Penn State fell to 3-4 -- and 0-4 in the Big Ten -- after blowing a late lead against Iowa in interim coach Terry Smith's first game since replacing James Franklin.

On Saturday, former Penn State head coach James Franklin appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay and discussed being fired. After Penn State’s 25-24 loss to Iowa later that day, Penn State interim coach Terry Smith revealed whether he and the team’s players watched Franklin’s interview.

Penn State blew a fourth quarter lead. Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski rushed for a career-high 130 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard burst that set up Kaden Wetjen’s game-winning 8-yard touchdown run with 3:54 remaining.

Even after a change at the top, it was the same result for Penn State. Playing their first game since James Franklin’s firing, the Nittany Lions looked inspired for three quarters under interim coach Terry Smith.

With Saturday's loss to Iowa, Penn State fell under .500 for the first time since 2021, the same year it last lost four straight games.

Penn State shocked the college football world this week when it parted ways with long-time head coach James Franklin, who had been with the program since 2014. Franklin led the Nittany Lions to a 104-45 (64-36) record over 12 seasons,

STATE COLLEGE — With the James Franklin era at Penn State coming to a stunning end this weekend, it overshadowed the end of another lengthy and significant era for the Nittany Lions: the Drew Allar era.

Smith, who has served as the team's defensive recruiting coordinator since 2014, said he personally recruited three-fourths of the current roster. Now his job is keeping players from leaving.