INDIANAPOLIS — Championship football takes perfect execution.
Penn State found out about that on Saturday — the hard way.
In a could-of-should-of-would-of type game, the Nittany Lions lost the Big Ten Championship to Oregon, 45-37, because they weren’t perfect — unlike the Ducks.
The Lions committed too many penalties — ones that they shouldn’t have committed. They missed opportunities with dropped passes and missed tackles. They didn’t have a game-breaking wide receiver. They couldn’t get a stop when they really needed one.
Instead, Oregon made those catches. Oregon didn’t commit those penalties. Oregon made those tackles. Oregon had that game-breaking receiver. Oregon picked up that first down.
It was that thin margin that made the difference in Penn State’s loss to Oregon. Not officials, not any play calls, but self-inflicted big and oh-so-tiny wounds that couldn’t be triaged in fast enough time, that’s what decided the Big Ten Championship.
What made Saturday frustrating is that on the whole, Penn State did not play poorly. It racked up 523 yards on offense, 54 more than Oregon. It rushed for 297 yards. In some aspects, it was Penn State’s best offensive performance — particularly against a very good defense.
But that’s only on a whole.
On a crucial drive after halftime, a slightly overthrown ball by Drew Allar to Tyler Warren, off by not much, made the difference. A poorly timed route by Khalil Dinkins early in the game led to an interception made the difference. An unnecessary personal foul by Vega Ioane made the difference. A deep ball on a comeback bid drive barely under thrown that led to another interception made the difference.
Even if Penn State’s offense did play well as a whole, those little setbacks set Penn State back.
On defense, Penn State’s two penalties for grabbing the face mask made the difference. An inability to get stops on every needed opportunity made the difference. Missed tackles that allowed for a few extra yards made the difference. Struggles defending the run opening up the Ducks’ passing game made the difference.
It’s frustrating because Penn State played with Oregon. But the Ducks played better.
Tez Johnson’s 181-yard receiving day made the difference. Dillon Gabriel’s 22-for-32 and four touchdowns made the difference. A combined 187 rushing yards made the difference.
It’s not that Oregon didn’t make any mistakes. Those Penn State offensive stats reflect that, but it’s that Oregon made Penn State pay for its mistakes.
On those drives where Penn State committed those penalties on defense, Oregon scored. On those moments where Penn State missed a tackle, Oregon picked up those extra yards.
That’s where the separation between great and perfection lies. Oregon won because it did exactly what it was supposed to do when it was supposed to do it. Some of that is luck because after all “football is a game of inches” but more of that, emphasis on more, is execution. That’s what’s made them now a 13-0 team.
It’s also what’s made Penn State now an 11-2 team.
Penn State proved on Saturday it can play with a team like Oregon, who will earn the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. And Penn State’s body of work will also put them into the playoffs too.
But in order for Penn State to win in championship-caliber moments, it needed to learn the lesson it got on Saturday night. They’ve got to be near perfect when it matters.
It’s a lesson that came with — in the grand scheme of things — little repercussions, too. Just like how Penn State backed its way into the title game thanks to some assistance from an Ohio State loss, its loss to Oregon won’t be that harmful on the bigger picture.
Sure a first round bye would have been nice, sure a Big Ten trophy would have looked shiny, but that won’t be how Penn State’s season will be decided and judged. This season will be judged by what comes next. So will Oregon’s.
For the Nittany Lions, the Big Ten Championship was the lesson, the College Football Playoffs will be the test.
It takes perfection to win titles, big and small.
It will take perfection to win a national championship too.
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