The Nittany Lions did something against Bowling Green that started the game pretty well. However, after the first half, the Lions took the lead. Here are your takeaways.

1: A game to forget

Bowling Green came out full steam ahead on its first drive and immediately scored a touchdown to open the game. The Falcons didn’t even attempt to run the ball on that first series and surprised the defense on the early kickoff. The Lions got into the game better in the second quarter, but some bad penalties against the Nittany Lions allowed Bowling Green to score a field goal and then a touchdown. Suddenly, Bowling Green was up 17-7 early in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 24-20 lead.

The halftime adjustments paid off, and the Lions held the Falcons to three points in the second half, building a big enough lead to finally decide the game in the fourth quarter.

2: Differences in defense

Over the last two seasons, the biggest complaint about Manny Diaz’s offensive style was that while he created a lot of negative plays, he was vulnerable to big plays at any time, most often on critical downs. This defensive approach doesn’t allow for many big plays, but instead lets teams dominate the field. But it can get tiring watching opponents march down the field and get first down after first down.

3: What kind of world do we live in?

With Bowling Green doing almost everything they wanted on offense, we could be confident that the Nittany Lions’ offense would keep them in the game. We wouldn’t have said that last season.

BONUS: Win your junk car

As frustrating as that defensive performance was, Penn State pulled it together in the second half and finished the game strong. It had all the hallmarks of an “anything that can go wrong will go wrong” game – penalties, a botched punt that nearly cost Penn State, defensive errors, you name it. But Penn State found a way to win, and that’s all that matters.