S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M
3
problems, particularly in the secondary,
resurfaced late in the game, as the Lions
had several chances to bring down Binji-
men. They also missed opportunities to
stop K.J. Hill on the 24-yard catch that
supplied Ohio State with the winning
points.
"We didn't tackle well in open space,"
Franklin said.
• Another problem that persisted from
earlier games: dropped passes. Johnson
had a couple of drops, Mac Hippenham-
mer couldn't come up with a catch of a
low pass that would have converted a
third down in the second quarter, and
Brandon Polk had a drop downfield that
would have given Penn State a huge li; as
it was trying to get something going on
offense in the third quarter.
• The "Lion" package didn't work at all.
The longest of Tommy Stevens' three
carries was a 2-yarder, and he had to fall
on a backward pass for a 13-yard loss that
all but scuttled a first-quarter drive.
LOOKING AHEAD
It's hard to imagine a crueler way to lose
to Ohio State than to squander a double-
digit fourth-quarter lead for the second
year in a row. But what's done is done.
The Lions can't do anything about their
disappointing finish against the Buck-
eyes, but they can do something about
the rest of the season. The first step will
be to avoid a reprise of last year's two-
game losing streak, which began with a
heartbreaking road loss in Columbus and
continued with a defeat at Michigan
State the following week.
The Spartans are 3-1 following a 31-20
nonconference victory over Central
Michigan on Saturday. It was a work-
manlike win, as Michigan State was
missing a number of starters, including
injured
running back L.J. Scott. The
Chippewas scored 17 fourth-quarter
points to make the game seem a bit
closer than it really was.
The Lions will get the Spartans at
home this time, and they'll have an
extra week to prepare with a bye
coming up. Michigan State will visit
Northwestern this Saturday.
For Penn State's players, one order
of business will be to put the Ohio
State game behind them. But not
too far behind them. Franklin said
he doesn't want his program settling into
a comfort zone as one of those handful of
Big Ten teams that reside in the next tier
down from the Buckeyes.
"Right now, we're comfortable being
great, and I'm going to make sure every-
one in our program including myself, is
very uncomfortable," he said. "Because
you only grow in life when you're un-
comfortable."
A NEW WAY
TO ACCESS
POSTGAME
COVERAGE
Starting this season, Blue White Il-
lustrated's postgame coverage will
be available via bwi.rivals.com. All
of our game stories, including the
story above on Saturday's Big Ten
opener at Illinois, can now be ac-
cessed from the website.
The change in format allows us to
bring readers more gameday cover-
age than ever before: game recaps,
player features, notebooks, high-
lights and lowlights, game grades
and recruiting news. To find BWI's
postgame coverage, visit the links
below:
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS
GAME GRADES
FEATURE STORIES
STATISTICS
Johnson's
spectacular
one-armed
catch in the
first half was
one
of the
game's high-
lights.
Photo
by Steve
Manuel