Despite Playing with Heart, Nittany Lions Fall to No. 4 Michigan
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Despite Playing with Heart, Nittany Lions Fall to No. 4 Michigan

Penn State (2-2, 0-1) fought valiantly, but ultimately their efforts were not enough in the Nittany Lion Big Ten opener against No. 4 Michigan (4-0, 1-0). Penn State lost 49-10.

Right from the start, it was clear that this would be a very difficult game for Penn State. Penn State is one of the youngest teams in college football, Michigan is one of the oldest, and is ranked in the top five.

The first half was scoreless for Penn State, and Michigan racked up a 28-0 lead. The Penn State offensive line had a difficult time containing Michigan, and Trace McSorley (Ashburn, Va.) was sacked more times than he has been yet this season, making it difficult for him to throw his usual, consistent passes.

Kicker Tyler Davis (St. Charles, Ill.) accrued the sole three points of the first half off of a field goal.

The second half showed some improvement with Chris Godwin (Middletown, Del.) notching Penn State’s only touchdown on an 8-yard pass from McSorley.

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While the media loves to hate, viewers and fans should consider that none of the starting linebackers were able to play against Michigan due to injury. Then, an unjust targeting call against Brandon Smith (Winfield, Pa.) left the Nittany Lions hurting for depth. In an unfortunate series of events, backup linebacker Jan Johnson (Mohnton, Pa.) became injured and needed to come to the sidelines.

Those who did appear on the defensive line certainly stepped up; it is not often you see a true freshman, Cameron Brown (Burtonsville, Md.), among others, fearlessly step out against a top five team and show such incredible effort and heart.

“It’s always a next man up mentality,” said Godwin. “We have a lot of faith in that they’re ready to step in.”

Penn State nearly faced the kill switch just shy of a half decade ago. Since then, they have not had a losing season, and posted one of the most impressive recruiting classes in the nation this past year. For such a young team, a lot of high expectations sit on their shoulders.

It is up to us fans, students, and alums to promote positivity and support for this young, talented, upcoming team of Nittany Lions.

Penn State takes on Minnesota at home this coming weekend in Beaver Stadium at 3:30 p.m. It looks like it will be another great weekend of Nittany Lion football right here in Happy Valley!