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Penn State’s head coach James Franklin didn’t dance around the harsh reality after Saturday’s 42–37 defeat to UCLA, he went straight at it.
“First of all, got to give UCLA and their coaching staff a ton of credit,” Franklin opened. “Got to give their quarterback a ton of credit. We obviously had a hard time stopping him all night long.”
The game spiraled early after an opening touchdown and a surprise onside kick, one Franklin said his staff anticipated. “We talked…all week long that they were going to take significant risks in this game,” he said. “That was obviously two really significant drives and plays in the game.”
Quarterback Drew Allar led the Nittany Lions with 200 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 78 rushing yards, but Franklin’s frustration centered on the defense’s inability to contain UCLA’s quarterback. “He had 153 yards and a lot of those came at critical points,” Franklin said. “A couple times we spied him and when we spied him, he was able to either make the spy miss or run away from the spy.”
Win-Cam! Victory looks good on us 👀🏈#4sup pic.twitter.com/aXULQyb7OG
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) October 5, 2025What cut deeper, though, was Franklin’s admission that his team’s mindset hadn’t rebounded from the previous week’s setback. “Obviously we did not handle last week’s loss well,” he admitted. “We also lost some players during the week…did not come out with the right energy to start the game. Before you know it, they get a touchdown drive and an onside kick, and now you’re fighting. They gain confidence and we’re fighting for the next three quarters. That’s my responsibility and I didn’t get it done.”
Now at a crossroads, Franklin turned the focus inward. “We got to tune out all the outside noise…there’s going to be a lot out there to divide, divide, divide, and we got to tune all that out and stick together,” he said.
When asked if he still believed this was his best combination of talent and coaching, Franklin’s answer was measured and telling. “After two losses, it’s hard for me to answer that question and say that’s the case.”
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