After another deflating loss, it's fair to wonder if James Franklin and Penn State have hit their ceiling

COLUMBUS, Ohio — James Franklin was more than willing to talk about Penn State’s latest loss to a top-10 opponent — a 20-12 defeat against No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. He just didn't want to think about all the ones that preceded it.

“It’s a fair question,” Franklin said when asked about his program’s dismal record (3-16) in big games. “I get the question. But right now I’m worried about this game.”

It was an empty choice.

The Nittany Lions showed up here believing things would be different. They had five-star quarterback Drew Allar. They had a top-five defense. They had a stable of running backs. They were 6-0 with a Big Ten title and a first-ever College Football Playoff berth on their mind.

Instead they delivered another lousy, frustrating and infuriating performance.

After 57 minutes of the game, Penn State had gained just 167 yards. A mere 16 of them came in the second half.

The Nittany Lions went 1-for-16 on third down. Eight drives consisted of four plays or fewer. They punted nine times. The running game never materialized (1.9 yards per rush). Their first trip to the red zone came with 1:12 remaining against a prevent defense.

And yet, this was still preferable to discussing whether this was just part of a pattern. Or wondering if this loss was begat by the one before it and the one before it and so on.

Franklin may not be talking about it but his program’s vast and passionate fan base certainly is. It’s the only topic at this point. Franklin is in his 10th year at Penn State and there is little doubt he can build a good team. There’s no question he’s a good leader who can represent the school well.

But can he do more? Or is building up to big national games like this only to wind up slinking out of town just the ceiling for the Nittany Lions. He is now 1-9 against Ohio State and 2-12 against top-25 teams on the road.

“I totally get it,” Franklin said. “I totally get it. That’s a good football team. What I’ll talk about is today we lost to a really good football team on the road. We had our chances. We battled. We weren’t able to capitalize.

“Big-picture things, I’ll be happy to talk about that at some point,” he said. “But today we lost to a good football team on the road. Didn’t make enough plays when we needed to make plays.”

Is something fundamentally broken in how the Lions are built or how they prepare that prevents them from challenging the nation’s elite?

Or how about this: Do all those past defeats play a role in not recruiting elite game-breaking talents? More specifically, was it a factor in Marvin Harrison Jr. leaving his Philadelphia home and driving past State College so he could play in this scarlet horseshoe of a stadium?

Make no mistake, Ohio State’s victory Saturday began back in 2019 when it convinced Harrison to commit to them and not his in-state school. In a sandpaper slog of a game out of the 1960s, Harrison brought some modern pyrotechnics — 11 catches, 162 yards and a touchdown.

“The guy is a heck of a player,” Franklin said.

Harrison is. Penn State’s wide receivers were not; there were plenty of dropped passes on the rare plays they got themselves open. There was just one play over 19 yards. There is no explosiveness to this offense.

Maybe Franklin saw it differently.

“We’ll watch the tape but I’m not sure you didn’t just watch two of the best teams in college football, specifically on the defensive side of the ball,” Franklin said.

It’s good he added the last part about defense because otherwise: No.

And even then? Yes, the two defenses had their moments, and to be clear, Ohio State (7-0) has no reason to apologize for winning. The Buckeyes are still on track to play for everything against Michigan. It’s not like the Buckeyes' offense resembles past versions though.

It’s just better than Penn State.

Always, apparently.

If any future opponent — from Ann Arbor or elsewhere — felt the need to do whatever it took to steal anyone's signs here, don't bother. Against Ohio State, just cover Harrison (easier said than done). Against Penn State, just dare them to be great.

Allar wanted to return to his home state and shock the Buckeyes, but he looked overwhelmed. He finished 18 of 42 for 191 yards and one touchdown, but before that final soft-by-design defense, he was 12 of 31 for 112. He was sacked four times.

Afterward, he sat through tears and compared the finality of the defeat to the feeling he had of losing his last high school game. The thing is, Penn State's season continues. It even hosts No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 11, the next chance to change the narrative and end the growing chorus of doubters.

“We have to ignore the outside noise,” Allar said. “We can’t let the past affect the future.”

Yet the past keeps being the present.