STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — James Franklin waited near the Beaver Stadium end zone for nearly every one of his players to leave the field, surveying and scanning for any potential signs of trouble almost as much as the Penn State head coach was there to offer up a warm embrace and a few words of solace.
Many of his players were still processing what they had witnessed, how a 21-point run across the fourth quarter and first overtime resulted in a game that was there for the taking by the No. 3 Nittany Lions against a big-time opponent—only for it to end in the same painful way.
