The Last Mistake Gets Remembered Loudest. Why We As Penn State Fans Need To Move On

Two minutes were left in the game that until this point had been one of the best games I had ever seen in person.  Both teams left everything out on the field.  The home team underdog was seemingly buoyed by one the loudest, most energetic crowds in the history of sports.  As Penn State came to the line of scrimmage, Ohio State calls a timeout, followed by Penn State calling one.

Then it happens so suddenly.  It's a draw play, Sanders gets tackled in the backfield, and all of a sudden this incredible game is over, and Penn State has lost.

The pain that every player, fan, and coach felt at that moment was real and identical.  That we felt like we had made just enough plays and that it was unfair. 

That we deserved to win that game. 
The last play, for it not to be in the hands of a player who, to this point, was the biggest reason for our offensive success, left everyone wanting more.  It felt wrong.

That last moment feels incredibly more important than all the others because it happens last, and for that reason it becomes overly magnified as the sole reason for a win or a loss.  There is no guarantee that if Penn State gets a first down, that in the next few plays they will win the game.  The likelihood obviously goes up, but again, a kick could be missed, or blocked, or a turnover such as a fumble or interception could still occur. 

This is a case of recency bias and it's important to acknowledge that while on its own, the call and outcome was far from what was desired, it was also just one part of a game that had several important plays go in the other direction.

No one has brought up the drop on the out pattern on a crucial third down, or the fumble at the end of the first half, or a missed field goal.  Or the overthrows, or sacks.  The plays that also contributed heavily towards the result. 

The missed tackles in the open field, the inability to consistently stop the run, getting gashed late into the game.

It all counts.

You almost can't remember the positives.  The one handed grab, the 50 yard scramble.  The stop on 4th down.  The interception.  The way the team prayed for their fallen teammate and celebrated together as they scored one last time in the fourth quarter, seeming to have gotten up enough to relax just a little bit.

It all played a role in what was really a very close back and forth game.

But we still seem to focus on that bitter, bitter end. 

It has probably, miraculously, made you forget about a well intentioned, but horrible, half-time show that had the Penn State theater group attempt to use microphones to add a vocal component to the blue band.  It didn't work.

I bring this up because I don't want to lose sight of the positives that have taken us this far.  I truly believe that this community's sports programs have done so well the last few years because of how we encourage one another, and we don't allow the negative energy of a loss, even one as devastatingly hurtful as Ohio State, bring us down.

That anger and divisiveness that stems from the frustrations of not winning two years in a row by a total of two points.  That feeling of wanting to assign blame for your frustrations.  It can be a feeling that can tear weaker teams apart. 

In this community for the past seven or so years, we have always responded with more positive emotions rather than bad ones.  We trust each other a little more instead of a little less.  We help each other a little more rather than a little less.  To make it blunt, at the times when we could say "We no longer care about this person or that thing because we don't like something" we instead choose an attitude that says "Let's get better, let's help one another."

Undoubtedly, I was not a fan of the last play call either.  But I refuse to let that moment of disappointment define how I feel about the players or the coaching staff that has time and time again brought the best out of each other and the community. 

Instead, it's time to move on to seeing what the team can do against Michigan State, and how we as fans get to look forward to an early October homecoming weekend.