Why Penn State’s players were disappointed losing but remained optimistic about the program’s future
Defensive end Jayson Oweh leaned forward on the Penn State bench, staring at the ground for a few moments and lingering, moments after the sideline had already emptied onto the field.
He seemed beside himself after the 28-17 loss to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions’ hopes for a Big Ten championship were dashed. Their playoff aspirations were extinguished. Their preseason goals were exhausted.
What was left to play for?
Oweh eventually joined his teammates, carefully zig-zagging through hundreds of Ohio State fans who had rushed the field. His teammates were no less disappointed, even a half-hour later in the media room.
Linebacker Cam Brown folded his hands there, took a deep breath and then exhaled. With black headphones resting on his knee, the senior tried to compose himself in explaining exactly what he was playing for the rest of this season.
“You’re fighting for the culture, you’re fighting for the standard,” he said. “You can’t just look like a bunch of front-runners and give up at the end of the season just because your goals aren’t met. You got to set new goals, and you meet those. And that’s going 1-0 next week for us.”
He continued.
“We need to make our plays a little bit more, and we’re right there,” he said, referring to the Big Ten title game. “This team’s going to be there next year.”
The Nittany Lions bristled at the notion of moral victories Saturday. “All losses are the same,” DT PJ Mustipher said. But the Nittany Lions showed resilience that no other Ohio State opponent had this season.
The loss was difficult — no easier than Minnesota, players said — but the fight in the second-half at least showed this team should never be counted out. Every one of the Buckeyes’ 10 other opponents trailed by at least three touchdowns at some point in their matchups. Penn State was the only one to climb back, rallying from a 21-point deficit to make it 21-17 — with backup quarterback Will Levis, no less.
So, while offensive lineman Mike Miranda had to bite his lower lip to reflect on those lost preseason goals, other players were quick to mention how the Nittany Lions never gave up. Maybe that didn’t overshadow the loss, but that fight still served as a positive.
“When adversity hits, you really see who you are and what you’re made of,” defensive tackle Antonio Shelton said. “There’s no ounce of quit in anybody that was on the field.”
Freiermuth tossed a towel over his head toward the end of Saturday’s game, quietly trying to choke back any lumps that formed in his throat. He spoke softly after the defeat, trying to balance optimism with the fact the team fell short of his own season expectations.
He glanced down sometimes, as if looking for advice. But he spoke thoughtfully and matter-of-factly.
“A loss is a loss,” he said. “It’s great to battle back and then be resilient. We learned a lot about ourselves. We’re not going to go down easy without a fight, but ... a loss is a loss.”
When fans, reporters and analysts counted the Nittany Lions out early in the third quarter — when they trailed 21-0 without starting quarterback Sean Clifford — they still rallied.
When Levis resumed a Clifford drive and helped punctuate the 10-play, 75-yard possession with a Journey Brown TD, the defense returned the favor. Linebacker Micah Parsons forced a fumble on the next play, and Levis ran in for a touchdown two plays later. The next drive? A fumble forced by Lamont Wade, and a field goal from Penn State to make it 21-17.
Penn State has a habit of proving doubters wrong. (See: 2012-2014, 2016, etc.) And although it didn’t follow through completely Saturday, coming up short in a game between the conference’s best teams, it still showed enough in the second half to give players something positive to reflect on.
Big picture, this is a team that some thought might finish 6-6. Instead, for the third time in four years, it’s on the cusp of another 10-win season.
“People thought we were a young team and we wouldn’t be able to do what we did last year, and we proved a lot of people wrong,” RB Journey Brown said. “Still going to.”
The Nittany Lions’ postseason destination now could range anywhere from the Outback Bowl to, with a lot of help, the Orange Bowl or Rose Bowl. Penn State is already focused on Rutgers, Rutgers, Rutgers — so players weren’t concerned whether their postseason destination was in Florida or California.
Their only concerns were learning from Saturday’s mistakes and moving on. Getting better. And progressing.
“We’re still learning hard lessons, but that’s fine,” Shelton said. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘No struggle, no progress.’”
Added RB Journey Brown: “We feel like we can do more — and we will do more.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 8:08 PM.
