Penn State stunned; OU rallies for upset

Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.

A white towel draped over his shoulder, the new Penn State coach in the white polo shirt donned headphones to communicate with his assistants in the press box as he paced the sideline.

These are now Bill O’Brien’s Nittany Lions — and they are off to a disappointing start.

In front of 97,000 vocal fans eager to just watch football again, Penn State let an 11-point halftime lead slip away and Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton accounted for three second-half touchdowns to hand O’Brien a 24-14 loss in his coaching debut.

“I thought it was a great atmosphere in the stands,” O’Brien said before stoically taking responsibility for the loss. “Again, it starts with me and coaching better and making sure we play better next time.”

For many fans, just watching a game at Beaver Stadium represented a small victory following a trying offseason that included the death of former coach Joe Paterno, and crippling NCAA sanctions placed on the program for the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

“We are ... Penn State,” the anxious crowd roared in the fourth quarter, even in the final minutes with defeat assured. It was the first loss to open a season for Penn State since falling 33-7 to Miami in 2001.

Matt McGloin threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns guiding Penn State’s new-look offense.

There were some other changes, too: players’ names on the backs of the uniforms, and blue ribbons on the back of the helmets to show support for victims of child sexual abuse.

Ohio coach Frank Solich knew Saturday would be unlike an average game day.

“We knew that we were going to have to take on a surge. That surge would come from their fans, come from their players, the atmosphere. We knew it would be a difficult atmosphere to play in,” Solich said. “What we told them is, ‘We just have to keep pounding fellas. This is a game that’s going to be a four-quarter football game.”’

McGloin was 27 for 48 passing — both career-highs — with one interception, while sophomore Allen Robinson had a nice debut as the No. 1 wideout with nine catches on 97 yards.

But the pesky Bobcats weren’t the typical season-opening pushover for Penn State.

Trailing 14-3 at halftime, Tettleton hit Landon Smith (Girard) on a 43-yard touchdown pass that had first tipped off the hands of Penn State defensive back Stephen Obeng-Agyapong with 10:40 in the third quarter.

Tettleton scampered in from a yard out to take a 17-14 lead almost seven minutes later.

Tettleton finished 31 of 41 passing for 324 yards and two scores, and added 47 yards and a score on nine carries on the ground. Beau Blankenship had 109 yards on 31 carries.

Penn State’s front seven — thought to be the strength of the team — got dented by Ohio’s fast-paced offense. Warm, humid conditions also seemed to tire players, and cornerback Stephon Morris later left with an ankle injury.

“I think the line was able to take control of the game. I think we wore them down a little bit,” Solich said. “I think maybe our pace took a toll and did help us in the game.”

Freshmen and other new faces played key roles all over the field for Penn State, necessitated in part by some transfers following the NCAA sanctions and other offseason departures.