PSU’s Franklin rankles Terps with late TD in rout

Maryland coach Mike Locksley took issue with Penn State throwing a touchdown pass on the final play of Saturday’s 44-7 Nittany Lions win and let his counterpart James Franklin know about it.

Locksley and Franklin had a tense exchange after the game, which ended with Franklin walking away and yelling, “If that’s what you think, that’s fine!” Nittany Lions backup quarterback Beau Pribula threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyseer Denmark as the clock expired.

Penn State’s win clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship game, where it will face No. 1 Oregon on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions have not appeared in the game since 2016, when they won their lone Big Ten title under Franklin.

“It was bull—, is what it was,” Locksley said about the final play. “I respect the game. I’ve got a lot of respect for James, his program. I think it was bull—.”

Franklin said he understands the criticism but that he wants Penn State’s reserves to “play football” when they enter games.

“Your 1s [starters] are in the game, you were trying to score, we’re trying to score,” Franklin added. “On top of that, you’re playing Cover 0. Play Cover 2. And on top of that, there’s also a change in college football. We are trying to play as long as we can, make the playoffs and be seeded as high as possible, and scoring as many points and a point differential matters. All that matters. If you don’t get that, it’s really not my problem.”

Franklin twice served as a Maryland assistant and worked alongside Locksley from 2000 to 2002. Maryland in 2009 named Franklin head coach-in-waiting, although an athletic director change complicated matters and he eventually left to lead Vanderbilt’s program.

Since taking over at Penn State in 2014, Franklin is 9-2 against Maryland with six wins by 30 points or more.