Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from victory over Nebraska in Week 12

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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – NOVEMBER 18: Chris Jones #8 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers drops a pass intended for Saeed Blacknall #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

1. Defense has a long way to go

How impressed can you be if you’re a Penn State fan? The Nittany Lions were up 42-10 at halftime and the game looked to be well in hand. However, Nebraska scratched and clawed its way back into it with 14 points the third and 20 points in the fourth.

Walking away from this one, it almost feels like a loss. OK, maybe that’s a stretch since it was still a double-digit victory, but the Nittany Lions looked far from dominant in the second half.

The defense allowed 34 points in 30 minutes in the second half and allowed Nebraska’s Tanner Lee to torch them through the air. He finished with 399 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. What exactly has happened to this secondary? It gave up 400 passing yards a couple of weeks ago to Michigan State as well.

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Stanley Morgan Jr. and JD Spielman each had their way with Penn State defensive backs on Saturday and looked like All-Big Ten receivers. Should the Nittany Lions be worried moving forward? It’s definitely concerning to see 44 points and 466 total yards allowed against a reeling Nebraska team.

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