INDIANAPOLIS — The confetti and streamers fell at Lucas Oil Stadium as Penn State’s roster, many with their heads hung low, walked toward the locker room.
Tight end Tyler Warren found his position coach Ty Howle. Cornerback A.J. Harris called the final seconds of the game “sickening” as he watched Oregon celebrate. Running back Nick Singleton, whose burst was back as he and teammate Kaytron Allen each rushed for 100-plus yards against a talented Oregon defense, was dejected as he outlined what could’ve been.
“It sucks,” Singleton said. “We’re trying to be at that same spot.”
As Singleton exited the media room, the door swung open to whatever was left of Penn State’s locker room. As soon as it shut, one loud yell from behind the door made it clear that Penn State knew it let a massive moment slip away. On a night where Penn State turned the ball over twice, didn’t record a takeaway, missed a 40-yard field goal, went for a two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter and was penalized five times, it still hung in the game.
“Damn!” one player shouted at the top of his lungs as Penn State headed for the buses.
There was no comeback for No. 3 Penn State and no new trophy to take back to State College. Unlike the 2016 game here, Penn State’s last conference title game, there was no magical turnaround. No. 1 Oregon, unbeaten and the unquestioned best team in the country, stormed through its first season in the Big Ten and, on the conference’s brightest stage, dispatched the Nittany Lions, 45-37.
Oregon heads into the postseason with a first-round bye while Penn State showed that although this was a close loss to another elite team — a detail Penn State knows much about as it falls to 1-14 against top-five teams under James Franklin — this was a loss that showed the Nittany Lions have potential to make noise this postseason. Penn State was not exposed. Penn State was not blown out. This was a Nittany Lion team that looked like it belonged here.
Yes, it was another missed opportunity to punch up and land a blow, but after trailing by 18 points the Nittany Lions still had a chance late in the fourth quarter to drive down the field and tie the game. It’s that chance — that eight-point margin of defeat to the top team in the country and how Penn State fought back — that will serve as another data point for the College Football Playoff selection committee to mull over until Sunday afternoon when the 12-team bracket is released.
It should also be a reminder that this game was always about seeding. Penn State is still in line to make the 12-team field and host a Playoff game in Beaver Stadium in two weeks. Whether Penn State gets that coveted fifth seed or gets jumped by Notre Dame are details for Sunday. Whether the committee slots two-loss Ohio State, winner of a head-to-head matchup against Penn State and loser by one point to Oregon, remains to be seen.
There was no politicking from Penn State’s players about what seed they want when the bracket is revealed.
“I don’t care where we’re seeded,” Singleton said. “I don’t care if we’re home or away. We just gotta go out and play. … We don’t want to lose no more. … We lose (again) we’re done.”
The sting of a close loss sat with players as they weaved their way off the field and trickled out of the locker room. Franklin, with both of his daughters surrounding him, walked off the field to tell his team that this new era of college football means they need to refocus on who they play next. How Penn State responds to this loss, much like how it did after losing to Ohio State and winning the next four games, is where we’ll figure out whether lessons were truly learned.
“We understand that we’re still not far from our main goal,” Harris said. “For us to be in a ball game like that with the No. 1 team in the country, I feel like we definitely have more to show and more to work on.”
Franklin said he told his players their new season starts now. The empty trophy case inside the team’s meeting room in the Lasch Football Building still has a chance to add hardware by late January. It’s a realistic conclusion, too.
If Penn State can clean up what ailed it against Oregon, it could be in fine shape in the postseason. On this night, the Penn State offense looked better in defeat than it did at any point in the regular season. It marched up and down the field with regularity and ran with authority. The offensive line created plenty of rushing lanes while quarterback Drew Allar delivered some of the jaw-dropping throws that showed he’s ready for the month ahead. Whether on a fourth-and-1 touchdown pass to Harrison Wallace III or with a perfectly placed ball to Warren, whose seven catches for 84 yards were the most among Penn State’s pass catchers, Allar had the offense playing at a high level.
Reminders of how close this team is could be found up and down the boxscore. Penn State’s 518 yards of total offense outgained Oregon (466). Penn State piled up 292 rushing yards. Oregon was 6-of-13 on third downs while Penn State was 7-of-13. Oregon was 5-of-5 in the red zone and Penn State 4-of-4.
Dillon Gabriel was masterful as Oregon showed the kind of speed few in the country can match. The Ducks toyed with tempo and showed unbalanced looks that Penn State players said they had never seen Oregon use before this season. Penn State’s defense had their hands full and failed to come up with a takeaway, even when the ball slipped out of Gabriel’s hands.
Seeing a Tom Allen-coached defense give up points on seven of 11 possessions and have wide receiver Tez Johnson carve them up for 181 yards and one touchdown on 11 catches should serve as reminders to the defense that they could see game-altering wide receivers lining up across from them. There will be much for the defense to learn from this game, but even with so many shortcomings, Penn State’s hopes to win a national championship for the first time since 1986 are still alive.
At this point in the season don’t forget about that detail.
“It’s hard to flush a loss like this, especially on this stage,” Harris said. “But, we definitely have to flush this loss and look forward.”
(Top photo of A.J. Harris: Robert Goddin / Imagn Images)
