PENN STATE FOOTBALL

Lions' flaws highlighted in loss

Jeff Rice

Sometimes, as Joe Paterno likes to say, you just get licked.

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

Sean Lee tries to tackle Terrelle Pryor in the second half. Penn State lost to Ohio State 24-7 November 7, 2009. CDT/Nabil K. Mark

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Paterno’s Penn State team received one of its greatest lickings in some time Saturday, looking utterly helpless on offense and special teams — and far from dominant on defense — in a 24-7 loss to Ohio State in Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) fell for just the second time this season but missed their only chance, at least until the postseason, to beat a ranked opponent. They should be able to bounce back on Saturday when Indiana (4-6, 1-5) visits Beaver Stadium at noon, but the parts of their game that had been blemishes for most of the season turned into boils against the Buckeyes and will need to be addressed this week in practice.

Here’s a last look at a game that was, like many in this interstate series, close through three quarters until Ohio State began to pull away with the big plays that Penn State couldn’t answer.

The Good

•Strong in the slot. About the only offensive highlight for the Nittany Lions was the solid performance of wide receiver Graham Zug, who grabbed seven of Daryll Clark’s 12 completions for a career-high 96 yards. The Buckeyes took away Derek Moye on the outside, and Zug found the open spaces in the middle of the field on the few occasions Clark had the time to find him.

•Class acts. It was difficult to find too many positives in any phase of the game for Penn State, and it was clear in the moments afterward that the Nittany Lions knew it. But they also credited the Buckeyes and were accountable for their own mistakes, refusing to pout or point fingers. It was a sign of the maturity they will need to regroup for their final three games.

The Bad

•Hot pocket. There isn’t a stat that charts this statistic, but Clark threw the ball 28 times and was probably hit after or during at least a dozen of those throws. The Nittany Lions’ inability to give their quarterback time to throw the ball or give their running backs room to run hurt them all afternoon and the primary reason why Penn State mustered only nine first downs.

•Small problem. Veteran Ohio State receiver Ray Small had a quiet day offensively, catching only one pass and picking up 13 yards on an end-around, but he was a huge difference-maker on special teams, racking up 130 yards on seven punt returns. Small’s afternoon loomed even larger when compared with Penn State’s punt return stats — zero net yards on eight Buckeye punts.

Poor special teams play has crippled the Nittany Lions in both of their losses this season.

•Holes in the secondary. Breakdowns in the secondary had taken little nibbles out of the Penn State defense earlier in the season but Ohio State took its biggest bite of the night on Terrelle Pryor’s 62-yard touchdown pass to DeVier Posey. The Buckeyes could have had another score if Pryor’s pass to Dane Sanzenbacher had been thrown on target.

•Quiet up front. Jared Odrick said the Nittany Lions played hard from start to finish, and it was hard to argue if you were watching the battles on the line of scrimmage. But Penn State’s defensive linemen had a quiet day against a very average Buckeye offensive line. Odrick had just three tackles, Jack Crawford only two and Ollie Ogbu just one, disappointing numbers considering the Buckeyes ran 66 offensive plays.

The Rest

The Nittany Lions fell to No. 18 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, to No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and to No. 17 in the USA Today poll. ... Penn State did not record a takeaway or a sack for the first time this season. ... Clark’s second-quarter rushing touchdown was the 21st of his career, the most by a Penn State quarterback. Michael Robinson had 20. ... The Nittany Lions have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season or in their last 13 games dating back to last season.