James Franklin needs to take more responsibility for Penn State's offensive failures

Penn State found its scapegoat following another embarrassing big-game loss on Saturday — a 24-15 loss to Michigan — by firing offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. 

Even if that was a needed change for an offense that has been stale and lacking in big plays for most of the season, it does not absolve head coach James Franklin of responsibility. 

In fact, he should take the bulk of it considering a mediocre offense and consistent failings in big games against tough teams have been staples of the Franklin tenure, no matter who his offensive coordinator happens to be.

As The Athletic's Aubrey Snyder pointed in the wake of Yurcich's firing, Franklin has had five offensive coordinators at Penn State. Only one of them — Joe Moorhead during the 2016 and 2017 seasons — produced an offense that played at an elite level nationally and was able to match the strength on the defensive side of the ball. Snyder also pointed out that Moorhead seemed to have been the only one of Franklin's offensive coordinators who had control in building the offense and calling plays. 

It seems that whenever Penn State's offense shows any sign of struggle since Moorhead's departure, Franklin inserts himself into the equation and immediately begins coaching more conservatively.

The Nittany Lions do not allow their quarterbacks to throw the ball downfield, they struggle to generate the type of splash plays that can swing a game and they consistently come up short against the top teams in the nation. 

When the assistant coaches and players keep changing but the results remain consistent, it is probably a good bet that the one constant — in this case Franklin — is the source of most of the problems.

Franklin's job won't be in serious jeopardy because he still ends up winning a lot of games, Penn State typically plays in major bowls and his buyout is absolutely massive. However, he runs into the problem a lot of college coaches have that prevent them from going to the next level in the NFL or becoming elite college coaches.

Franklin is an outstanding recruiter and builds a very strong roster. On most weeks, that roster is good enough to win games by simply showing up at the stadium. Recruiting is a significant part of the equation in college football, and Franklin's roster and style are typically good enough to beat 90 percent of the teams on the schedule just based on pure talent. When Franklin gets into a game where the talent is equal or perhaps even inferior (like Ohio State and Michigan), though, it places a great emphasis on coaching and in-game decisions.

That is where Franklin's conservative nature and game management hurt him and the Nittany Lions, and it's evident in the results. As Snyder noted in her piece for The Athletic:

"Since Penn State upset Ohio State in the regular season and beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game in 2016 — a moment this program hasn’t achieved since — Penn State has lost 13 of its 14 games against AP top-10 teams. After the win in the Rose Bowl against Utah to cap last season, Penn State didn’t take a step forward despite featuring a roster loaded with talent.

"Franklin is a combined 4-16 against Ohio State and Michigan since becoming Penn State’s head coach in 2014. He is 3-17 against AP top-10 opponents at Penn State, including 2-8 when the Lions are ranked in the top 10."

It is difficult to see all of that changing with a new offensive coordinator considering it has never changed in the near decade with Franklin at the helm.