STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin was booed, loudly and unapologetically, as he walked through the south end zone tunnel of Beaver Stadium. Fans lined up behind the metal railings on the concourse and let him hear him. Some even chanted, “Fire Franklin,” as the 11th-year head coach walked toward a disappointed Penn State locker room.

Another year, another loss to Ohio State.

State of Pennsylvaniathe No. 3 team in the country, hosted the No. 4 Buckeyes and had a legitimate chance to win. The Nittany Lions had a chance to turn skeptics into believers. And Franklin had a chance to quiet the narrative that he can’t win a big game.

Instead, Franklin had to answer for his 1-10 record against the Buckeyes and the vitriol from fans after the Nittany Lions’ 20-13 loss to Ohio State on Saturday afternoon.

“I understand the frustration,” Franklin said after the game. “The guys in the locker room are just as frustrated, if not more so. But college football has changed and we have a chance to right some of today’s wrongs, and that’s what we’ll focus on.

“I get it. We have an incredible crowd here. We get incredible support. You don’t do that without passion. And there are great things that come from that, and there are difficult things that come from that. That’s part of the job. That’s part of the I work. And I own everything. I own everything.”

Franklin was then asked more specifically about his record against Ohio State.

“There is no one who looks in the mirror more than I do,” Franklin said. “I will say this, and I have said it before, that 99% of college football programs would die to do what we have been able to do during our time here. That’s us; That’s all of us.

“But I also understand that when you’re at a place like Penn State, there are really high expectations. … I understand. I totally understand it. “We have looked at all of these things very carefully and we will continue to look at them very carefully.”

• BET: Check our guide best PA sportsbookswhere our team of sports betting experts reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

Penn State has defeated the Buckeyes just once during Franklin’s tenure. That was in 2016, when a blocked field goal came back for a touchdown that stunned Ohio State. The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title and just missed the College Football Playoff.

Other than that, it’s been nothing but pain for Penn State against the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions lost by one point in 2017 and 2018. Five of Franklin’s 10 losses to Ohio State were by single digits. It’s a game Penn State has typically played close without closing out.

That was the case again on Saturday. Penn State did not score an offensive touchdown in the biggest game of the season. The Nittany Lions had two separate possessions at the Ohio State three-yard line and finished with zero points. The second missed goal came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a first-and-goal at the three-yard line.

Penn State, down 20-13, needed a touchdown to tie the score. But as Franklin teams have done in the past, the Nittany Lions came up short when it mattered most. Tyler Warren, one of the most versatile players in the country, didn’t get the ball and the Nittany Lions couldn’t capitalize. Ohio State ran out the clock with 10 straight runs in what Franklin called “a championship campaign” for the Buckeyes.

Most of the fans headed for the exits. Some stayed to criticize the coach.

What Franklin said about college football was true: It has changed. The 12-team College Football Playoff means that this loss, unlike others against Ohio State, does not eliminate the Nittany Lions from competing for a national championship. Penn State can reasonably win the rest of its games, enter the 12-team field and compete for the sport’s top prize.

“We can’t let one loss become two,” Franklin said. “The reality of college football is that we still have everything ahead of us.”

But Saturday’s loss was frustrating all the same for the fans at Beaver Stadium and, surely, for those watching at home. The possibility of a spot in the 12-team CFP changes nothing in the current narrative surrounding Franklin, both locally and nationally.

The Nittany Lions could have beaten an Ohio State team that made its fair share of mistakes. They took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and blew it.

They showed that despite all the progress that has been made (recruiting, facilities, etc.), Penn State has yet to assert itself as an elite program under Franklin.

1-10 against Ohio State.

3-18 against top 10 opponents.

Franklin’s record speaks for itself. The Nittany Lions still have to get over the hump.

And only time will tell if they ever will.

1/42