James Franklin Called Ohio Stadium The Wrong Name Today
As if the Penn State vs. Ohio State rivalry needed any more fuel, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin has inadvertently disrespected the Buckeye faithful.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Franklin misspoke and and called his team’s next opponent “Illinois” on two occasions, per Allie Berube of ABC. He also accidentally referred to Ohio Stadium (aka The Shoe) as The Big House.
There’s clearly a lot of pressure on James Franklin (coaching rumors, back to back losses).
He’s misspoke twice today calling the next opponent Illinois (when it is of course, Ohio State), and called the stadium The Big House (when they play at The Shoe on Saturday).
— Allie Berube (@allieberube) October 26, 2021
Perhaps Franklin is just rattled by his team’s recent struggles.
After starting the season with a flawless 5-0 record, Penn State has now dropped two straight games. Following a closely-contested loss to then-No. 3 Iowa, the Nittany Lions fell in a devastating nine-overtime loss to Illinois this past Saturday.
Facing No. 5 Ohio State isn’t exactly the bounce-back opportunity Franklin hoped for after these two crushing losses. Ever since their Week 2 loss to the Oregon Ducks, the Buckeyes have absolutely dominated their competition. Through five straight victories, Ryan Day’s 6-1 squad has taken down opponents by a combined margin of 208 points.
Ohio State doesn’t need much bulletin board material against its bitter Big Ten rivals, but Franklin’s slip ups may give the team some extra juice heading into the weekend.
No. 20 Penn State will kickoff against No. 5 Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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