From national title contender to firing your head coach in three weeks, this has to be one of the biggest collapses in college football history.
I could be wrong, but to me, it seemed James had lost the locker room. The last two weeks just didn’t look the same.
With that being said, it was time to go. We all knew this day was coming. Pat Kraft has to nail this hire, and I expect he will.
Prayers up for Drew.
Mike Allison Altoona
Mike:
I can’t disagree with one word you said.
Neil:
Why now? Most Lion fans knew that Coach Franklin’s days were numbered regardless of the Northwestern loss.
By not allowing the coach, his players and future recruits to finish the season brings to mind the Paterno debacle, and we all saw how that affected the football program in its future years.
Few will debate whether James deserved another year, but we also must remember that he did accomplish many positive objectives that made the Lions a respectful football program.
Because of these untimely decisions in both the hiring and firing of our football coaches, I question the ability and transparency of our athletic director to make the proper decisions in moving our beloved Lions in the direction of an elite football program.
Dave Kule
Laporte
PENN STATE MAILBAG
Rudel vs. the oddsmakers
Line: Iowa is a 2.5-point favorite.
Inside the line: Hawkeyes are 4-0-1 vs. the number in their last five games … Lions are 0-7 vs. spot in their last seven unless you gave Villanova +45.5 in 52-6 PSU win (game later went off at 47) … Nits are 6-3 vs. spot in their last nine vs. Hawks just 2-5 vs. number in last seven at Kinnick … Over-under is 39.5 … Total has gone over in six of Nits’ last seven Big Ten games but under in four of Iowa’s last six games. (Source: Odds Shark).
Prediction: Iowa 22, Penn State 17
Prediction record: 3-3
PSU record vs. spread: 1-5
Prediction record vs. spread: 3-3
Dave: Fair points, certainly. I, too, would have preferred it wait until the end of the season, given the positives he did accomplish.
However, when it’s obvious — and it was — and the main decision maker (Kraft) and administration are certain, you might as well get on with it, however painful the timing may be.
In that regard, leadership can be lonely.
But considering how the masses had turned, to bring him back potentially in the midst of a five-game losing streak could have been uglier than the last two weeks.
Neil: You can buy a coach, but you can’t buy coaching. Knowles and Kotelnicki are huge disappointments.
Under Franklin, PSU became the school where OCs go to die, and Knowles’ success at OSU was more players than coaching.
Bob Johnston
Mint Hill, N.C.
Bob: I love your opening statement.
Neil:
Big money has infected the college game from top to bottom. Joe Maschue Altoona
Neil Rudel
The two plays that were major reasons for the loss to Northwestern: The Allar interception in the end zone and the fumbled punt. With Allar out, the season is now up in smoke.
Bill Obert, Bedford
Bill:
A Cheech & Chong reference?
Neil:
The late Yogi Berra, when things were going bad, said: “We’re lost, but we’re making good time.”
Mike Rendos Lock Haven
Mike:
After all these years, Yogi was more known for his funny quotes than he was for his accomplishments on the field.
Which is pretty amazing considering he’s third all-time in World Series home runs (12), trailing only Mickey Mantle (18) and Babe Ruth (15). He’s also first in World Series career hits (71).
Neil:
Lack of effort on the players’ parts? Could it be that big NIL money has made these 20-yearolds afraid of getting hurt by going all out and are instead going through the motions?
Joe:
The defense sure looked like it checked out the last two weeks.
Good morning, Neil: I think everyone will be grateful for the job that Franklin has done. Is the devil you don’t know better than the devil you do know?
Richard Goldfarb Holland, PA
Good morning, Richard: We will find out.
Dear Neil:
Fifty years ago, a professional wrestler called himself the Master of Disaster. Either he or the ghost of George Armstrong Custer has struck the Penn State football team.
Harlan Berger Pleasant Gap Harlan:
My personal favorite was Professor Tanaka.
Rudel will respond to brief questions and comments in Gameday. You can email him at nrudel@ altoonamirror.com and follow him on X @neilrudel.
GAME FACTS
PENN STATE (3-3) AT IOWA (4-2)
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. Saturday, WHERE: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
RANKINGS: Neither Penn State nor Iowa are ranked in the most recent AP Top 25. Iowa received nine votes in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
COACHES: Terry Smith makes his collegiate head coaching debut against Hawkeyes as he takes over as interim head coach of the Nittany Lions. Kirk Ferentz is 208-126 in his 27th season coaching Iowa. He’s led the Hawkeyes to 21 bowl game appearances in that time, with a 10-11 overall bowl record. (Source: sports-reference.com)
SERIES HISTORY:
Penn State leads the all-time series against Iowa, 18-14. Penn State won the most recent meeting in 2023, a 31-0 win at Beaver Stadium. (Source: winsipedia.com)
TV: PEACOCK
RADIO: ESPN Radio 1430
WVAM. Steve Jones and Jack Ham handle call, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The game also is carried locally on ESPN Radio 1450 WQWK, WBUS-FM (93.7), WLUI-AM (670), WLUI-FM (92.9), WZBF-FM (106.1), WDBF-FM (106.3), WKSB-FM (102.7), STAR-FM (100.9), WAYC-AM (1600).
PSU players shouldn’t escape finger of blame
It’s been another rough week for the Penn State football program, especially after the firing of coach James Franklin.
With so many factors to consider in addition to the team’s performance (among them the Beaver Stadium building project, pay-for-play support for players, recruiting and even attendance at the team’s remaining home games), the move seemed possible after the game at UCLA and likely after the Northwestern loss.
After the season started with such high expectations and hype, the failures have now been placed at Franklin’s feet.
At what point, though, if at all, are the players to blame? What level of criticism comes with the money they’re making and whatever responsibility they have in that altered pretty-much-pro landscape of college football?
Judging by the media coverage, the players generally get a pass.
In fairness, any criticism of quarterback Drew Allar has probably been tempered by his season-ending injury. Sure, there was a smattering of classless and irresponsible cheers in the stadium when the QB was injured, but that’s not a media matter. That was the fans, largely students.
Interestingly, though, even with the players’ healthy compensation packages, they’ve generally not been the target of more criticism from the media than in previous seasons.
What criticism that has existed has been framed more along the lines of who’s getting what amount of deserved playing time
at the running back position. It was a production discussion, not a payment discussion.
Maybe the media is more mature, measured and responsible, but the difference between what a portion of fans feel or express and what the media shares or writes might not be starker with regard to anything else about college football, and at Penn State, than the pay-for-play and what-they’re-making topic.
It’s not clear to me that fans who believe players have more responsibility because of the money are unfair, either. For some, the question might be a matter of playing for pride and the program vs. playing for the payment — not that they’re mutually exclusive.
But the difference in willingness to raise the topic between the fans and most of the media is interesting.
Coverage contrasts
The difference between the best national media members who cover college football, other folks who just have a national platform and those who cover Penn State daily was stark when focused on the Franklin firing.
ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel broke the news Sunday afternoon, with others confirming and following quickly with their own content and insights.
Thamel, who appears on College GameDay and has years of experience, was doing what top
TV/RADIO COMMENTARY
Worth watching
Nebraska at Minnesota 8 p.m. Friday Fox
LSU at Vanderbilt Noon Saturday ABC
Ole Miss at Georgia 3:30 p.m. Saturday ABC
USC at Notre Dame 7:30 p.m. Saturday NBC
national media types do — flexing his insiders muscle thanks to connections.
Likewise, it was a time to shine for many who cover the team on a regular basis.
After quick confirmations and the follow-up statements, some went live with chats, others bumped up previous content back atop their timelines with updated information or interviews that might have seen more mundane earlier. Along with their information, the pay sites offered deals to join their sites at reduced rates.
It was good stuff, solid work, from those who broke the news and those who know the program best.
It was big things and little things that all led to information that served fans.
PSU’s Nick Dawkins (53) and TJ Shanahan Jr. (54) share signals vs. Northwestern last week at Beaver Stadium.
The national talkers were not as solid, though, because they were mostly filling time, simply spouting off. Unfortunately for me, that included Denton Day and Geoff Schwartz on SiriusXM. They basically ripped and read the headline about Franklin and then made an earnest effort to complete their hour-long show, which was repeated several times Sunday afternoon. They just clearly did not know the Penn State program, which made listening a little frustrating.
Notable
≥ When Steve Jones gets dismissive and petty about other college football happenings (noting Ole Miss’s struggles and the pregame buildup to Michigan-USC most recently) it just seems unprofes-
sional, even though it gives a nice glimpse at his opinions and personality. It’s just a stark difference when he later goes into his necessary protect-the-program mindset after a Penn State loss.
≥ With Penn State’s struggles, it will be interesting to watch if Venmo, which has become a big sponsor locally and nationally, will make any tweaks to its TV commercial that features the program so prominently. It’s improbable, but not impossible.
≥ There was a quick cutaway late in the Northwestern game when Fox Sports 1 thought it had an interesting fan on camera, but instead the guy was just getting ready to give two middle fingers to someone. Oops.
≥ This week’s Penn State game at Iowa airs exclusively on Peacock. It’s the first time a Penn State road game has streamed on the channel. The previous two were home games (Delaware in 2023 and Washington in 2024).
≥ It will get attention on the broadcast Saturday night, because it always does and it’s a great visual, but it’s not clear to me that The Hawkeye Wave is one of the best traditions in college football. Feel free to watch and judge for yourself.
≥ Kudos to the members of the media covering Penn State football who asked fair, strong questions after the team’s loss to Northwestern, which turned out to be Franklin’s final session with the media.
Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com.
Steve Sampsell
The Associated Press
Power 4 conferences demand quick results
The national rankings are signaling that change is good.
The upper half of this week’s Associated Press Top-25 is populated abundantly with teams which introduced new head coaches prior to the start of the 2022 season.
And those coaches are producing wins aplenty at nine schools in the top-13.
Now in their fourth year are Mario Cristobal at No. 2 Miami, Joey McGuire at No. 8 Texas Tech, Dan Lanning at No. 9 Oregon, Brian Kelly at No. 10 LSU and Brent Venables at No. 13 Oklahoma.
Brent Key is in his third year at No. 12 Georgia Tech.
Second-year coaches are Curt Cignetti at No. 3 Indiana, Mike Elko at No. 4 Texas A&M and Kalen DeBoer at No. 6 Alabama.
The cumulative success that this collection of coaches is experiencing could be coincidence, the product of enlightened hiring practices, the net effect of fresh leadership or all of the above.
Or maybe these head coaches are simply master manipulators of the transfer portal who benefit from the expertise of a brilliant staff.
Obviously, the skill sets that these coaches possess have been translated into superior performance by their teams.
At LSU, year four of a coaching tenure seems to be a barometer of achievement. Nick Saban won a national championship in Baton Rouge in his fourth season. Les Miles and Ed Orgeron accomplished the feat in three years.
The root cause of James Franklin’s downfall at Penn State was not a three-game losing streak this season.
It was sustained near-greatness.
In Franklin’s 12th season, Penn State’s third national title remained as elusive as Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest.
Joe Paterno did not win his first national championship until his 17th season as head coach, but his teams went undefeated in 1968, 1969 and 1973 and lost a national title showdown with Alabama on New Year’s Day 1979 after
completing another undefeated regular season.
At some stops, the pursuit of a national title is more aspiration than reality.
Kirk Ferentz succeeded Hayden Fry at Iowa in 1999 and has yet to produce a Top-5 ranking in the Final AP Poll.
Mike Gundy had 20 full seasons at Oklahoma State to capture a national championship and reined in only one Top-5 ranking.
Kyle Whittingham has a No. 2 final ranking to show for 20 years at Utah, but that was way back in 2008.
In this era of ever-exorbitant coaching compensation, patience is a luxury that few fanbases or athletic administrations are willing to concede.
The message concealed within the current AP rankings is that the five-year rebuilding plan is a thing of the past.
Undoubtedly, new head coaches of Power 4 conference teams are expected to win now and win big.
Badgered and beaten
The coaching countdown clock at Wisconsin may be ticking off the final seconds, after Iowa dominated the Badgers, 37-0, for its first shutout in Madison since 1929.
“We got beat in every phase of the game,” said head coach Luke Fickell, who now sports an overall record of 15-17 at Wisconsin.
“They out-physicaled us, they outrushed us. All those things.”
The Badgers have lost eight straight Big Ten Conference games over the last two seasons. Three of Wisconsin’s final six games are against ranked opponents.
Ram-ping up the effort
After losing four of its first five games, Colorado State rewrote the script and produced a 49-21 upset of Fresno State last Friday.
NATIONAL VIEW
The Associated Press
Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) talks with coach Kirk Ferentz after getting injured during the second half against Indiana on Sept. 27 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Following their traditional outing to the movies on the eve of a game, Rams head coach Jay Norvell opted to deliver a pep talk to his team.
“I usually don’t talk to them after we go to the movies, but I did last night,” Norvell said. “And the one thing that I told our team was that the cavalry’s not riding in to save us. We have to save ourselves. And so, we have to make plays. We have to go out there and make plays. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.”
The Rams led 14-0 after the first quarter and 35-14 at the half. Fresno State entered the game at 5-1.
“I told them that the product that was out there today was not us,” said Fresno State head coach Matt Entz. “We are going to wish we had this game back at some point in the season.”
Notables
≥ With a 24-yard scamper on his 329th career carry, Jeremiyah
≥ It only took five games for North Carolina’s athletic department and Bill Belichick to issue a joint statement affirming mutual commitment to their working relationship. In three losses to Power 4 conference teams, the Tar Heels were outscored 120-33.
≥ Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. became the second Big Ten quarterback and 16th player in FBS history to pass for at least 400 yards and rush for at least 100 yards in a game, as the Huskies defeated Rutgers, 38-19
≥ BYU has posted 6-0 starts in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
≥ SMU has won 19 consecutive regular-season conference games which is a program record and the nation’s longest-active streak. Ten of those wins have been recorded since the Mustangs joined the ACC.
Quotables
“My message was stop beating Notre Dame. That was the message.”
Love became the second-fastest Notre Dame running back in the modern era and fourth-fastest in program history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards. The player who holds the record is George Gipp who achieved the feat on his 304th carry in 1920.
≥ In a 35-20 win over Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech held an opponent without a third-down conversion for only the second time in program history. In 1988, Chattanooga failed to convert on 12 third-down tries, four more than Virginia Tech.
≥ Temple fumbled away its distinction as the only FBS team not to commit a turnover when quarterback Evan Simon lost the ball during a second-quarter sack against Navy.
≥ A loss to Wake Forest dropped Oregon State to 0-7 in its worst start since the 1991 season when the Beavers opened with ten straight losses. The latest loss cost head coach Trent Bray his job.
— Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman recounting halftime remarks to his team which led 10-7 at the time enroute to a 36-7 victory
“I thought our redzone offense showed up about as much as the student section did today. Very similar.”
— Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin lamenting an 11 a.m. start time and his team’s failure to score on its first drive after making a first down at the Washington State 11-yard-line
“I’m not walking out of here thinking that these guys are in a different league than us. Where the Mustang program is going, I have a lot of respect for where that program is going. But I’m not walking out of here thinking, — ‘Well, they’re just better than us.’”
— Stanford interim coach Frank Reich after a 34-10 loss to SMU
Jim Caltagirone, a former member of Penn State’s sports information department, comments on the national scene for Gameday. He can be reached at jimclion4ever@gmail.com
Jim Caltagirone
Of potential PSU candidates, here’s nod to Diaz, Drinkwitz
After some time to process all that’s transpired in the past five days, it’s still hard to believe how quick the ending of James Franklin came.
But what’s done is now done, and Penn State and Pat Kraft now must find the next guy to lead the football program.
And if he’s going to dismiss Franklin and pay his huge buyout, he’s going to have to play home run derby and take some big swings.
Here are my five choices to replace Franklin:
5. Terry Smith, Penn State interim head coach: Yeah, maybe this is a little bit of a premature pick considering he’s going to have to do really well the rest of the season for Kraft to even think about dropping the interim tag. But no matter what, if Smith isn’t the permanent guy, whoever is should strongly
consider retaining Smith in his normal capacity.
Smith is a key component in recruiting at Penn State, and it would be important to get everyone that has already de-committed to reconsider.
It’s clear that the current roster respects Smith. If the Lions go 6-0 the rest of the way, he’s probably the right man. What are the odds of that happening? Definitely not great.
4. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator: It seems like no matter where Brady has gone over the years, he succeeds. It only took him seven seasons of being in coaching to become an
offensive coordinator in the NFL.
Brady spent time as a graduate assistant at Penn State in 2015 and 2016, and was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for LSU in 2019 when the Tigers won the national championship with Joe Burrow. That was the last time he coached in college.
It would be a long shot, but if Kraft throws money around, maybe it could be enough to get him back to college.
3. Curt Cignetti, Indiana head coach: Cignetti would be a massive hire, and he might just be the hottest name in the coaching carousel right now. There’s only one problem: Cignetti will be 65 years old next season. There’s a good chance Penn State would be in the same situation, looking for a new coach again in a few
years. If he were 55, he would be my No. 1 by far. In the short term, however, this would be huge news for Penn State if they could get him to come to State College. It took him less than two years to make the Hoosiers a winner. He was born in Pittsburgh, made IUP a powerhouse in Division II football, and what he said is true about him winning. Google him. He wins.
1a. Manny Diaz, Duke head coach: There are two picks for my No. 1, and Diaz would be a great hire. Everyone knows Diaz did a tremendous job as the defensive coordinator at Penn State for the two seasons he was there in 2022-23. The defense hasn’t quite been the same ever since with Tom Allen last season and Jim Knowles now.
Diaz was also a head coach at
Miami before he was at Penn State, and never should have been fired there. He’s in the midst of rebuilding at Duke, which doesn’t exactly have football as its highest priority.
1b. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach: Consider this: When Franklin was hired, he was the young up-and-coming coach that was a big hire, and that happened in a time where there were still sanctions to deal with. Drinkwitz is that guy right now. He might not have any ties to Pennsylvania, but that is why Smith should be retained. Drinkwitz is 43-25 at Missouri, a school which doesn’t have nearly the football history or the resources that Penn State has.
Imagine what he could do in State College.
Stine
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2025 PENN STATE ROSTER
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
2025 SCHEDULE
31
32
33
34
55
58
Louisville (4-1) at Miami (5-0), 7 p.m.
Nebraska (5-1) at Minnesota (4-2), 8 p.m. FAR WEST
San Jose St. (2-4) at Utah St. (3-3), 9 p.m.
North Carolina (2-3) at California (4-2), 10:30 p.m.
Uconn (4-2) at Boston College (1-5), Noon
Buffalo (3-3) at UMass (0-6), 2:30 p.m.
Texas State (3-3) at Marshall (3-3), 3:30 p.m.
Oregon (5-1) at Rutgers (3-3), 6:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh (4-2) at Syracuse (3-3), 7:30 p.m.
2025 PENN STATE STATISTICS
COLLEGE SCHEDULE — WEEK 8
Mississippi (6-0) at Georgia (5-1), 3:30 p.m.
SMU (4-2) at Clemson (3-3), 3:30 p.m.
Old Dominion (4-2) at James Madison (5-1), 3:30 p.m.
Memphis (6-0) at UAB (2-4), 4 p.m.
Alcorn St. (1-5) at Florida A&M (1-4), 4 p.m.
Mississippi St. (4-2) at Florida (2-4), 4:15 p.m.
Southern Miss. (4-2) at Louisiana-Lafayette (2-4), 5 p.m.
Prairie View (4-2) at Southern U. (1-5), 5 p.m.
Northwestern St. (1-5) at SE Louisiana (4-2), 5 p.m.
Howard (3-3) at Tennessee St. (1-5), 5:30 p.m.
Washington St. (3-3) at Virginia (5-1), 6:30 p.m.
S. Dakota St. (6-0) at Murray St. (0-6), 7 p.m.
E. Kentucky (3-3) at North Alabama (1-5), 7 p.m.
Houston Christian (2-4) at McNeese St. (1-5), 7 p.m.
Texas (4-2) at Kentucky (2-3), 7 p.m.
SOUTH
Georgia Tech (6-0) at Duke (4-2), Noon
LSU (5-1) at Vanderbilt (5-1), Noon
Army (3-3) at Tulane (5-1), Noon
Oklahoma (5-1) at South Carolina (3-3), 12:45 p.m.
West Virginia (2-4) at UCF (3-3), 1 p.m.
ETSU (3-4) at Chattanooga (2-4), 1:30 p.m.
Troy (4-2) at Louisiana-Monroe (3-3), 3 p.m.
Lincoln University (CA) (0-3) at MVSU (0-5), 3 p.m.
Coastal Carolina (3-3) at Appalachian St. (4-2), 3:30 p.m.
New Hampshire (3-4) at Campbell (2-5), 3:30 p.m.
Temple (3-3) at Charlotte (1-5), 3:30 p.m.
Elon (4-3) at William & Mary (3-3), 3:30 p.m.
WEEK 8 ODDS
Georgia St. (1-5) at Georgia Southern (2-4), 7 p.m.
FAU (3-3) at South Florida (5-1), 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee (5-1) at Alabama (5-1), 7:30 p.m.
Missouri (5-1) at Auburn (3-3), 7:45 p.m.
MIDWEST
Butler (4-3) at Dayton (5-1), Noon
Cent. Michigan (3-3) at Bowling Green (3-3), Noon
Washington (5-1) at Michigan (4-2), Noon
E. Michigan (2-5) at Miami (Ohio) (3-3), Noon
N. Dakota St. (6-0) at Indiana St. (2-4), 1 p.m.
Kent St. (2-4) at Toledo (3-3), 2 p.m.
Purdue (2-4) at Northwestern (4-2), 3 p.m.
Michigan St. (3-3) at Indiana (6-0), 3:30 p.m.
Ohio St. (6-0) at Wisconsin (2-4), 3:30 p.m.
Akron (2-5) at Ball St. (2-4), 3:30 p.m.
N. Illinois (1-5) at Ohio (3-3), 3:30 p.m.
Southern Cal (5-1) at Notre Dame (4-2), 7:30 p.m. SOUTHWEST
Baylor (4-2) at TCU (4-2), Noon
Arizona (4-2) at Houston (5-1), Noon
Va. Lynchburg (0-2) at Texas Southern (3-3), 3 p.m.
Grambling St. (3-3) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (3-3), 3 p.m.
Texas A&M (6-0) at Arkansas (2-4), 3:30 p.m.
UTSA (3-3) at North Texas (5-1), 3:30 p.m.
UT Rio Grande Valley (5-1) at Lamar (5-1), 4 p.m.
East Texas A&M (1-5) at Incarnate Word (2-4), 5:30 p.m.
West Georgia (5-2) at Tarleton St. (7-0), 7 p.m.
Nicholls (1-5) at Stephen F. Austin (4-2), 7 p.m.
Cincinnati (5-1) at Oklahoma St. (1-5), 8 p.m. FAR WEST
Wyoming (3-3) at Air Force (1-5), 3:30 p.m.
UNLV (6-0) at Boise St. (4-2), 3:30 p.m.
Texas Tech (6-0) at Arizona St. (4-2), 4 p.m.
Hawaii (5-2) at Colorado St. (2-4), 7 p.m.
Idaho (2-4) at E. Washington (2-4), 7 p.m.
Maryland (4-2) at UCLA (2-4), 7 p.m.
Utah (5-1) at BYU (6-0), 8 p.m.
Abilene Christian (4-3) at S. Utah (1-5), 8:30 p.m.
