WATCH: James Franklin addresses slow start, Drew Allar’s off day vs. FIU

It wasn’t always pretty, but in the end, Penn State football was able to secure a lopsided 34-0 victory over FIU on Saturday afternoon. After a sluggish first half inside a rainy Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions took control of the game in the third and fourth quarters, adding a pair of late touchdowns to seal the shutout win.

After the game, James Franklin didn’t shy away when discussing his team’s struggles in all three phases.

“We started out sluggish. We did not execute the way we needed to early on for a number of reasons,” he said. “Obviously, third down was a factor in that. We missed some throws; we dropped some passes. We allowed them on defense to stay on schedule too often. I think it was a combination of all those things. I would have liked to see us start stronger and faster.

“That’s a better football team [FIU]. I think they’re going to have a good year in that conference. Standing out there on that field, I thought they had some really good players, and I thought they were coached well. I thought they were efficient with what they did today. I have to give them a ton of credit, but I was not happy with how we started. Starting fast on offense, defense, and special teams, we did not do that today.”

Franklin: Drew Allar, Penn State offense out of “normal rhythm” against FIU

September 6, 2025. Penn State QB Drew Allar prepares to take a snap from C Nick Dawkins during the Nittany Lions’ 34-0 win over FIU. © Heather Weikel / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

After dominating through the air in Week 1, Saturday felt much different for Drew Allar and the Penn State passing attack. While still throwing for 200 yards, including a pair of impressive touchdown tosses, Allar was much less efficient against the Panthers. He finished the day completing only 58% of his passes, a far cry from his 85% completion rate a week ago.

“I didn’t think he was in his normal rhythm,” Franklin said of his senior quarterback. “We had some drops. He had some throws that he normally makes that he didn’t. That was a major factor for us on third down.

“But we just couldn’t seem to get into the rhythm on offense, and that was part of it.”

Watch James Franklin’s full remarks following the FIU win

Head to the Basic Blues Nation YouTube page to see everything James Franklin said following the Nittany Lions’ Week 2 win.

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