Unhappy Return: Ohio Spoils Bill O'Brien's Penn State Debut, 24-14

Penn State Vs. Ohio: Nittany Lion Defense Collapses In Second Half

The Penn State Nittany Lions did not begin the Bill O'Brien Era on a good note, falling to the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference 24-14.

The most concerning thing to come from the game, according to Black Shoe DIaries, was the play of the defense that allowed 499 yards to the Bobcats. The concern is especially high in the secondary, a unit that was torched by Ohio's Tyler Tettleton in the second half.

"The secondary was getting burned all day, including Stephon Morris getting abused on a big pass play for the Bobcats. Morris would eventually be carted off the field with an ankle injury, only adding to the secondary's issues. His replacement, true freshman DaQuan Davis (one of five freshman to play, thus burning their redshirts) didn't fare much better."

The defense seemed to tire late, allowing Ohio to go on a 93-yard drive that took up almost seven minutes in the fourth quarter to put the game away. The defense will need to shore things up in the next few weeks, or else exoduses of disappointed fans at Bever Stadium will become commonplace this season.

For more on the Penn State Nittany Lions, head over to Black Shoe Diaries.

Remember: Ohio Football Won A Big Game For Itself Today

Photo by kateybrooks

Dwell on the Penn State story line above all else if you must (like, if you're a Penn State fan -- if so, we sympathize), but the biggest story here as far as football goes is the Ohio Bobcats setting themselves up for a very nice season in the MAC, with longshot dreams of BCS-busting not all that terribly farfetched.

Get down, Athens. We know you already are at all times, but get down anyway.

Cool shot of the students crowding Court St in Athens. twitter.com/daveravefm/sta…

— jon greenberg (@espnchijon) September 1, 2012

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Ohio Vs. Penn State: Bobcats Upset Nittany Lions, 24-14, In Happy Valley

The Ohio Bobcats opened the 2012 season with an upset of Penn State on Saturday afternoon.

Penn State, Day 1: Photos From Bill O'Brien's Debut In Happy Valley

Penn State's first day of college football after... everything... starts in just a few hours. Among the changes will be names on the Nittany Lion uniforms, as shown above courtesy of the official PSU Twitter account. The uniforms will also feature a modified helmet with a blue ribbon on the back (photo courtesy of @EKaplan24)

Penn State has arrived at Beaver Stadium twitpic.com/apyu9s

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) September 1, 2012

Per Sports Illustrated, the above shot speaks to business as usual revelry in Happy Valley, but there's still tension among many fans, including those who apparently loudly booed an ESPN crew covering the team's arrival:

#PennState fans jeering and booing ESPN crews outside stadium waiting for the team. twitter.com/JoeHermitt/sta…

— Joe Hermitt (@JoeHermitt) September 1, 2012

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Ohio Vs. Penn State Game Time, TV Schedule, Spread And More

The Penn State Nittany Lions will try to finally just focus on football when they take on Ohio.

Check in here for game coverage, updates, highlights and final scores throughout the day.

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