Penn State was in a serious rut, seemingly without answers for the Gophers defense. The Nittany Lions trailed 13-3 in the third quarter Saturday, facing third-and-10, five drives removed from their last trip into Minnesota territory.
"They're just out of sorts right now," Big Ten Network analyst Chuck Long said. "They're way out of rhythm with their offense."
On first down, Gophers linebacker Jack Lynn shed a block and stuffed Saquon Barkley behind the line of scrimmage. On second down, Antonio Shenault had Irvin Charles blanketed, as Trace McSorley's pass fell incomplete.
The Beaver Stadium crowd groaned its disapproval. But McSorley stepped up on third down and threaded the needle to Charles, who broke an arm tackle by Adekunle Ayinde and raced 80 yards for a touchdown.
That sequence — two nice plays followed by disaster — was far too familiar for the Gophers. Last season, they were among the nation's best teams at preventing big plays, but it's become a serious issue heading into Saturday's game against Iowa.
"We could put on the video, and there's going to be so many good plays, and it'd be like, 'Man, they've got a good defense,' " said defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel. "And we just do some stupid stuff.
"It's just execution, but that's on me. There's no 'single out the player and throw them under the bus' or anything like that. It's on me to get the right people in the right situation."
The Gophers already have given up four plays of at least 50 yards. Last year, they allowed two of those all season.