Fourth straight defeat for Penn State

STATE COLLEGE - On Sept. 9, the streets of downtown State College were swarmed with chanting and smiling students, celebrating the lifting of Penn State's bowl ban.

Over the next couple weeks, the Nittany Lions channeled that energy and came away with two victories, pushing their record to a spotless 4-0.

The first 4 weeks of the 2014 season jolted the Penn State community with buzzing hope.

But since then, the mood at Penn State - and the play on the gridiron - has taken a 180.

Four consecutive losses since starting undefeated have the Lions in a precarious position; the last time a Penn State team went four games without a win was in 2004, when the Lions finished 4-7.

After losing 20-19 in sloppy fashion to Maryland on Saturday, the Lions (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) aren't doing themselves any favors.

"Tough times don't last. Tough people do," Franklin said. "And we're going to work through this."

Falling to Maryland for just the second time in 37 meetings was a shock to many, but how Penn State lost wasn't.

Poor play on offense and special teams bringing down an arguably elite defense has been the only constant Penn State fans have seen all season.

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, noticeably frustrated on the sidelines for much of the game, had his second-lowest passing total of the season, completing just 18 of 42 attempts for 177 yards.

And just as the sun sets every day, the Lions couldn't run the football and allowed five sacks once again.

"I really can't explain it. It hurts," Hackenberg said about his frustrations. "You want to dig guys out of it and you want to do it for everyone else, so that's what I'm going to continue to try to do."

For what it's worth, Penn State had more first downs and total yards than Maryland did, but less yards per play.

That's primarily because the Terrapins didn't do much on offense either. But when they did, they didn't have to go far.

Maryland averaged just 33 yards on its four scoring drives thanks to the Lions.

Punts of 24, 32 and 37 yards, along with a kick return fumble, set up the Terps each time in Penn State territory or dangerously close to it.

"We're having a hard time swinging the field position on special teams," Franklin said.

As the same problems persisted, Nittany Lion fans left Beaver Stadium with defeated faces and questions aplenty.

Meanwhile, Maryland celebrated.

The Terrapins, who took pictures on the field with family and friends after the game, were chippy from the start as their captains refused to shake hands at the pregame coin flip.

But Maryland got it done on the field in what coach Randy Edsall called the biggest win in his 4-year tenure with the Terrapins.

"We're going to enjoy this one, I'll tell you that," Edsall said. "We're going to enjoy it quite a bit."

Maryland became bowl eligible with Saturday's win. Penn State, on the other hand, has a hill to climb, at the very least, in order to secure that position.

The Lions have four more chances - away at Indiana and Illinois and home against Temple and Michigan State - to get two wins.

The way they're playing, none of them - not even the Owls - are a sure thing.

But Penn State needs to break this losing streak to move on.

"We want to win," offensive lineman Angelo Mangiro said. "It feels like forever since we got a win, and we just have to put our heads down, grind, keep working and get out of this rut."