James Franklin takes Penn State loss out on fans in heated exchange with heckler

Happy Valley certainly isn't appropriately named on Saturday after James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions once again fell short against the Ohio State Buckeyes, losing 20-13 in a game wherein the home team was simply unable to find the extra gear, particularly on offense, to win a Top 5 matchup. And that has been the major red flag with Franklin for years.

With another loss to the Buckeyes, Franklin is now 1-10 against Ohio State, 1-7 against Top 10 teams at home, and the list goes on since he took over as the Penn State head coach. Sure, the Nittany Lions are still very much alive for the College Football Playoff but how could any fan possibly feel good about their chances in the postseason given Franklin's shortcomings in big games?

Apparently, one fan inside Beaver Stadium on Saturday felt the same and let Franklin hear about it. What ensued thereafter only continued to make the Penn State head coach look more like the villain in this situation.

James Franklin gets into heated exchange with heckling Penn State fans

The fan situated right near the tunnel where Franklin and the Nittany Lions were exiting appeared to question Franklin's decision-making in the loss to Ohio State, namely settling for three points when he could've been more aggressive early in the second half. Franklin stopped, got defensive, and then called out the fan for walking away when he wouldn't tell the head coach his name.

Franklin collected himself after that but the fans calling him out didn't stop. Even in the tunnel, chants to fire the Penn State head coach were sprinkled in among more widespread booing from the fanbase.

Make no mistake, Franklin has every reason to be frustrated, as do Penn State fans. This was supposed to be a year in which the Nittany Lions had the talent to challenge contenders like the Buckeyes. Instead, the conservative approach led to an all-too-familiar game-script and a PSU loss at home.

What makes this worse goes just beyond Franklin clearly letting his emotions get the best of him with a heckler. When he was asked in his postgame press conference about what he would say to frustration fans, he only iterated that everyone in the locker room was frustrated but, for the umpteenth time, didn't appear to take much accountability for his role in causing that frustration.

Okay, college football has changed — you're the head coach of Penn State! This isn't a program that should be up against it when it comes to NIL, when it comes to recruiting, when it comes to the transfer portal. However, the fact that Franklin has failed to have his teams deliver in these moments with some clear decision-making that can be pointed to could, in fact, hurt the program.

We all knew that another loss for Franklin in a big game could lead to Penn State fans revolting against him. I'll be honest, though — I didn't expect it to be this immediate or for the head coach to handle it as poorly and heatedly as he has to this point.