The Penn State Nittany Lions’ trip to the Rose Bowl on Saturday was meant to be a reset after a brutal overtime loss to Oregon. Instead, it became a gut check that Penn State football failed. The No. 7 Nittany Lions fell to the UCLA Bruins, 42-37, in a game that exposed run-defense breakdowns, inconsistent offense, and shaky situational coaching. While the Oregon loss was disappointing enough, this kind of disaster can ruin a season and perhaps even James Franklin's coaching tenure.
UCLA jumped on Penn State early and kept its foot on the gas. The Bruins led 27-7 at halftime and had answers for every Nittany Lions rally in the second half. That halftime margin told the tale: Penn State failed to match physicality, missed assignments, and arrived at the second half chasing momentum rather than taking it.
There were a lot of problems for Penn State football vs. UCLA, leaving Franklin to pick up the pieces.
A run defense that disappeared
The most damning number lives in the box score: UCLA rushed 52 times for 280 yards and three rushing touchdowns, with Nico Iamaleava doing major damage on the ground: 16 carries for 128 yards and three rushing scores. That level of production from an opposing quarterback corrodes a defensive game plan. Penn State’s front seven struggled to set the edge, missed tackles at the second level, and watched chunk runs become a habit rather than an exception. Allowing those kinds of runs turned manageable drives into game-winning momentum for UCLA.
Offense showed fight but couldn't finish the job
To the coaching staff’s credit, the offense did enough to make the final minutes of the game meaningful. Quarterback Drew Allar completed 19-of-26 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns while adding 78 rushing yards on 11 carries. Running back Kaytron Allen ran eight times for 50 yards and two short-yardage scores. Penn State totaled 157 rushing yards and moved the ball often enough to get back into the game.
But, unfortunately, the dreadful first half put the Nittany Lions into the big hole. Seven first-half points against a winless opponent is inexcusable.
And then with the game on the line, Allar and the offense failed spectacularly. After the Penn State defense got a crucial stop and gave the offense a prime chance to tie or win the game late, a fourth-and-2 Allar run attempt deep in UCLA territory got blown up immediately. The players didn't look prepared on that fourth-down play, and that falls on both them and the coaches.
Coaching must answer for patterns, not just plays
This loss magnified recurring concerns. The staff must explain repeated missed tackles, breakdowns in gap responsibility, and why the same vulnerabilities keep surfacing. Coaches should consider personnel adjustments if fundamentals don’t improve, and veterans must show leadership in tightening discipline. Practice changes will be obvious, but what matters is whether the coaching staff can make them stick when the lights come on.
Expect the noise to grow louder. Local and national reaction was swift and savage, with critics questioning James Franklin’s adjustments, play calling and the team’s mental approach to close-game scenarios. Columnists and social feeds called out missed fundamentals and demanded answers about discipline and in-game adjustments. This isn’t just sour grapes on a bad night but a chorus from observers who have watched key issues recur. That chorus will only get louder if results don’t change, and one has to wonder if Franklin survives this when all is said and done.
The embattled Penn State football coach has a long history of coming up short in high-profile matchups, but suffering this kind of historic clunker is a whole different level. This game might wind up being the nail in Franklin's coffin in Happy Valley, though perhaps he can turn things around.
What's next for Penn State football?
Penn State now sits 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. The path back to College Football Playoff contention was still obvious despite the loss to Oregon, but now the Nittany Lions' chances appear to be on life support.
Penn State still must travel to No. 1 Ohio State later this season, and there's also a big game against Indiana the week after that. Not to mention a road game at Iowa before those two games. While these games give the Nittany Lions a chance to get back in the College Football Playoff mix, they could also help the season spiral out of control.
Penn State will have to be much better moving forward for this season to not be a total disaster. The talent is there, but a lot has to be cleaned up. Will Franklin do enough to save his job?
