Penn State coach James Franklin understands that the atmosphere at Beaver Stadium Saturday could be hostile, and he was asked about that possibility Wednesday.
At Penn State, losing two in a row is never going to be received well.
Let alone when the team comes into the season as a national title favorite, and let alone when one of the two losses is to a UCLA team that had been 0-4.
Franklin didn’t pretend to like the thought of fan hostility, but said he understood the passion Penn State fans have for their program when speaking with reporters after practice Wednesday.
WHAT JAMES SAID
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
“We try to control then things that we can control. We’ve had this in the past. I obviously don’t want it. Nobody wants it. I want the players to have a great experience. I want the coaches to have a great experience. I want the fans to feel good and be excited and I know that we impact their mood for the week and the year. So I get it. Do I like it? Am I happy about it? No. But I get it. This is a place that has high expectations and high standards. I get it. But again, it’s outside of our control, and we try to pour all our energy in the things that we can control.”
IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
Franklin is familiar with fan hostility. He experienced it at Beaver Stadium Sept. 27, when Penn State lost to Oregon in double-overtime.
There have also been instances of Franklin confronting hecklers (Ohio State 2024, 2018) and being booed before the game after player introductions (Minnesota 2022, Washington 2024).
We’ll see what Saturday brings.
Penn State-Northwestern is scheduled to begin at 3:30 on FS1.
