James Franklin on Tyler Warren not getting the ball in goal line sequence vs. Ohio State: 'I get the question'

James Franklin faced a lot of questions after an all-too-familiar loss to now-No. 3 Ohio State Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium.

The first one he fielded in his postgame press conference was chief among them: Just minutes removed from a 20-13 defeat — the Nittany Lions’ eighth straight setback versus the Buckeyes — Franklin was asked if he and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki considered giving the ball to star tight end Tyler Warren on any of Penn State’s four goal-to-go plays on its potential game-tying drive.

“Yeah, we gave the ball to the running back three times, threw the ball on the last one,” Franklin said. “Yeah, should we probably have given the ball to Tyler Warren after the plays he made?

“Yeah, I get the question. I get it.”

For the second time that afternoon, Penn State reached at least the 3-yard line and came up with zero points.

Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun saved a touchdown late in the first half with an heads-up interception, collecting a bobbled end zone catch from Nittany Lions wideout Trey Wallace while getting a foot down in bounds to make a split-second yet game-changing takeaway.

Then, more than halfway through the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes stopped Penn State running back Kaytron Allen on three straight runs, two from the Ohio State 3-yard line and one from the Ohio State 2-yard line. None of those gained more than a yard, despite Kotelnicki even motioning guard Vega Ioane for extra tonnage.

On 4th-and-Goal from the Ohio State 1-yard line, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar’s intended pass for tight end Khalil Dinkins fell incomplete. The Nittany Lions’ top tight end, Warren, was covered by Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom in the flat.

Warren is the most dynamic tight end in the country.

He passed for a touchdown against Kent State. A week later, he ran for a score against Illinois. Two weeks after that, he hauled in 17 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown at USC — that touchdown reception took place on a double pass that started with him snapping the ball.

His versatility showed up on that fateful Penn State possession. Three plays after securing a 31-yard reception downfield, he took a direct snap and ran it 33 yards to the Ohio State 3-yard line.

So he was the reason the reason why the Nittany Lions were at the doorstep of a game-tying touchdown in the first place. He finished the day with four receptions for 47 receiving yards, and he tallied a team-high 47 rushing yards on three carries.

Except, with the game on the line, he didn’t touch the ball on four straight goal-to-go plays.