Penn State-Michigan takeaways: Many miscues sack Lions; game management questions, more

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State lost 21-17 to Michigan on Saturday and fell to 6-4 in the process.

The Nittany Lions appeared to be the better team for stretches of the contest at Beaver Stadium, but the Wolverines made more players when it mattered most, and that led to the final outcome.

Here are our quick-hit takeaways from the latest Lions setback.

1. Lions can’t come up with enough big plays

In a game that was viewed as a toss-up on paper, it was logical to think prior to kickoff that the team that made one more play than the other would leave victorious.

Michigan was that team on Saturday, and it made more than just one.

Penn State missed a field goal, lost points on a fake that failed, surrendered seven sacks, was 8-for-21 on third down, had less than stellar game management on the sideline, and dropped too many passes while also missing a lot of tackles. It was not a winning formula. That combination of things never makes for one.

2. Should Penn State have called timeout before final fourth down?

Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson was injured on a third down pass play with about three minutes to play. It meant that he had to come off the field for a play unless the Lions called timeout.

Franklin was faced with three choices: Go for it without Dotson while preserving a timeout, call timeout and go for it with him back in the game, or punt. He chose the former, and Sean Clifford ended up rushing a never-had-a-chance toss well over Cam Sullivan-Brown’s head.

Second-guessing is always the name of the game after a loss, but one can only wonder if a different decision would have led to a different outcome.

3. Michigan dominants up front on defense

It was no secret coming into the game that Michigan had a big edge in the matchup between its defensive line and the Penn State offensive line. That showed up time and time again on Saturday.

Michigan ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo has three and two sacks, respectively. The Wolverines had seven overall in addition to 12.5 tackles for loss.

The Penn State offensive line is what it is at this point. There is no sudden fix coming or magic wand to wave to make it better. The Lions simply have to hope that Clifford can hold up for the remainder of the season. He took a number of brutal shots on Saturday, but kept getting back up.

4. Fakes earn, cost Penn State points

No matter what the outcome was on Saturday, the pair of fake plays Penn State ran in the first quarter were going to be discussed endlessly.

The first saw the Lions extend their first drive, as Jordan Stout completed an 18-yard fake punt pass to Curtis Jacobs for a first down. That led to a Stout field goal.

On Penn State’s next drive, Theo Johnson went out of bounds at the two, setting up fourth and goal. James Franklin sent the field goal team out, but instead of a chip shot, holder Rafael Checa flipped the ball to Stout, who fumbled. Michigan recovered, and while it didn’t lead to any Wolverines points, it likely cost the Lions them in a game where they were at a premium.

5. Final thoughts

–We said it at the top, but missed tackles and drops were just killer again today, just have they been in the Lions’ other losses this season.

–Dotson was again terrific for the most part, but it was problematic that he only caught nine of his 16 targets, and it’s not like drops were the biggest culprit. It was a rather inaccurate day for Clifford, who completed only 53 percent of its passes.

–Penn State must put this one behind it tomorrow and move on to Rutgers. Kickoff is set for Noon next Saturday at Beaver Stadium.