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N O V E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 3 tential interceptions, and when they did get a turnover – Lamont Wade jarred the ball loose from Janarion Grant on the second-half kickoff – they weren't able to exploit the great field position, start- ing at the 23 and ending at the 36 and ul- timately punting. • The flubbed kickoff got the game off to an ominous start for Penn State. With the offense struggling early, and the odds of a close, low-scoring game seemingly increasing, it appeared for a while that the play might factor into the outcome. "I don't even know if that was neces- sarily a designed deal for them," Franklin said. "I think they were just going to try to pop it up there, and it got caught in the wind. We should have fielded it. Obvi- ously, not the way you want to start the game." LOOKING AHEAD The Nittany Lions will look to go 1-0 this coming week against Nebraska in their home finale. They haven't beaten the Cornhuskers in 15 years, but the two teams have only played four times since the 40-7 thrashing Penn State gave Ne- braska in 2002, and all of those subse- quent games were decided by single-digit margins. The most recent meeting was in 2013, a 23-20 overtime victory by the Cornhuskers in Bill O'Brien's final home game as Penn State's head coach. It will be Senior Day, so the home crowd will be saying goodbye to some of the best players in the program's recent his- tory, including Cabinda, Hamilton, Mar- cus Allen, Grant Haley and Mike Gesicki. It will also probably be witnessing Barkley's final game in Beaver Stadium, as the NFL Dra? beckons. The victory over Rutgers keeps Penn State on track for 10 wins or more and enhances its postseason outlook. But Franklin's message to everyone this week – play- ers and fans alike – is likely to be: Nebraska, Nebraska, Nebraska, Nebraska, Ne- braska, Nebraska. Or words to that effect. McSorley had another big day, throwing for two TDs and rushing for another. Photo by Steve Manuel

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