Penn State vs UCLA Postgame Show: Defense wilts in West Coast sun

The Penn State Nittany Lions dropped their second game of the season, losing to winless UCLA on the road today. Join the Labatt Postgame show to discuss the loss and what it means for the Nittany Lions. The Lions are now 3-2 and 0-2 in conference play.

Penn State defense gets off-kilter from UCLA attack

Last week, the Penn State defense gave up over 400 yards to the Oregon offense in a nail-biting, overtime loss to Oregon in which they only surrendered 3 points through 40 minutes of game time. This week, they surrendered nearly 300 yards and 27 points in the first half.

UCLA’s new-look offense shifted its focus and dialed up an unexpected game plan for the Nittany Lions, focusing on short, quick passes. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was 14-18 before halftime with 158 passing yards and two touchdowns as a result. Once UCLA had Penn State off-balance, they threw deep passes over the heads of the Penn State corners, completing passes against Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington in man coverage.

Penn State offense is effective but rarely on the field

Meanwhile, the Penn State offense sat on its hands for most of the first half. UCLA dropped a surprise onside kick to take back-to-back possessions to start the game. Despite an effective opening drive in which the team marched down the field 10 plays for 75 yards and a touchdown in just four and a half minutes, the offense was rarely on the field. Penn State had just three possessions during the first half.

One of the key possessions in that half was right before the break. The Lions had all three timeouts and the ball near midfield. Penn State head coach James Franklin opted to drain the clock on the front half of the drive, but his team failed to convert a fourth and 4. UCLA took the ball over on downs with two timeouts left and gained enough yardage for a field goal to go up 27-7.

Despite a furious comeback in the second half, the Lions defense only forced one punt and a long field goal attempt.

Next up for Penn State

What did Franklin have to say after the loss? Check out his postgame comments here on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel after the show. We’ll also have reactions from the staff here on the site.The Blue and White takes on Northwestern at home to try to right the ship for homecoming.