NFL legend Shannon Sharpe has boldly called out a standout college football coach and his program for their most recent loss in the 2025 season. On Saturday, Sept. 27, coach James Franklin and his Penn State Lions team took on coach Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks in their home turf, the Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania, for their week four and week five, respectively, matchups this year.
Unfortunately for coach Franklin and his Lions, they were beaten by the Ducks in a thrilling double overtime showcase by six points, 30-24, as both teams were gunning for a win early in the season. This prompted Sharpe to call out coach Franklin on X/Twitter, as he feels that he is not capable of winning intense matchups such as against the Ducks with his Penn State squad.
Is James Franklin ever going 2 win a big gm? EVER? Damn. #CollegeFootballSaturday #PennStOregon.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) September 28, 2025
The loss gives coach Franklin and the Lions a 3-1 record on the 2025 collegiate football campaign thus far, as this was their first defeat of the year. Penn State was heading into the matchup against Oregon right after a huge win against the Villanova Wildcats by a staggering 46 points, 52-6, but it went for nought. Coach Franklin and the Lions now look to retool and hopefully get a win against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The game will be played in away territory in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, meaning coach Franklin and the Lions will have to get a win outside of their home pitch. For legends of the sport such as Sharpe, he will surely continue on to be critical of the Lions, given that he has since become a full-pledged sports analyst since retiring from playing professional football in 2003.
For coach Lanning and the Ducks, they will now set their sights on the Indiana Hoosiers for their week six game on Saturday, Oct. 11, in their home turf, Autzen Stadium, as they look to extend their current undefeated streak so far. The Ducks currently sit atop the Big Ten conference with an undefeated overall record of 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten).
All Of Coach James Franklin’s Penn State Lions’ Wins Have Been Blowouts This Year
As pointed out by Shannon Sharpe, all of coach James Franklin’s Penn State Lions victories in the 2025 college football season have been legitimate blowouts. As mentioned earlier, the Lions’ last victory was a blowout against the Villanova Wildcats.
But, prior to this, Penn State won against the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Florida International Panthers by a huge amount. They have the rest of the year to prove to the likes of Sharpe that they can win tight games.
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