Penn State head coach James Franklin has come under fire many times for his poor record in so-called “big games,” and he gave his critics plenty more ammunition Saturday.
The No. 10 Nittany Lions were 4.5-point favorites over No. 11 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, but did not play well in a 38-25 loss.
Before the game had even ended Penn State fans were already tweeting angry memes about Franklin and his teams’ penchant for dropping games against quality opponents.
Franklin now has a ho-hum 4-5 record in bowl games. His big-game record is even worse in other regards. For example, after losing to both Michigan and Ohio State this year, Franklin is 4-16 all-time against those two teams.
Then there’s this horrible stat: According to College Football Report, Franklin has a 6-29 against Top 15 teams in his career.
After the Michigan loss, ESPN college football expert Paul Finebaum told On3.com, “James Franklin is one of the most unimaginative big game coaches in the history of the game.”
That’s a tough statement by Finebaum, but it almost comes off as a compliment compared to the venom aimed at Franklin on X/Twitter after the loss to Ole Miss.
Why Penn State still employs Coach Franklin is beyond me. Such a disappointment. We need Penn State to truly rival in the Big 10 – not the case today
— Pamela Sedmak (@PamelaSedmak) December 30, 2023
The “What-The-Fuck-Was-That?” Woman = the James Franklin meme we all asked for 💩🏈 https://t.co/eSl3VmlKju pic.twitter.com/OwPZJB7CfL
— Powers_Of_PSU (@powers_of_psu) December 30, 2023
James Franklin in big games pic.twitter.com/YrIGYifDtE
— Pregame Empire (@PregameEmpire) December 30, 2023
James Franklin has reached his ceiling at Penn State. The man can’t win a big game to save his life. Complacency is his downfall. pic.twitter.com/s9O5MMa94M
— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) December 30, 2023
“Run, run pass ain’t gonna work,” a Penn State fan said to James Franklin as he was leaving the field. pic.twitter.com/0nrlW0uWl4
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) December 30, 2023
James Franklin is a great recruiter.
He has an excellent PR department that keeps pushing the narrative of his value to #PSU.
He enjoys flying around in his helicopter Friday nights to watch his recruits.
But when it comes to actual coaching, he is one of the worst in the NCAA.— Keith Barnes (@kbarnes_pghsprt) December 30, 2023
Is James Franklin the most overrated coach in college football?
— Mike Tsataros (@mtsat72) December 30, 2023
