In the loss to Ohio State, Penn State coach James Franklin is taking the blame for ‘all of it’

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — James Franklin spoke with a slight rasp as he delivered the opening remarks in his weekly press conference on Tuesday, days removed from No. 10 Penn State’s 20-12 loss at No. 3 Ohio State that spoiled a previously perfect season.

“As you could probably tell from my voice, we haven’t gotten a whole lot of sleep since that game,” Franklin said.

Saturday morning began with high expectations. The Nittany Lions appeared loaded from top to bottom, leading the Big Ten in scoring opposite one of the nation’s top defenses. Against a Buckeyes team that was widely considered beatable, Franklin’s group fell flat.

The most recent loss marked Penn State’s seventh in a row against Ohio State, which holds a 9-1 all-time record against Franklin, who’s now 3-16 when facing AP top-10 teams since taking over the Lions in 2014.

But Franklin didn’t want to discuss the numbers or “big-picture questions” directly after the loss. He waited until Tuesday to take accountability for yet another Penn State shortcoming at the doors of elite status.

“I wish I would have answered it on Saturday, although I was thinking about that specific game at the time. I think it’s more than fair to judge me and my staff for all of it,” Franklin said. “I mean, that’s what it’s about — the good, the bad, the consistency, the lack of success in that game. All of it. … I also think it’s important to judge the entire body of work.”

» READ MORE: Penn State drops to No. 10 in the Associated Press college football poll

Franklin takes 39 weeks every year to put his program in a position to be successful, not just for the year ahead but for the eight that remain on his contract. For the other 13 weeks, he coaches football games, hoping the resources he has fought to obtain over the course of the year pay off.

With yet another loss to the Buckeyes, the Nittany Lions don’t appear much closer to “closing the gap with what a lot of people would consider the top-five programs in the country,” contradicting what Franklin told reporters last Wednesday.

Franklin’s road to a potential College Football Playoff nod is tumultuous. It began with taking accountability on Tuesday. Many hope it won’t end with a tilt that could be a deciding factor — Penn State’s clash against two-time reigning Big Ten champion Michigan on Nov. 11.

“Ultimately, it’s always on me when things don’t go well,” Franklin said. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is for me to take responsibility and do everything within my power to get it fixed.”