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James Franklin discusses Iowa fans booing after injuries

photos -jpgby:Ashton Pollard•10/09/21•

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Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Following a 23-20 loss at the hands of Iowa in which numerous Nittany Lions were injured, Penn State head coach James Franklin was not pleased with the actions of the fans at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.

The fans spent the afternoon booing Penn State players that were slow to get up, as they felt many of the injuries occurred after big Iowa gains. Franklin took issue with the actions of those in Iowa City.

“They don’t run a tempo offense,” Franklin told reporters after the game. “This wasn’t part of our plan. I don’t think that’s the right for college football.”

Iowa does not run a tempo offense, so Franklin argued that instructing players to stay down would not have benefitted Penn State anyway. Regardless, the head coach argued booing injured players is not good for the game of college football.

Penn State injuries on Saturday were numerous. Five players left the game: quarterback Sean Clifford, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, running backs John Lovett and Devyn Ford and safety Jonathan Sutherland. Several other Nittany Lions took a moment to get up. 

Following the injuries to Lovett and Ford, Penn State had just two backs: Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee. Clifford finished as Penn State’s leading rusher with 36 yards. Lee followed him with 30 yards on 10 carries.

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Backup quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson entered the game for the injured Clifford. He had a rough outing against a stout Iowa defense and went 7-for-21 for 34 yards and two interceptions. Clifford returned to the field after the half in street clothes.

The Penn State receivers had a day to forget after the quarterback troubles, with no one exceeding 61 yards. In total, Penn State was 5-16 on third down and 0-3 on fourth down on the day.

Penn State is now 5-1 and hosts Illinois next weekend before a marquee matchup in Columbus against Ohio State in two weeks. Also in the East, Michigan State remains undefeated, while Michigan is in a fight with Nebraska to remain unbeaten. 

Iowa moved to 6-0 on the year, and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is now 6-2 in his last eight games against top-five teams. Iowa was ranked for just two of those eight matchups. They are firmly in control of the Big Ten West and face Purdue next week.