MMQB - It Wasn’t All Bad

This past Saturday, your Penn State Nittany Lions took on the Ohio State Buckeyes, and succumbed to the oppressors, 38-25. Watching the game, it felt like it was no contest, as every time the Lions seemed to find an answer, OSU struck right back.

But MMQB is here to tell you, it wasn’t all bad.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: you can’t let Ohio State score a TD on the first two possessions. You can’t go for it on 4th and 2 from your 45 yard line with 11:21 to go in the first quarter. Me sitting here, I can’t say that you can discount the first 6:21 of game time. They happened, Penn State got down 14-0, and had to deal with a seemingly insurmountable lead before the game even really got going.

But here’s why I say it wasn’t all bad.

After the Lions got down 14-0 after just 6:21 of game time, they dug in and actually came out ahead of the Buckeyes in the remaining 53:39 of the game.

From that point in time in the first quarter, the Lions outscored OSU 25-24.

They didn’t have as many yards, or time of possession, but after getting punched in the mouth, they found a way to not only avoid caving in for the rest of the game, but actually edge their opponent to the goal line.

Again, you can’t discount the first two scores by OSU - they ended up being the difference in the game. But if you’re looking for a silver lining, know that Penn State played Ohio State effectively to a draw once the two teams settled in.

That has me thinking glass half full at this point, rather than half empty.