Will Levis took over at quarterback for Penn State, but he was swarmed at the end of the game and the Nittany Lions’ comeback fell short at Nebraska on Saturday.
Nati Harnik | AP photo
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They tried to start a rallying cry around a stricken teammate. They tried a quarterback swap for the first time since Joe Paterno was coach.
Nothing much changed for these Nittany Lions. And after Saturday’s comeback fell short with a 30-23 loss at winless Nebraska, it’s hard to imagine what it will take for Penn State to recover during this year.
The formula has not changed for the Lions, who are now 0-4 for the first time since 2001. Penn State has never started a season 0-5.
With both Nebraska and Illinois winning Saturday, Penn State is now the only team in the Big Ten without a win.
The Lions’ inexplicable woes in the first half are the main reason for that.
For the fourth straight week, they played a miserable first half that crushed almost any hope of a rally. A switch at quarterback from Sean Clifford to Will Levis saw Penn State cut a 21-point halftime deficit to seven, but the Lions offense still stalled repeatedly in the red zone with the game on the line.
Levis was sacked on back-to-back plays on third and fourth down to end the comeback with the Lions driving for a potential tying score, capping off another gut-wrenching week for the program.
Top running back Journey Brown announced he would have to medically retire from football on Wednesday, but there was no resolve to be found early in the game. Clifford threw a bad interception that set up a field goal and then took his final snap in the second quarter when he had the ball punched away on a sack that turned into a scoop-and score that made it 24-3.
It was the first time Penn State made a switch between two healthy quarterbacks in seven years under coach James Franklin and the first time the program had done it since Matt McGloin replaced Rob Bolden in 2011.
The position remains up in the air moving forward.
“We’re not going to name a starting quarterback right after a game before discussing it as a staff and before evaluating the tape, watching the tape, and all those types of things,” Franklin said.
“Where we were at in that game with the turnovers, and with what’s gone on this season so far, we had to make that change. I thought Will did some really good things coming in, so obviously, that’ll be a discussion all week long.”
While Levis did manage to provide a spark, throwing for 219 yards and running for 61, he completed just 14 of 31 passes and the Lions turned it over on downs in the red zone twice in the final four minutes.
“I went in there and executed what I had to execute, but it just wasn’t enough,” Levis said. “There’s room for improvement all across the board, especially in the red zone. It means nothing if you get the ball all the way down there then don’t score. It’s something we need to work on in the future.”
Penn State’s defense gave up just three points after halftime but it wasn’t enough to offset an uninspired effort in the first half against the Cornhuskers, who were giving Luke McCaffrey his first career start at quarterback.
Nebraska led 27-6 at halftime. It was the second straight week the Lions were down by 21 at the break in a season in which they have been outscored 93-26 in the first half.
Asked to evaluate long-time defensive coordinator Brent Pry, Franklin said the blame falls on “all of us — the head coach and every assistant, every person in the program. Obviously we’re not doing a good enough job. That’s all of us, and it starts with me. … It starts with me.”
The Lions finally got a spark in the third quarter when they caught the Huskers (1-2) on a blitz and opened a huge hole for true freshman running back Keyvone Lee for an easy 31-yard touchdown.
The teams traded field goals to make it 30-14 when Levis made his biggest play of the day, spinning out of what looked like a sure sack to hit tight end Pat Freiermuth for 74 yards. Devyn Ford scored on a 5-yard run a few plays later, and the Lions had life.
Defensive end Jayson Oweh’s hit on McCaffrey on the ensuing drive forced a wobbly throw that was picked off by linebacker Brandon Smith. It was just Penn State’s third takeaway of the season and the first in 13 quarters — since Lamont Wade’s interception in the opener against Indiana.
Despite starting at midfield and driving to the Nebraska 11, Levis threw four straight incompletions to end the threat.
Still, the defense got one last stop to give the Lions the ball at their own 31 with 2:34 left and two timeouts. The drive was smooth until Penn State reached the Huskers 9, where Levis was hurried on three of four plays and sacked twice.
The Lions actually finished with 501 yards of total offense, but the more telling numbers came in the red zone — six trips and just one touchdown.
“Losing sucks,” Levis said. “… Again, it didn’t come together for us this week. It’s frustrating. It’s hard not to hang your head.
“The message in the locker room after the game, it sucks but none of us are going to stop fighting. The season isn’t over until it’s over.”