Despite all the turmoil surrounding the Penn State program, the Nittany Lions defense was supposed to be the strength of the team. It had a veteran core of seniors who were determined to match their fifth-ranked defense from a year ago. However, the Nittany Lions conceded 499 yards of total offense against Ohio on Saturday and lost their first game under new head coach Bill O’Brien, 24-14.
Down 17-14 with around 10:00 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions desperately needed a defensive stand but couldn’t prevent numerous third-down conversions by the Bobcats. QB Tyler Tettleton directed a 14-play, 93-yard scoring drive that gave Ohio a 10-point lead and ended the Lions’ chances. The drive milked 6:42 seconds off the clock.
The difference in the game was the Bobcats’ ability to convert on third down. Ohio was successful on 13-of-21 third-downs and continually drained the clock throughout the second half. Penn State was fifth in the conference last season in defensive third-down conversions, allowing just a 38.3 percent (79 of 206) success rate. The Nittany Lions also turned the ball over three times on Saturday and failed to force any turnovers of their own.
The defensive front seven, including All-Big Ten candidates T Jordan Hill and linebackers Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges, combined for 27 tackles throughout the day, but they weren’t able to stop RB Beau Blankenship, who racked up 109 yards on 31 attempts. They also couldn’t crack Ohio’s offensive line and managed just one sack on the afternoon.
Tettleton took advantage of an inexperienced Penn State secondary, which returned no starters from its 2011 team. The most experienced CB, Stephon Morris, had just 18 tackles last season. Morris, who finished with five tackles, missed time in the second half with an ankle injury.
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