As I watched Michigan's Chris Perry waltz into the end zone this past fall, scoring a touchdown with one second left and adding further embarrassment to a dismal day for the Penn State football team and Nittany Lion fans everywhere, a sickening feeling came over me — a disheartening feeling of helplessness, sorrow and anger.

When I switched on the TV Saturday just in time to catch the end of the Penn State-Illinois men's basketball game, that miserable feeling came back.

Watching Illinois scrubs such as walk-on Nate Mast rain three-pointers on my beloved Nittany Lions with the Illini already up 30 points made me nauseated, but I began to feel even sicker when I realized these blowouts on the road were slowly but surely becoming commonplace for Penn State.

Sure, Penn State got off to a good start this season — 9-1, with an impressive win at Kentucky and an exciting home victory against Temple — but the loss to Illinois dropped the Lions to 2-4 in the Big Ten, which is where things really count.

However, I'm not faulting the Lions for losing.

It's the way that they lose that has me choking back up my dining commons food.

For example, Penn State went into East Lansing over winter break and, for one half, looked as though it would pull off what no team had been able to do in 36 games — defeat defending national champion Michigan State in the Breslin Center. But the Lions blew an 11-point halftime cushion, and instead of pulling off an incredible upset, flew home having to swallow a 25-point drubbing.

Fast forward to Saturday. Over the last few years, there has been a trend the Lions tend to exhibit, especially on the road.

They will either come out ice-cold and bury themselves in a first-half hole, or perform well until the second half and then fold. Against the Illini, Penn State did not make a basket for the first eight — yes, eight — minutes of the game, and trailed 39-18 at the half.

It's a tall task for any team to come back from such a deficit against a top 10 team, let alone one that relies so much on one player.

Don't blame Joe Crispin, even though he is 6-29 from the floor in his last two games.

The senior plays his heart out and, although his shot selection is sometimes questionable, he leads the conference in scoring and is one of the top guards in the country.

Nor should you blame fellow seniors Titus Ivory and Gyasi Cline-Heard. Ivory has been the jack-of-all trades for Penn State for years, and he has added scoring punch in his final season.

Cline-Heard is the lone inside presence on the team, a natural power forward forced to bang bodies with the game's physical centers. He too has stepped up his game this season and ranks among the Big Ten leaders in rebounds and blocked shots.

And although you may want to, don't blame Penn State head coach Jerry Dunn. Well, don't blame him for everything. Dunn just doesn't have the personnel.

While teams such as the Illini and the Spartans have benches that run four to five players deep, Penn State has trouble getting contributions from all five members of its starting lineup.

The problem is that, in his six years running the program, Dunn has failed to coax into Happy Valley the top-caliber players that will give his team a chance to compete in the toughest conference in the nation.

Think it's bad now? Wait until next season, and the departure of Crispin, Ivory and Cline-Heard leaves the Lions with a potential starting five of (you may want to sit down) Jon Crispin, Brandon Watkins, Tyler Smith, Marcus Banta and Ndu Egekeze.

The combined production of this fab five so far this year? Twenty-two and a half points per game.

If Dunn can find a way to win in places such as the Breslin Center and Assembly Hall with that group, he'll win coach of the year.

Don't count on it though.