State College, Pa. - One week removed from its best win of the season, MSU played one of its worst games.
Penn State upset the Spartans and, looking back, MSU head coach John L. Smith said he actually saw signs of a letdown.
"We didn't have a good feeling all week," Smith said.
MSU's quarterbacks threw five interceptions and Penn State scored 28 third-quarter points in a 37-13 loss for the Spartans (5-6 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
After the loss, which eliminated MSU from bowl-game contention, Smith recalled scenes before the game showing the team's unfocused behavior.
"You can tell when you walk on the bus that everybody's serious about what's going to happen," Smith said. "You can tell when you walk into a meeting and everybody's giggling.
"You can tell if they're prepared or not."
It turns out, MSU was not prepared to take on the Nittany Lions (4-7, 2-6), which were tied for the worst record in the Big Ten.
The Spartans upset then-No. 4 Wisconsin last week, 49-14. At the time, it was proof MSU could hang with the Big Ten's elite teams.
MSU is now 0-7 in games played after beating a top-10 team in a regular-season game since 1997. The reason for the poor play after such great performances escapes the Spartans even today.
"We just can't get it done against teams we're supposed to beat," senior free safety Jason Harmon said.
MSU wasted early opportunities to bury the Nittany Lions. That resulted in a slim 6-3 halftime lead. Penn State's monstrous third quarter made it too hard for MSU to recover.
"We felt we could put it in (the end zone) on anybody and that's what we've been doing all year," senior right guard William Whitticker said.
Penn State scored on the opening drive of the third quarter on running back Tony Hunt's 1-yard run into the end zone, making the score 10-6 in Penn State's favor.
On the second play of the ensuing MSU possession, sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton attempted a screen pass, but Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali intercepted the ball, giving the Nittany Lions' offense great field position.
Penn State quarterback Zack Mills ran the ball in from the 8-yard line on the first play after Hali's interception.
MSU's quarterbacks went on to throw two more interceptions in the third quarter; Penn State converted those turnovers into 10 points.
Sophomore punter Brandon Fields also had a punt blocked in the third quarter because the line blocked for a rugby-style punt, but Fields kicked a traditional punt. Penn State was again given great field position and was able to score a touchdown.
"I'm not going to talk about the third quarter," Smith said. "It was ugly - mistake after mistake after mistake."
Stanton left the game in the third quarter after injuring his eye during a run. Senior quarterback Damon Dowdell and redshirt freshman quarterback Stephen Reaves both played in Stanton's absence, though neither was effective. The three quarterbacks combined for 20-of-40 passing for 177 yards, five interceptions and one touchdown.
Although the Spartans quarterbacks hurt their team with mistakes, Penn State's quarterback, Mills, played virtually mistake-free football.
Mills took a page from Stanton's book and hurt MSU with a variety of running plays. He ran 16 times for 74 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Mills was 11-of-18 passing for 105 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The win was emotional for Mills, a senior playing in his last game, and Joe Paterno, the embattled Nittany Lions' head coach who some speculated was coaching his last game Saturday.
"I'm planning to be back next year," Paterno said. "As I said, I'd like to be able to put together a scenario where I can pick the time I want to leave and have somebody in house where he can take over."
For MSU's seniors who hoped to end their career at MSU with a bowl game, Saturday's loss was especially disappointing. The Spartans cannot end the season with a winning record, so they are not eligible for a bowl game.
"I've seen some guys in the past; their last years were horrible seasons," Harmon said. "Seeing that, I would always tell myself, 'It just can't be like that my senior year.' For it to actually happen, it hurts inside."
MSU's last game of the season is Dec. 4 at Hawaii.
Joe Guillen can be reached at guillenj@msu.edu.
