than those inside the locker room.
“When you put so much into something and you’re so personally invested, it should hurt,” Franklin said. “As much as I’d like to say, ‘I love winning as much as I hate losing,’ that’s not accurate. Drew takes it very hard. It’s why he’s so driven and so motivated. I’d probably be more concerned if it was the opposite and he didn’t take it so hard.”
Quarterback Drew Allar’s visible frustration echoed the tone of the program, where expectations remain high. Franklin admitted that while his tenure has had many positives, fans are unlikely to embrace that perspective in the wake of defeat.
He added,
“I’m not going to allow one loss to define our season, and I’m not going to allow a few losses define my career, and what we have done here at Penn State.”
The Nittany Lions’ next opponent is a UCLA program in turmoil. The Bruins dismissed head coach DeShaun Foster on Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start, with losses to Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico.
Interim coach Tim Skipper now leads the team, while offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, a former Pitt quarterback, oversees play calling. UCLA holds a 4-3 edge in the all-time series, but Penn State is heavily favored heading into Pasadena