James Franklin Responds to Heckling Penn State Fan After Latest Loss to Ohio State

Penn State fans aren't happy with James Franklin.

With Ohio State beating Penn State again, the Buckeyes have not only won eight straight matchups against the Nittany Lions but James Franklin is now 1-10 against OSU, including eight straight losses in the series and 1-14 against top-5 opponents, 3-18 vs. the top 10 and 13-27 against top-25 opponents since taking over in Happy Valley in 2014.

Following Ohio State's latest win over Penn State, a Nittany Lion fan had some words for Franklin as the coach walked off the field Saturday afternoon. Franklin stared at the fan, who continued to heckle him, and asked, "What's your name? “If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” The fan then walked away.

James Franklin responded to heckling Penn State fans after the loss to Ohio State: If youre gonna be man enough to talk, whats your name? pic.twitter.com/kILxOn8UqU
— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) November 2, 2024

That wasn't the first fan to show displeasure toward Franklin. As the coach watched Ohio State celebrate on the field, the Penn State faithful booed Franklin before the school's band played its alma mater.

James Franklin looks on for a long while as Ohio State fans chant Lets go Bucks at the end of this one. Then gets booed by the home fans before the Alma Mater pic.twitter.com/YII8J6h8BU
— Max Ralph (@maxralph_) November 2, 2024

While some Penn State fans booed Franklin and the Nittany Lions' performance, others even chanted "Fire Franklin!" as he walked toward the locker room after the game.

Some boos in the tunnel as James Franklin exits. Fire Franklin chants as well. Franklin is now 1-10 vs the Buckeyes. pic.twitter.com/BGGr8gu408
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) November 2, 2024

"I understand the frustration," Franklin said in his postgame press conference. "Guys in the locker room are just as frustrated, if not more, but college football has changed, and we have an opportunity moving forward to right some wrongs from today, and that's what we're going to focus on. I get it. We get an unbelievable crowd here. Unbelievable support. You don't do that without passion. There are great things to come from that and there are hard things to come from that. That's part of the job, and I own it all."

With the expanded 12-team playoff, everything is still ahead of Penn State, considering Saturday's loss to Ohio State was the Nittany Lions' first of the season. That said, it's clear that Penn State fans aren't happy with their head coach, especially given his struggles against some of the best teams in college football year in and year out.