A few days after Penn State lost to Oregon in the Nittany Lions' annual "White Out" game last Saturday night, James Franklin seemed happy that his team had an away game following the loss.
"It's a good time to get out of town, for sure," the PSU head coach said on Wednesday.
To quote the great Lee Corso: Not so fast, my friend.
In what was expected to be a get-right game for Penn State against a winless UCLA team, it resulted in a huge upset as the Nittany Lions fell to the Bruins, 42-37, for Penn State's second straight loss.
This is just awesome.
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) October 4, 2025
Rick Neuheisel reacts to the final play of UCLA's win, with his son calling the plays for the Bruins. pic.twitter.com/ukWnYhNQUo
It was quite an ugly start for James Franklin's team, one that could never fully recover from. The Bruins scored on the opening drive of the game, something that they haven't done all season.
And... This is the first time UCLA has scored in the first quarter all season. First time they've had a lead all season too.
— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) October 4, 2025
Bruins up 7-0 after a 10-play 75-yard drive.
Following that first-quarter score, UCLA surprised Penn State with an onside kick, which the Nittany Lions weren't expecting whatsoever. Before PSU's offense even got on the field, it trailed 10-0.
UCLA WITH THE SURPRISE ONSIDE KICK! pic.twitter.com/tlOkovmMQu
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 4, 2025
Franklin's team continued to struggle the rest of the first half, as UCLA took a 27-7 lead into halftime. The Bruins not only dominated on the scoreboard in the opening 30 minutes of the game, but they also had the ball for over 19 minutes and outgained Penn State, 285-92, in the first half.
For those keeping score at home, Jim Knowles' defense allowed more points in the first half against winless UCLA (27) than Matt Patricia's Ohio State defense has allowed all season (22).
In a back-and-forth second half, UCLA never trailed even though the Nittany Lions continued to claw their way back.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iameleava played so well that some even compared his performance to Vince Young, as the former Tennessee Volunteer completed 17 of 24 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
Drew Allar, who is known much more for his arm than his running ability, completed 18 of 25 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and led Penn State with 78 rushing yards on 11 carries (tied for the team lead). That includes when the Nittany Lions drew up a QB draw on a crucial 4th-and-2 on UCLA's 9-yard line with 40 seconds left in the game and the Nittany Lions trailing 42-35.
THE BRUINS MAKE THE STOP!! pic.twitter.com/CmW0noZ2Pq
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) October 4, 2025
Penn State’s loss was the first loss by a top-10 team to an 0-4 opponent since 1985.
After being glad that Penn State had an away game following its loss to Oregon, Franklin might wish he could just stay in Los Angeles rather than go back to Happy Valley at this point.
