Slow start kills Nittany Lions again in loss

Penn State unable to come all the way back from a 21-point deficit

Penn State fell into a first-half funk for the fourth consecutive week and dug itself a three-touchdown hole Saturday at Nebraska.

Tight end Pat Freiermuth implied that the Nittany Lions were asleep. Defensive end Jayson Oweh described it as a lack of effort.

“It’s intensity, I guess,” Oweh said. “We need to be more locked in. We are doing a better job not just trying to be a second-half team. We keep saying we’ve got to do it.”

Whatever the reason, another sluggish Penn State start led to a 30-23 loss to the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb.

Even an inspiring performance by backup quarterback Will Levis couldn’t help the Nittany Lions overcome a 27-6 deficit or keep them from falling to 0-4 for the first time since 2001.

Penn State starting quarterback Sean Clifford threw an interception inside the Nebraska 30 in the first quarter, which led to a Cornhuskers field goal. He lost a fumble on a sack that defensive back Deontai Williams returned 26 yards for a touchdown and a 24-3 lead in the second quarter.

It was the second straight game that Clifford lost a fumble on a sack that was returned for a touchdown. He has eight turnovers in four games.

“Turnovers continue to be a problem,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Not only turnovers but turnovers returned for touchdowns. It continues to be an issue for us. We’ve got to get it resolved and resolved quickly.”

The fumble was the end of the day for Clifford. Franklin replaced him with Levis, a sophomore who passed for 219 yards, ran for 61 and led the Lions to 20 of their 23 points.

“We’re not going to name a starting quarterback right after a game before discussing it as a staff,” Franklin said. “Where we were at in that game, again with the turnovers and with what’s gone on this season so far, we had to make that change.

“I thought Will did some really good things coming in for us.”

Levis helped Penn State outgain Nebraska 501-298, including 310-95 in the second half. But he couldn’t cure the Lions’ woes inside the red zone, where they scored one touchdown and kicked three field goals on six trips.

The Lions had two chances to tie the Cornhuskers (12) in the final seven minutes. After linebacker Brandon Smith intercepted Luke McCaffrey’s pass at the Nebraska 48, they drove to a first down at the 11. But they came up empty when Levis threw four incompletions.

After Nebraska failed to gain a first down, Penn State drove from its 31 to a first down at the Huskers’ 9 as Levis went 5-for-6 passing for 46 yards. The Lions again failed to score, Levis throwing three incompletions and getting sacked in the final minute.

“We’ve got to be more detailed in the passing game and better in the red zone on offense,” Franklin said. “Some of those balls, we’ve just got to put them in a position where our guys have a chance to get it.”

Penn State’s defense played better in the second half, holding Nebraska to a field goal. But the Lions tackled poorly in the first half and seemed badly out of position on Zavier Betts’ 45-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep in the second quarter. Betts was not touched by a defender on his way to the end zone.

“You’ve got to tell yourself to start out strong,” Oweh said. “You can’t give Big Ten teams 10 points, 20-some points in the first half. It’s just not going to be good for you. I can’t give you a clear answer.”

Penn State has trailed at halftime by at least 10 points in all four games: 17-7 at Indiana, 21-6 against Ohio State, 28-7 against Maryland and 27-6 at Nebraska. The Lions have been outscored 93-26 in the first 30 minutes of their games.

“We just have to wake up,” said Freiermuth, who had seven catches for 113 yards. “We just gotta go and attack. We’re feeling things out too much in the first half. We’re trying to see what they do on defense.

“We have to go out there and punch them in the face first. We can’t let them just dictate the tempo and dictate what they want to do. We have to come out and play physical.”

Penn State has five games remaining in a season that has spun out of control. The Lions play Iowa next week at Beaver Stadium.

“The only people who matter in the room are us,” linebacker Jesse Luketa said. “We’re all we have. It sucks honestly. This is not the standard that Penn State has upheld. We have to find a way.

“We have to have those tough conversations. Everyone has to take the time to look in the mirror and see what we can do better.”