Penn State football coach James Franklin said Monday that he understands why many fans have taken the double-overtime loss to Oregon last week so hard.
He understands why his critics point to his poor record against top 10 and top five teams.
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Franklin made it clear that such losses also anguish him. He said his job is to move past such defeats and prepare the Nittany Lions for their next game against UCLA Saturday at 3:30 (TV-CBS) at the Rose Bowl.
“We have lost to really good teams. …really, really good teams,” he said. “I take that very hard. I take that very personal because I know how important it is to so many different people. I always start with myself and the things that I can control.
“I’m not going to allow one loss to define our season. I’m not going to allow a few losses to define my career and what we have done here at Penn State.”
Franklin is 104-43 in his 12th year with the Lions and led them to their first College Football Playoff appearance last season and the semifinals.
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But he dropped to 5-21 against top 10 opponents with the 30-24 loss to the Ducks before the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history.
“We lost to a really good team,” Franklin said. “We had a chance to win. We showed tremendous resiliency. I get it. When you lose a game, you’re second-guessed. Anytime something doesn’t go well, every decision is going to be critiqued.”
Drew Allar led a fourth-quarter comeback against Oregon and threw a pair of touchdown passes to Devonte Ross, the second tying it with 30 seconds left in regulation.
The Ducks scored on their first play in the second overtime before Allar threw an interception on Penn State’s first play, ending it. Afterwards, Allar was as angry and frustrated as any of the Lions who were available for interviews.
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“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. I think Drew takes it very, very hard.
“There are a lot of similarities between the quarterback and the head coach because of the interactions you have. I think he takes it very personally and it’s why he’s so driven and so motivated.”
Last season, Penn State rebounded from a 20-13 home loss to Ohio State to reach the Big Ten title game, where it lost to Oregon. In the CFP, The Lions beat SMU and Boise State in the first two rounds before falling to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
The Buckeyes defeated the Irish for the national championship, despite losing twice in the regular season.
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Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who was with the Buckeyes the last three seasons, and Franklin discussed Sunday what he learned from their run last year.
“Jim talked to the defense about it,” Franklin said. “He spoke to the staff as well. He has a good perspective on these things and a ton of information from that situation. That’s an important message for our entire team to hear.”
The seventh-ranked Lions (0-1 Big Ten, 3-1) are expected to rebound against the Bruins (0-1, 0-4), who are 26-point underdogs.
Their toughest remaining games appear to be Oct. 18 at Iowa, Nov. 1 at Ohio State, Nov. 8 against Indiana and Nov. 15 against Nebraska. They probably could afford one more loss, but not two, and make the CFP.
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“College football is much more of an NFL model now in terms of records, the season and the playoffs,” Franklin said. “You have to make sure you talk about it. When you talk about three of the top five teams in the country losing last weekend and the way last season went, it paints that picture.
“I think all those things are important to discuss.”
