Penn State shifting focus to Playoffs following close loss to Oregon

INDIANAPOLIS — The Nittany Lions are down, but not out after losing an offensive shootout to the Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday night.

Although the 45-37 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium is going to sting for a few days, Penn State has no time to dwell on it with the College Football Playoffs looming. The No. 3 Nittany Lions will taste postseason glory after taking the No. 1 team in the country down to the wire, and that should bring excitement to their fans.

After all, Penn State led Oregon in total offense, yards per play and first downs. There’s no denying that the team put up enough points to win. However, the Nittany Lions suffered two costly turnovers, including one in the final  two minutes of the game.

Coach James Franklin thought his team played with heart and determination, which should bode well for them as the season continues.

“I’m proud of our guys, we played the number one team in the country and had a chance to win the game at the end,” Franklin said. “One of the things I talked to the guys in the locker room about is you have to understand that this is new college football, there’s a 12-team playoff, and our season has just begun.”

Quarterback Drew Allar should be able to use the shortcomings as motivation, considering it was his two interceptions that sealed the Nittany Lions’ fate. Regardless, Penn State’s defense didn’t make the necessary stops in the clutch, and couldn’t get off the field on the Ducks’ last drive of the contest.

On the bright side, the Nittany Lions racked up 515 yards of total offense, which tied their second-most against a Big Ten opponent this season. Not to mention Penn State (11-2) was more efficient than Oregon on third downs. Those are positive stats from the game that Franklin wants to build on approaching the Playoffs.

“We also won the second-most important stat in all of football which was explosive plays, but at the end of the day we didn’t do enough to beat the No. 1 team in the country,” he said. “But I’m proud of our guys, we’re going to learn from it, flush it, move forward, and get better because of it.”

The Nittany Lions pretty much answered every bell after the Ducks posted a touchdown, so it became obvious to Franklin that they can score with the best of them. Allar led the offense on six scoring drives, including five that ended in touchdowns. The only knock on the offense was the fact that the unit went scoreless in the third quarter.

Once the smoke cleared, Penn State lost the battle in plays, time of possession, and had a failed two-point conversion, which all turned out to be crucial due to the fact that the offense didn’t get a chance to have one last possession to tie the game up. Franklin feels his players should keep their heads high, knowing that they gave it their all. Tom Allen’s defense will have to make some adjustments though, especially the way the secondary got exposed and struggled with Oregon’s tempo.

“I thought our defense really came together there in the second half, gave us a chance there with a big stop to win the game at the end, but we weren’t able to get it done,” the 52-year old said. “We were having a tough time stopping them, we knew we were going to have to score points, and we wanted to try to win the game in regulation.”

Allar played his heart out, but tried to force things at times, and Oregon’s defense capitalized off his mistakes. He completed 20 of his 39 passes for 226 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. His second interception should’ve been a decision to throw out of bounds.

The Ducks took away Allar’s top weapon, which was tight end Tyler Warren. Penn State tried to get the ball in Warren’s hands in a variety of ways, but Oregon held him in check for most of the evening. Despite a few drops, Warren hauled in a team-high, seven passes for 84 yards.

The Nittany Lions’ ground game was on point, and averaged a jaw-dropping, 8.3 yards per rush. Both Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards. That’s why it’s mind-boggling that Penn State still lost the game with that type of ground production.

It’s no mystery that the Nittany Lions were inconsistent defensively. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel showed why he was named the Big Ten’s Quarterback of the Year, and carved up Allen’s group with four touchdown passes, including three in the first half. Gabriel was only sacked once, and Penn State’s defense failed to force any turnovers.

Linebacker Kobe King led the team with 10 tackles, including one for loss. Safety Zakee Wheatley added nine stops, and cornerback A.J. Harris generated seven. Abdul Carter was very active off the edge, and the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year tallied six tackles, including four solo.

Franklin plans on picking up the pieces as his team gets ready for the Playoffs. He’s confident that Nittany Lions’ best football is still ahead of them, and being able to host a Playoff game will go a long way for the program. So rallying the troops shouldn’t be a problem as Penn State navigates through this new journey.

“I know these guys, myself and the rest of the guys in the locker room will be excited about the opportunity that comes.”