The 2025 Penn State football team had so much promise, but things have quickly turned into disappointment. They promptly started 3-0, but after back-to-back close losses to Oregon and UCLA, a team with so much promise is now left with more questions than answers. After the loss to UCLA, many prominent personalities in the media have asked how deep these issues go in State College.
Thanks to James Franklin and his staff, Penn State is in a position to win around 10 games every year, but ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks there's a deeper issue. The coaching was the most significant issue for the Nittany Lions on Saturday, and Herbstreit seems to imply that.
“From a Penn State perspective, there’s a much deeper issue here. I think the fans have been very vocal about James Franklin in big games,” Herbstreit said. “They were coming off their frustration that Penn State lost another one at home against a quality opponent in Oregon. And while they were still complaining about that, they went to the Rose Bowl and lost in a game they had no business losing.
“It’s one thing if your running game’s not there, or your quarterback has an off day, but Jim Knowles and the Penn State defense are against that offense. I don’t know if they didn’t prepare, I don’t know if they didn’t listen to Jim Knowles, I don’t know what happened, but if those two teams play 100 times and Penn State shows up locked and ready, they probably win 99 and a half of those times.”
UCLA football had been abysmal this year. Before Saturday, they had not had a lead in a single game this season, and they never trailed in the game against the Nittany Lions.
The most significant issues with UCLA were on offense. Before the game on Saturday, the Bruins parted ways with Tino Sunseri as offensive coordinator and their lead play-caller. Jerry Neuheisel took over the duties, and he proved to be the difference because the Bruins had 446 yards on offense, 280 of those on the ground.
Fans have sometimes jumped on James Franklin due to his record in big games, but this loss goes beyond that. You can also deal with Drew Allar struggling or the running game being inconsistent, but a defense led by Jim Knowles with all that talent can't battle against an offense like UCLA's. They need to figure this out sooner, or the season will completely fall off the rails.
