Ohio vs. Penn State: Nittany Lions Loss Is the Precursor to a Terrible Season

It's hard not to feel bad for the Penn State Nittany Lions and their season's chances once the sanctions were dropped on them. However, losing to the Ohio Bobcats at home is going to set an ominous tone for the first season without Joe Paterno at the helm.

The NCAA sanctions have already shown to be effective in the hearts and minds of the players at Penn State. This was evidenced by their inability to hold the lead against the Bobcats. Penn State started the game off looking like a solid team and even took a 14-3 lead into the half.

However, after the half, they weren't able to make any of the adjustments needed nor were they able to execute the offensive or defensive game plans. They wound up losing 24-14 after getting completely shut out in the second half after allowing Ohio to dominate them on both sides of the ball.

Ohio had great performances from their starters including their quarterback and running back. Tyler Tettleton finished the day going 31-for-41 (75.6 percent) for 324 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had nine carries for 47 yards on top of that.

Beau Blankenship broke 100 yards rushing on 31 carries but was able to add seven catches for 72 yards to his total as well. His 38 touches didn't lead to a touchdown, but it was key to the Bobcats moving the chains for first downs and maintaining momentum.

The Nittany Lions can't let two no-name players who aren't expected to even come close to any postseason awards put up games that would make them look like Heisman competitors. This goes hand-in-hand with the three turnovers that they coughed up without forcing any of their own to lead to their downfall.

To be successful, a team can't allow over 50 percent third-down percentage, over 75 percent completion percentage or lose the turnover battle and expect to be competitive this season.

They also must not lose at home to a team that is from a weaker conference and was originally scheduled as a warm-up game.

Penn State needs to get themselves together quickly on-the-field or there could be a new coach before those NCAA sanctions end.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist and Trends and Traffic Writer for Bleacher Report. As a Featured Columnist, he covers the Atlanta Falcons, NFL and NFL Draft. He is also the Falcons analyst at Drafttek, runs the NFL Draft Website ScarDraft.com and hosts Kvetching Draftniks Radio.

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