Penn State has fired head coach James Franklin after 12 seasons, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Franklin is owed more than $49 million, per his contract.

Less than a year removed from an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Franklin’s program appeared to hit a new low when the Nittany Lions traveled out to Los Angeles two weeks ago only to lose to UCLA, a team that not only was winless, but hadn’t previously held a lead all season.

The woes flew back home with the team to Penn State, and with them came “Fire Franklin!” chants at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The Nittany Lions dropped their second straight home game, and third overall, when they fell to Northwestern, 22-21, in front of a stunned crowd at Happy Valley. Penn State was a favorite of more than three touchdowns in that game.

“I take full responsibility for all of it,” Franklin said after the loss to the Wildcats. “I hired all the staff, I recruited all the players. I believe in all of them. But we’re not getting it done right now.”

In the loss to the Wildcats, the Nittany Lions committed six penalties for 71 yards in the first half alone. They simply could never get out of their own way, and that was before quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter.

Earlier in the season, when the losing streak began against Oregon at Happy Valley, Franklin fell to 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents, including 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams.

“I get that narrative, and it’s really not a narrative — it’s factual. It’s the facts,” Franklin said after the loss to the Ducks. “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.”

Franklin’s .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams is tied for the third-worst record by a coach (minimum 25 games) at a single school since the poll era began in 1936, according to ESPN Research.