UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- It was another embarrassing loss for Penn State as it got thumped, 41-21, to the Iowa Saturday at Beaver Stadium, making the Nittany Lions the first team to go from being ranked in the top 10 of the preseason AP Top 25 poll to 0-5 in its first five games.
It also is the first 0-5 start in the 134-year history of the program.
Each of the five losses can be described in a single word: Failure.
Failure to execute. Failure to live up to expectations. Failure to coach. Failure to prepare. You name it and the Nittany Lions have failed at it this year.
"It's not good enough," James Franklin said following the game. "There's obviously a lot of circumstances going on this year, but none of that matters. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to play good football and we have not done that."
At the beginning of the season, Penn State was being discussed as a candidate to reach if it had a successful season. Now, the Nittany might not go to a bowl game in a year in which all teams are eligible.
The performance on the field and on the sidelines is simply inexcusable. This team, at one point, was ranked No. 8 in the country and was a favorite to win the Big Ten. Now, after five games, there's a good chance there won't be a victory in Happy Valley this season.
For most of the season, Sean Clifford was the scapegoat, and his performance was a major factor in the team's play. On this night -- and the season, for that matter -- it was the coaches who let the program down.
Can't blame Clifford when Will Levis started over him at quarterback. Levis did some good things, some bad and eventually found his place back on the bench, as he was replaced by Clifford after fumbling and being unable to move the offense.
Clifford came in and promptly threw two touchdown passes on his first two plays of the game. The first went to tight end Brenton Strange on a 28-yarder before he linked up with Jahan Dotson for a 68-yard score. Of course, reality set in for Clifford and company, as he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions, one resulting in a pick-six for Iowa that sealed the Nittany Lions' fate.
"The whole reason for the change was the turnovers," Franklin said. "I felt like we had to do something to go back to Sean. It initially helped, but then the turnovers came back again.
Prior to the pick-six, Penn State had the football in Iowa territory and was facing a fourth down. The Nittany Lions trailed by 13 at that point and needed to continue the drive and put points on the board.
Instead, they punted.
Rather than believing in his team and going for it, Franklin punted and quit on his team. This is the same coach who elected to go for it on a 4th-and-2 in the second quarter while down 10 points.
"I'm doing everything I possibly can to inject some confidence and inject some momentum in that offense to try and get us going," Franklin said. "It's not just about the decision, it's about the execution. We didn't execute and ended up giving up a big touchdown before the half."
The failure to execute defensively has long been an issue for Penn State to start games defensively, but once again neither side of the ball was able to play complementary football.
"We've had times in the past where we have struggled or started slow on offense and our defense has played well or vice versa or special teams has come through for us," Franklin said. "We're not doing it really in all three phases."
This type of failure is uncommon at Penn State. Even through NCAA-imposed sanctions and the early 2000s, the Nittany Lions had never had this type of terrible play and coaching.
"We're being challenged right now. We had to learn how to handle success," Franklin said. "Now, we're learning how to handle adversity. And it's even more challenging when they don't have the normal support system around them they typically would have."
Every program is being challenged, much like every person is being challenged right now. Franklin has a point, to an extent, but at what point is there accountability for the failure to do much of anything competent on the field this season?
Franklin announced last week that Penn State has had over 40 false positives on COVID-19 tests, and following the game, he said a numerous players were unavailable for unspecified reasons. Regardless, for a program that preaches the next-man-up mentality, there's got to be some level of accountability for either not having the players prepared to play or simply not developing them in ways to win games in the Big Ten.
"We're out a number of guys and have been out a number of guys since the beginning of the season or in preseason," Franklin said. "At the end of the day, the guys we put on the field, we got to put them in position to be successful. And we got to find ways fundamentally to help them."
While Penn State is dangerously close to imploding, there have been times at which the Nittany Lions look like a competent team. And as bad as things have gone for them, there isn't a team with a winning record left on their schedule.
"2020. Yeah, it's been a rough year," Dotson said. "But every single week, we're just focused on going 1-0. That's our goal. Every single week."
To do that at any point in the next four games will require an improvement in execution, something lacking on both sides of the ball all year. Defensively, it's been a struggle to get off the field early in the other team's possession.
"Those long drives like that are taxing," cornerback Keaton Ellis said. "Everybody has to keep executing. That's the next biggest thing, execution."
The biggest thing for Penn State moving forward isn't going to be wins and losses, because at this point, those the record is moot. The team is not being coached well and the players aren't playing well. It's going to come down to whether Franklin can keep his players from quitting the way he did at the end of the game? Or will they be able to get through this adversity and the epic failure start to their season?
"If you quit, you're going to be a quitter for the rest of your life," Dotson said. "Or you can put your head down and work and just fight that adversity and come out on top. That's what we need to do. We just need to work. We got to come out and practice every single day and work."
• As if Penn State could use more bad news, Franklin announced that tight end Pat Freiermuth would be undergoing season-ending surgery, because of an injury suffered a few weeks ago against Ohio State. Freiermuth played against Maryland and Nebraska, but didn't look healthy despite his production. Strange started in Freiermuth's spot and hauled in a touchdown and had 38 receiving yards.
"I found out last Sunday and that's been a big part of me just growing as a player, growing as a person just watching how he works every day." Strange said.
• Penn State took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. The lead was the Nittany Lions' first since the first overtime against Indiana in the opener.
• Lamont Wade led the way defensively with 10 tackles while defensive end Shaka Toney recorded two sacks and a forced fumble.
• Franklin identified the players unavailable against the Hawkeyes as Devyn Ford, Zack Kuntz, Tariq Castro-Fields, Charlie Katshir and Freiermuth.
• Penn State visits Michigan next Saturday. The game time yet to be determined.