How Penn State unraveled under James Franklin - ESPN

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Two nights before James Franklin's final game at Penn State, an unranked Clarkson University men's hockey team scored on the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions a minute after puck drop. Behind the net, students erupted into chants of «Fire Franklin» — and resumed the chant after every goal in a 6-4 Clarkson win.

On Saturday, during Penn State's stunning 22-21 loss to Northwestern, the «Fire Franklin» chants echoed through Beaver Stadium — and never let up.

After a third straight loss, Franklin looked defeated. As if saying goodbye, he stood on the 10-yard line and hugged every remaining player on the field before heading through the south tunnel for the last time as head coach.

There, his wife and daughter waited. He sent them ahead — perhaps so they wouldn't hear the vitriol that awaited him — as he passed fans lined up on either side of the underpass to the locker room.

«How it all turned so bad so fast,» one Penn State athletic department source said, «I don't know.»

The Nittany Lions began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25. They poured millions into building a loaded roster and a seasoned coaching staff that Franklin called his best yet. While the other Big Ten powers were set to debut new quarterbacks, Penn State boasted a three-year starter in Drew Allar, who opened as one of the Heisman Trophy betting favorites.

Coming off a CFP semifinal appearance, Penn State seemed poised to chase its first national title in 39 years. Yet with those expectations came unprecedented pressure on the Nittany Lions, who under Franklin had repeatedly wilted in big games.

As one former Penn State staff member put it, «They were either gonna win it all — or they were gonna implode.»

Six games into Franklin's 12th