MIAMI GARDENS — James Franklin seemed destined to break the skid.
His skid, to be more specific: 12 consecutive losses to top-five opponents, a miserable eight-year drought.
But the 11th-year Penn State coach was on the way to snapping that streak. He was en route to ending the nasty stretch, to quieting the critics, to shutting down the talk.
Here in South Florida, inside Hard Rock Stadium against, of all teams, one of the biggest brands in the sport, Franklin’s skid seemed over and done with. His team led 10-0 in the second quarter, 24-17 in the fourth quarter and held offensive possession in the final seconds of a tied game.