Blue White Illustrated

JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Nittany Lions' loss to Nebraska PLAYER OF THE GAME Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah backed up all of the pregame praise, racking up 147 yards on 25 carries. PLAY OF THE GAME This one was full of them, but none were ultimately more important than Nebraska kicker Pat Smith's 42-yard field goal in overtime to give the Cornhuskers the victory. BEST RUN Wide open in the flat on thirdand-3 to open the fourth quarter, Jesse James turned a short first-down reception into a touchdown, shoving off cornerback Josh Mitchell while tiptoeing down the sideline. The catch-and-run gave the Nittany Lions a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter. BEST CATCH Allen Robinson did it again. With Penn State backed into its own end zone, Christian Hackenberg connected with Robinson on a 43-yard floater along the left sideline. Robinson managed to leap at the perfect n o V e m b e R time over cornerback Stanley JeanBaptiste to make the play. WORST DROP The Nittany Lions had more drops than they could afford. Brandon Felder couldn't wrangle a perfectly placed, critical third-down pass midway through the second quarter. BEST SACK C.J. Olaniyan's 16-yard sack on Ron Kellogg III produced a fumble and, more important, Olaniyan's own recovery to set the Nittany Lions up for a touchdown to open the second half. BEST HIT On second-and-10, Glenn Carson absolutely demolished Kellogg as his pass floated far from his nearest receiver. Nebraska's LeRoy Alexander put an equally devastating hit on Zwinak early in the fourth quarter. BEST EFFORT On third-and-long early in the third quarter, Mike Hull pulled down Abdullah from behind along the sideline to force a critical three-andout. 2 3 , 2 0 1 3 5 BEST KICK Nebraska punter Sam Foltz nailed a 52-yard bomb down to Penn State's own 1-yard line, setting up some daunting field position for the Nittany Lions midway through the third quarter. BEST DECISION Though the play didn't directly lead to points, Bo Pelini's decision to throw a third-and-long pass backed into his own end zone late in the fourth quarter led to a pass interference call and, more important, prevented Penn State from having a chance to put the game away in regulation. WORST DECISION Certainly, this one will haunt head coach Bill O'Brien through the off-season. Though one particular play can't be singled out as leading to the loss, the Nittany Lions had every opportunity to come away with a Senior Day victory at Beaver Stadium. –NATE BAUER b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m

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