Blue White Illustrated

Sad for this team. Yes, they could have played better on de- fense. But they played their hearts out only to have a temen- dously bad replay call affect the outcome. Big Ten you better fig- ure it out. Jim Peddigree LIVE BALL The football bounces free after Matt Lehman's fumble in the fourth quarter. Steve Manuel Lions squander away scoring chances during 32-23 loss LEAVING IT ON THE FIELD NATE BAUER | N B A U E R@B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M LINCOLN, Neb. – One at a time, se- lect Penn State players trickled into the silent postgame media room at Memorial Stadium Saturday following their 32-23 loss to Nebraska. Matt McGloin entered first, insistent that the Nittany Lions were not going to get the game's pivotal call – a fumble by Matt Lehman that appeared to have crossed the goal line while still in his possession – to go their way. Said Mc- Gloin, "We're not going to get that call ever – against any team. It doesn't matter who the refs are. We'll never get that call. That's the way it is." Few teammates exhibited the same frustration as McGloin. In fact, many asked reporters whether or not the call was accurate since many of them had yet to see a replay of the con- tentious play. But it didn't matter. Said senior offensive lineman John Urschel, "That was not the play of the game." On an afternoon of twists and turns, there were multiple plays that deter- mined the outcome of the game. A key fumble was costly, no doubt, many of the Nittany Lions said, but the loss could not be solely directed at an official in the replay booth. "The biggest thing today is just missed opportunities," Urschel said. "I feel like we left a lot of points on the field today, and we just made some mistakes that you can't make in a football game and expect to win." Like Penn State's contest against Ohio State three weeks earlier, the chances to beat the No. 16-ranked Cornhuskers were plentiful. Starting with Zach Zwinak's first- quarter fumble, which could have given the Nittany Lions an early 14-3 lead, Penn State wounded itself fre- quently Saturday afternoon. In total, the Nittany Lions were pe- nalized eight times for 80 yards, fum- bled the ball three times, losing possession twice, and threw a costly interception deep in their own terri- tory early in the third quarter. What could have been points for Penn State resulted in 10 points for the opposi- tion. Or, hypothetically, a 24 point swing. Said senior linebacker Mike Mauti, "We shouldn't let the game be that close in the first place. That's our job." With his left knee heavily wrapped in ice, senior defensive tackle Jordan Hill took questions about the legitimacy of Lehman's fumble, and whether or not it was in fact the play of the game. "No," he said softly. "There were so many other plays that we could have done to stop it and not put us in that predicament. "We really just should have manned up and made a play." N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 2 10 Don't blame the Big Ten or offici- ating. Perhaps Lehman should be holding on to that ball. He would have been, at worst, at the one-half yard line. Maybe ball se- curity should have been his top prior- ity. The officials seemed balanced to me – plenty of calls on both sides. I bleed blue and white FROM THE WEB ONLINE REAcTION TO PSU'S LATEST GAME We should be proud of this entire team. Give everyone a break. ... We fought and played our hearts out. It is what it is. We are fight- ing the world here. Hotshoe Jordan Hill. When he played he was dominant. Great penetra- tion. DandyDonII Well, I would say we did enough to lose this game without the help of the refs, but they certainly helped move it along. WTNuke I support O'Brien and the play- ers 100 percent. They are not perfect, but they play their hearts out. This is one of my all- time favorite teams, and I am very much enjoying this season. pioneerlion83 You can't fight the sanctions or the refs. The best we can do is support the team – they deserve it. Students might not be around the next two home games. It is up to us to fill the seats! Please keep the team's spirits up and attend. mwaltrip B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M

• Cover