James Franklin on hot seat: Penn State coach under fire for critical loss to Ryan Day's Ohio State

James Franklin's No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions fell short in a crucial game, losing 20-13 to coach Ryan Day's No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 10. It was the Nittany Lions' eighth consecutive loss and the fourth at home to the Buckeyes.

The disappointment, which saw ESPN's "College GameDay" roll into town, came down to the Nittany Lions being unable to convert inside the Buckeyes' five-yard line in front of the biggest-ever crowd at Beaver Stadium (111,030). Franklin's record against AP Top Ten ranked teams now stands at 1-12 as coach of Penn State and 1-15 overall.

While walking off the field, James Franklin seemed to exchange words with fans who questioned his play-calling when the Nittany Lions could not take advantage from the five-yard line. For many, the loss has put Franklin on the hot seat and during his postgame news conference, he revealed that he understands the frustration:

"We get an unbelievable crowd here; we get unbelievable support," James Franklin said. "You don't do that without passion, and there's great things that come from that, and there's hard things that come from that. That's part of the job, and I own it all.

"There's nobody that's looking in the mirror harder than I am," Franklin said. "Ninety-nine percent of the programs across college football would die to do what we've been able to do in our time here. But I also understand when you're at a place like Penn State, there's really, really high expectations. ... I get it, I totally get it."

James Franklin let down by his big game record

James Franklin has an incredible 28-6 record in the past three years but his record in big games is wanting. Since 2016, he has only beaten two top-10 ranked teams - the Wisconsin Badgers (while leading the Penn State Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship) and the Utah Utes in the 2022 Rose Bowl.

Penn State has a 7-1 record this season and is still in with a chance to make the expanded college football playoffs despite taking a tumble in the CFP rankings that will start next week.

At the start of the 2024 season, James Franklin entered year 11 in charge of the Penn State Nittany Lions but his big game record has left fans frustrated. He signed a 10-year contract worth $8.5 million a year that will take him through to 2031 and Penn State fans will hope that their coach finds some big game mojo.