‘We can’t dwell on this’: Penn State needs to turn the page after disappointing finish vs. Ohio State

Quarterback Sean Clifford fielded questions with tears welled in his eyes. Wide receiver Parker Washington’s team-issued hoodie was pulled down past his eye line. And tight end Theo Johnson’s rosy cheeks were indicative of an emotional postgame locker room.

The burden of defeat following No. 16 Penn State’s 44-31 loss to No. 2 Ohio State was heavy.

» READ MORE: No. 13 Penn State falls to No. 2 Ohio State behind a 28-point fourth quarter Buckeyes performance

The Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) hung around with one of the most dynamic teams in college football for 3½ quarters before unraveling like a spool of yarn. They trailed 23-21 with possession of the ball and more than eight minutes to work with.

Clifford was strip-sacked and Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) scored on the next play. The Buckeyes scored again on their following drive, chewing up three minutes of game clock while driving 75 yards. With the game teetering between out of reach and a miracle still in play, Clifford threw his third interception of the afternoon, this one to Ohio State defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, who skipped 14 yards into the end zone.

“We had them where we wanted them going into the fourth quarter,” cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said. “With like eight minutes left, we were still up. It just went ugly real quick. We had to finish the fight.”

The Buckeyes rushed for 37 yards through three quarters. Then 61 yards in the fourth. And their total yards decreased each quarter from 114 to 95 to as low as 54 in the third. Then they exploded for 189 yards in the fourth.

James Franklin coached aggressively, going for it on fourth down four times, converting three. His offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich inserted plenty of creativity into the offense with new formations and personnel groupings. And Manny Diaz’s defense was largely able to contain explosive plays for three quarters.

None of it was enough to blur the line that has separated the two teams over the last decade, Penn State having beaten the Buckeyes just once since 2012.

“That’s Ohio State. Those guys are a relentless team,” safety Ji’Ayir Brown said. “A team like that, you’ve got to finish them off. ... You can’t let a team like that live because they’ll never die.”

Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher toured the locker room lifting heads, attempting to lift spirits following the loss. Then he addressed the team.

“Just regroup and focus on the next week,” Porter said, citing Mustipher’s speech. “We can’t dwell on this loss. It’s a loss. It happened already. We just got to work going into next week.”

It is still in the cards for Penn State to finish with a 10-2 record and surpass many preseason expectations. As is a path to a New Year’s Six bowl. But hopes for a Big Ten title and a shot at the College Football Playoff died with Saturday’s loss and one win across the Nittany Lions’ biggest three-game stretch of the season.

Players’ postgame dejection wasn’t the same as it was following the Michigan loss on Oct. 15. Penn State’s first defeat was an utter beating (41-17), leaving players fumbling for reasons behind the embarrassment. The loss to Ohio State was amplified considering the circumstances late in the game.

» READ MORE: Boos be damned, Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is leaving his ‘heart and soul’ on the field

“In life you’re going to get knocked down and take losses,” Johnson said. “You can either go the next day and put your best foot forward or you can just lay down. Nobody on our team is going to lay down. We’re just going to get up, look in the mirror, see what we have to correct, and just keep going.”

Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers, and Michigan State make up the final third of the Nittany Lions’ schedule.

“Losses are hard,” said Franklin. “They’re hard around here, at a place like Penn State where we have really high expectations and standards. But that’s our job as coaches and that’s their job as players, to rebound as quickly as we possibly can, get the corrections made, and move on to our next opponent.”