Penn State Sloppy and Inconsistent Again in UCLA Loss

A “trap game” for the ages.  Penn State’s 42-37 loss at UCLA told a familiar story. The Nittany Lions looked flat and inconsistent for much of the game, only showing life once desperation hit. The issues run deeper than play design. This team is lacking players who bring urgency, anger, and the kind of alpha mentality required to win tough games on the road.

Flat Start

Penn State’s offense once again failed to establish rhythm early. Drew Allar was efficient on the stat sheet, but the scheme rarely gave him chances to stretch the field or find rhythm throws. The offensive line remains a liability. Not because of one side breaking down, but because there are no true maulers in the group, and too many missed assignments. Pass protection is only average, and the run game continues to stall without push up front. Combined with Andy Kotelnicki’s predictable play-calling, the result was another slow start and a 27-7 hole to a winless UCLA team.

James Franklin admitted as much. “We did not come out with the right energy to start the game, and before you know it, obviously they get a touchdown drive and an onside kick, and now you’re fighting,” Franklin said. “That’s my responsibility, and I didn’t get it done.”

Few Alphas on the Field

Only a handful of players consistently brought edge. Zakee Wheatley finished with 12 tackles. Dani Dennis-Sutton blocked a punt in the third quarter that Liam Clifford returned for a touchdown, one of the few momentum-swinging plays of the game.

Dennis-Sutton emphasized leadership afterward. “All of us. It’s not one person, not one coach, not one player,” he said. He added that unity remains critical: “Just trying to stay together. The leaders have to make sure everybody in the locker room is not saying anything negative about the offense or defense. That’s really all we can do. We tried to do that this week, but we didn’t do a good enough job.”

Outside of Dennis-Sutton and Wheatley, there were few signs of players imposing their will.

Catching Up Again

Allar’s final line — 19 of 26 for 200 yards with two touchdowns and another score on the ground — looked efficient. But most of that production came after UCLA controlled the game. The offense has become known for only finding rhythm when it is trailing.

“Our job as an offense is to go out and score points,” Allar said. “We didn’t score enough points today. There’s no lack of resiliency in this team, but we just have to find a way to come out with a different result.” Resiliency has been there. Consistency has not.

Exposed by Nico

Mobile quarterbacks remain a problem for this defense. UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava gashed the Lions with 128 rushing yards and three touchdowns, plus two more through the air. Penn State’s defense never found a solution. “A couple times we spied him, and when we spied him, he was either able to make the spy miss or run away from the spy,” Franklin said. “There were a couple of other times they caught us in man coverage without a spy; we got out of our rush lanes, and he made a ton of plays.”

The lack of discipline was obvious. The absence of urgency was even more costly.

A Shrinking Margin

Penn State is now 3-2, and the same flaws keep showing up. The offense sputters until panic sets in, the defense collapses against quarterbacks who play aggressively, and there are too few alphas to change the energy on the field. Allar insisted the team still believes. “There’s no other group that I’d rather be in this situation with,” he said. “I know for me personally, I’m going to take it day-by-day and put 100% of my effort into doing whatever I need to do to get us right.”

Belief matters. But belief without urgency, anger, and alphas will not win games like this. It certainly will not be enough after losing to a UCLA team that entered 0-4 and just laid waste to an entire coaching staff. Every game left on the schedule is now a threat. Ohio State, Indiana, and Nebraska are physical challenges. Northwestern, Michigan State, and Rutgers have watched this loss and will be eager for their chance. Penn State’s margin for error is gone, and opponents across the Big Ten are ready to take advantage.