First Two Drives of the Game Sealed Nebraska's Fate Against Penn State

Nebraska’s first offensive drive and first time on defense set the tone on both sides of the ball in Saturday night’s thorough beating at Penn State.

These two early drives didn’t determine the outcome of this game. But, as in many games, you wonder how the game would have transpired if one other thing had happened. In this case: If Nebraska scored that touchdown on its first drive.

Nebraska was stopped, twice, at the goal line. Then, Penn State went on a 98-yard drive for a touchdown.

And the rout was on.

Penn State, 37-10.

Emmett Johnson stopped

Nebraska’s best offensive player was the story in the opening drive, a drive that could have been tone-setting for the Huskers. You know: Score early and maybe demoralize the Nittany Lions.

Johnson got the ball on every play, except for a TJ Lateef incompletion. Johnson ran four times for 63 yards to move the ball from the Nebraska 29 to the Penn State 3.

On third-and 2, Johnson was stopped after a one-yard gain. Nebraska took a timeout to discuss its next step. From the 2-yard line, with one of the best running backs in the nation, there shouldn’t be much discussion.

Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson gains some of his 103 rushing yards against Penn State. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Huskers need a yard for a first down. They needed two yards for a touchdown.

Johnson got the ball on fourth down and was stacked up for no gain. Couldn’t gain a yard for a first down, couldn’t gain two yards for a touchdown.

“The first drive was great,” Johnson said at a postgame news conference. “We had three or four, a couple of good drives where we got down in the red zone. We just got to go execute when we get down there and score.

“Every time we got down there and had a great opportunity we just gotta make the plays.”

What Matt Rhule said

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, once rumored to be a candidate for the open head-coaching job at Penn State, saw the Nittany Lions play inspired football for Terry Smith, their interim coach.

For Rhule, a former Penn State linebacker and alum, winning this game likely meant a ton to him.

Coach Matt Rhule and his Huskers lost at his alma mater, Penn State, 37-10, on Saturday night. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

“We had two shots, third-and-one, fourth-and one,” Rhule said about the Huskers’ first drive at a postgame news conference.

“We came to win. We were going to go for it. We thought we had good plays. We controlled the line of scrimmage early. I was fired up about it …

“It wasn’t like we couldn’t do anything offensively. We just didn’t come away with a lot of points.

“It was a great plan early but obviously we didn’t come away with points.”

Smith told the media after the game: “That set the tone for the game.”

Meanwhile, on defense …

Penn State (5-6, 2-6) took over on its own 2 after stopping Johnson on back-to-back plays and went 98 yards in seven plays. Dynamic running back Kaytron Allen, who had a game-high 160 yards, gained 50 yards on one rush. The Nittany Lions capped off the drive on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer to Andrew Rappleyea.

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen rushed for a game-high 160 yards in win over Nebraska. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

And just like that, two drives in, the game decidedly felt totally one-sided for the Nittany Lions. Even though Nebraska (7-4, 4-4) gained 318 yards and Johnson ground out 103 yards on the ground, and Lateef was 21-of-37 for 187 yards and no turnovers.

Penn State rolled up 412 yards, the first time an opponent had gained 400 yards on the Nebraska defense this season. Penn State gained 231 yards on the ground and 181 in the air.

Penn State’s defense, at times, looked like it had 14 defenders on the field. The Nittany Lions allowed yards but they overall smothered the Huskers, who were 2-for-4 in the red zone — not good enough against an opponent that scored on its first five possessions.

Hello, Beaver Stadium crowd

When Penn State stopped Nebraska at the goal line it kept the scoreboard clean and it unleashed the crowd of 105,038 who were uncertain how the Nittany Lions would play. A Nittany Lions team that had lost six of seven games.

The goal-line stand gave the crowd ample reason to let loose. They cheered and screamed and yelled, perhaps trying to wash away the frustrations of a season that started with national championship aspirations and included losing back-to-back games to UCLA and Northwestern.

The Nittany Lions bathed in the crowd noise. We don’t know if the Huskers were rattled, but we know the scoreboard operator worked overtime putting up Penn State points.

“Losing’s never good but you can always learn from losing,” Johnson said. “So we can learn from this.

“We’re going through adversity right now. We just got to bounce back, quick turnaround this week. It hurts. Don’t get me wrong. It hurts but we got to flush it and move on.”

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