James Franklin's Record in Big Games Factored Into Penn State Firing, AD Says

In his 11 years at Penn State, James Franklin had six double-digit win seasons and was a consistent contender in the Big Ten, but his inability to win big games was always the biggest stain on his resume.

His struggles in the biggest moments were a factor in his firing on Sunday, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft acknowledged on Monday, per ESPN's Jake Trotter.

"I'm here to win a national championship," Kraft said. "And I believe our fans deserve that."

The Nittany Lions came into the season with championship aspirations but quickly collapsed with three consecutive losses, two of which came against unranked opponents.

Their double overtime loss to Oregon gave Franklin a 4-21 record against AP top-10 opponents. Trotter noted that Franklin's .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 foes is tied for the third-worst at a single school since the poll era began in 1936.

After the Nittany Lions lost to the Ducks in September, Franklin acknowledged his record against top-10 teams.

"I get that narrative, and it's really not a narrative -- it's factual. It's the facts," Franklin told reporters. "I try to look at the entire picture and what we've been able to do here. But at the end of the day, we got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it. And I take ownership. I take responsibility."

It's easy to pinpoint the recent three-game losing skid as the reason for Franklin's firing, but Kraft made it clear that much more went into the decision.

"This is not a three-game thing," Kraft said. "This is really diving where we are as a program — what is the trajectory of this program?"