What is James Franklin’s career record in season openers?
It may be hard to believe, but James Franklin is about to open his 10th season as the head coach at Penn State. And what a decade it has been for Franklin and the Nittany Lions. Penn State has won one Big Ten championship in that span but has celebrated victories in the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl.
James Franklin has a winning record in season openers as well, including a 7-2 record in season openers at Penn State entering the 2023 season. Here is a look back at each season opener coached by Franklin in his head coaching career, beginning with his time at Vanderbilt.
2011: Vanderbilt vs. Elon
Date: September 3, 2011
Result: Vanderbilt 45, Elon 14
Franklin’s record in season openers: 1-0
James Franklin easily picked up his first career win as Vanderbilt jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the FCS Elon in the first half and really put the game out of reach with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
2012: Vanderbilt vs. No. 9 South Carolina
Date: August 30, 2012
Result: No. 9 South Carolina 17, Vanderbilt 13
Franklin’s record in season openers: 1-1
Following a step forward in 2011, Franklin’s Vanderbilt program was about to embark on a nine-win season. But it got off on the wrong foot with a hard-fought game against a top-10 South Carolina squad coached by Steve Spurrier. A Marcus Lattimore touchdown run from the goal line early in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the game as Vanderbilt was unable to hold on to a small lead in a true defensive battle.
2013: Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss
Date: August 29, 2013
Result: Ole Miss 39, Vanderbilt 35
Franklin’s record in season openers: 1-2
The 2013 season opener had a much different tune, with plenty of offense to spare. The Commodores put together 426 yards of offense but quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels had two interceptions in the game. And a game lacking on defense cost Vanderbilt in the final minutes of the game as Ole Miss running back Jeff Scott took off for a 75-yard go-ahead touchdown run with 1:07 left to play just moments after Vanderbilt took the lead.
2014: Penn State vs. UCF (Dublin, Ireland)
Date: August 30, 2014
Result: Penn State 26, UCF 24
Franklin’s record in season openers: 2-2
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 1-0
James Franklin’s Penn State debut took place across the pond with a matchup against UCF in Dublin, Ireland. And it was quite a start! Penn State and UCF battled back and forth deep into the fourth quarter but a game-winning field goal by Sam Ficken as time expired gave Penn State a dramatic 26-24 victory in Franklin’s first game as head coach at Penn State.
2015: Penn State at Temple
Date: September 5, 2015
Result: Temple 27, Penn State 10
Franklin’s record in season openers: 2-3
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 1-1
Penn State’s 2015 season got off to a terrible start. The offense scored one point for every sack of Christian Hackenberg given up to a Temple team that had one of their best seasons in program history. Temple head coach Matt Rhule simply got the better of Franklin in this one as Penn State squandered a 10-0 lead.
2016: Penn State vs. Kent State
Date: September 3, 2016
Result: Penn State Penn State 33, Kent State 13
Franklin’s record in season openers: 3-3
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 2-1
Nobody quite knew what to expect out of the 2016 season so early on, but Franklin’s Nittany Lions set the right tone with a dominant win over Kent State in the 2016 season opener. What would turn out to be a Big Ten championship season started with Saquon Bakley rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown and Trace McSorley throwing for 209 yards with two touchdown passes as Franklin evened his record in season openers.
2017: No. 6 Penn State vs. Akron
Date: September 2, 2017
Result: No. 6 Penn State 52, Akron 0
Franklin’s record in season openers: 4-3
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 3-1
Franklin and the defending Big Ten champions pitched a shutout against an overmatched Akron squad to start the 2017 season. Saquon Barkley rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout. For the first time since his coaching debut, Franklin was over .500 in season openers.
2018: No. 10 Penn State vs. Appalachian State
Date: September 1, 2018
Result: No. 10 Penn State 45, Appalachian State 38 (OT)
Franklin’s record in season openers: 5-3
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 4-1
Penn State had their hands full with a very good Appalachian State team in the 2018 season opener. Appalachian State scored 28 fourth-quarter points to overcome a 14-point deficit and KJ Hamler scored on a 15-yard pass in the final minute of regulation to tie the game at 38-38. A Miles Sanders touchdown in overtime followed by a game-winning interception allowed Penn State to escape the massive upset bid by the Mountaineers.
2019: No. 15 Penn State vs. Idaho
Date: August 31, 2019
Result: No. 15 Penn State 79, Idaho 7
Franklin’s record in season openers: 6-3
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 5-1
This game was over when it was scheduled. Idaho at least managed to hold the Nittany Lions to fewer than 80 points. This was clearly the easiest season-opening win for Franklin and a much more relaxing opener compared to the previous season… and the next season…
2020: No. 8 Penn State at Indiana
Date: October 24, 2020
Result: Indiana 36, No. 8 Penn State 35 (OT)
Franklin’s record in season openers: 6-4
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 5-2
Penn State started the 2020 season as a top-10 team despite starting their season in October, but the Nittany Lions dropped hard and fast with an overtime loss at Indiana. Although Penn State overcame an early deficit and led the game in the fourth quarter, Indiana stunned the Nittany Lions for just their second win all-time against Penn State. Franklin’s Nittany Lions went on to drop their next four games for a historic 0-5 start to a season. The loss to Indiana occurred in a somewhat controversial fashion with a video replay upholding a two-point conversion attempt by Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for the overtime winner.
2021: No. 19 Penn State at No. 12 Wisconsin
Date: September 4, 2021
Result: No. 19 Penn State 16, No. 12 Wisconsin 10
Franklin’s record in season openers: 7-4
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 6-2
For the second consecutive season, Penn State opened a college football season on the road against a Big Ten opponent. The matchup with Wisconsin was every bit the defensive battle it was expected to be with the Nittany Lions coming up with big defensive and special teams stops to thwart the Badgers’ scoring opportunities. Jahan Dotson had the game’s first touchdown and Ji’Ayir Brown sealed the game with a late interception over the middle.
2022: Penn State at Purdue
Date: September 1, 2021
Result: Penn State 35, Purdue 31
Franklin’s record in season openers: 8-4
Franklin’s record in Penn State openers: 7-2
For the third year in a row, Penn State opened its season on the road against a Big Ten opponent. And for the second straight year, Sean Clifford helped lead the Nittany Lions to a season-opening victory with one of his finer performances. Clifford led a fourth-quarter drive for the game-winning touchdown in a back-and-forth game.
