What was supposed to be a bounce-back game in Pasadena quickly turned into a disaster for Penn State football. The Nittany Lions fell 42-37 to previously winless UCLA, a loss many consider the most humiliating of James Franklin’s tenure. It was a collapse that left fans and analysts questioning whether the Franklin era in State College has finally run its course.
Coming off an overtime defeat to Oregon, Penn State entered the Rose Bowl desperate to reassert itself as a playoff contender. Instead, the team looked uninspired and unprepared.
The defense, once considered one of the best in the Big Ten, was gashed for 280 rushing yards and three touchdowns by UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, while the offense sputtered early and failed in crucial moments.
Drew Allar’s 19-of-26 passing for 200 yards and two touchdowns looked solid on paper, but his failed fourth-down run late in the game symbolized the team’s broader struggles; flat, predictable, and lacking urgency.
After the game, Franklin admitted his surprise at how uncharacteristically passive his defense looked under new coordinator Jim Knowles, via Tyler Donohue of 247Sports. “We’re not playing as fast, as aggressive as we have in the past on the defensive side of the ball,” Franklin said.
“There’s been some adjustments to what we’re doing on defense and getting our guys to play confident within the system.”
According to Sports Illustrated, the loss may have sealed Franklin’s fate. “When that happens, it really does suggest that the James Franklin era has run its very-good, never-elite due course in State College,” the outlet wrote. “He’s not Big Game James. He’s not even Medium Game James. He’s Little Game James.”
The magazine added that Penn State’s new ceiling might be just 9–3 this season. A playoff bid remains mathematically possible if the Nittany Lions can somehow win out, including an improbable road victory over Ohio State for the first time since 2011.
But with a 0–2 start in Big Ten play and a soft non-conference schedule, the College Football Playoff committee would have a hard time taking Penn State seriously even at 9–3.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit echoed the sentiment, saying the UCLA loss revealed “a much deeper issue.” He argued that preparation and leadership were missing at every level. “If those two teams play 100 times and Penn State shows up locked in, they probably win 99 of them,” Kirk Herbstreit said.
For now, Penn State sits at a crossroads. The schedule doesn’t get easier, with Northwestern, Iowa, and Ohio State still ahead. The UCLA loss didn’t just bruise the team’s playoff hopes — it may have ended the James Franklin era as fans know it.
