SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There’s nothing left now but to accept it. Embrace it, and then change it.
“There are things that Drew and I can talk about, that maybe no one else can,” James Franklin says.
Like Franklin’s 3-19 record against top 10 teams as Penn State’s coach. Or Drew Allar’s 0-4 record against top 10 teams as Penn State’s quarterback.
Welcome, everyone, to the life of coach and quarterback. Way too much credit, way too much blame.
Like Franklin’s 1-14 record against top five opponents at Penn State, or Allar completing 48 percent of his passes against those games against top 10 teams.
Look, we can do this all day long.
Like Penn State’s average points per game against the top five under Franklin (18.9 ppg.), and a third of Allar’s nine career interceptions in two seasons coming against the top 10.
Or Penn State’s turnover ratio in top 10 games under Franklin (-18), and Allar’s average yards per attempt (5.1) against the top 10.
“I’m not going to complain about (criticism),’ Allar said. ‘I know what I signed up for.”
But certainly not to this extent. Not where every game, win or lose, is eventually slammed through the lens of Franklin’s – and of late, Allar’s – failure in games that matter.
Now here we are, staring at another top 10 game in the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal against No. 8 Boise State. Only this time it’s much different.
This time Penn State has a team that can win it all, a team that could’ve beaten both Ohio State and Oregon this season — but failed to seize the opportunity again. This time it’s Group of Five heavyweight Boise State, which in the past has slain power conference teams in this very game.
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The same Boise State that should’ve beaten Oregon in Week 2, and only lost after Oregon returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns — then hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.
The last thing this is going to be is a cakewalk.
“Boise State has all of our attention,” Franklin said. ‘This is a big game.’
But there’s something different about this game and this Penn State team in this moment, something unique about the way Franklin has accepted the obvious and isn’t avoiding it. He’s actually talking about the idea of he and Allar connected by a path neither wants, but both must endure.
Maybe there’s no other way to deal with big game failure. Maybe it’s that his athletic director (Pat Kraft) and president (Neeli Bendapudi) have told Franklin they, too, know what they’ve signed up for.
Or maybe the arrival of his good friend Tom Allen as defensive coordinator has made an impact beyond Xs and Os.
“The all or nothing now in our sport can be overwhelming. It can crush you if you don’t have great balance,” said Allen, who was fired at Indiana after last season. “Its a fine line we walk as players and coaches. The fear of failure has to be out there. Its going to happen. It’s that peace of mind that allows you to go let it rip.”
Earlier this season, after another gutting loss to Ohio State dropped Franklin to 1-10 vs. the Buckeyes, Franklin exchanged words with an unhappy fan in the stands at Beaver Stadium about his inability to win big games.
Penn State had just failed on four consecutive plays inside the Ohio State 5, the last an interception in the end zone thrown by Allar.
“If you’re going to be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” Franklin said.
The fan walked away, and Franklin walked through the tunnel amid boos and chants of “Fire Franklin” from fans. The same fans who earlier booed Allar, who completed only 12 of 20 passes for 146 yards.
Like it or not, fair or not, this is the story of Franklin and his quarterbacks. Christian Hackenberg was booed, and so was Trace McSorley. But no one got it quite like Sean Clifford.
Clifford set nearly every Penn State career passing record, but by the time his final home game arrived, Franklin essentially begged Penn State fans to appreciate him on senior day.
“I don’t think you can understand the job until you go through it yourself,” said Allar, who was Clifford’s backup as a freshman in 2022. “I’ve wanted to be the quarterback for Penn State since I was a kid. Going through that last year for the first time was different because it’s happening to you, not someone next to you. There’s only one way out of it — winning.”
It’s not just winning, but winning everything. Because no matter how deep Penn State advances in the playoff, any loss will come with another comparison to previous big-game losses.
Just substitute Boise State for Ohio State, or Georgia for Michigan. Or find a way to win the whole thing.
“Pressure comes with the job, but if you feel that pressure, you probably shouldn’t be doing it,” Franklin said. “Drew and I have been through a ton together. He’s judged in a lot of ways like I am.”
Too much credit and too much blame.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
