When opportunity knocks, you had better answer.

Penn State had its share of opportunities Saturday against Miami, but the Nittany Lions' failure to capitalize on a couple of early big breaks put them in a hole they could not climb out of.

"We needed a couple of breaks and got a couple but didn't capitalize on them," said Penn State quarterback Matt Senneca. "Those type of things happen."

Break one came after Todd Sievers' 35-yard field goal had put the Hurricanes up 3-0. Lions tailback Larry Johnson ran the ensuing kickoff back 69 yards to the Miami 31.

The next play, Senneca lofted a pass to the end zone, where it went in and out of the hands of wide receiver Bryant Johnson. The pass may or may not have been tipped by cornerback Mike Rumph, but either way, Penn State missed a chance to go up early on the No. 2 'Canes.

"I lost it when it was coming down in the lights," said Johnson, who went on to have a career day, finishing with six catches for 149 yards.

His drop would cost the Lions heavily, however, as the Hurricanes defense stiffened on the next play, separating the pigskin from Omar Easy on a perfectly timed blitz. Jerome McDougal recovered the ball at the Miami 42.

Just that quickly, the momentum had shifted a full 360 degrees. Ken Dorsey and the Hurricane offense quickly marched down the field and put it in the end zone, going up 10-0.

The Lions never really recovered.

"When you've got a young club you have to make them understand that these games could be a lot different with two or three different plays," said Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. "Not that we would have won it, but we could have made it a much more competitive game."

Another key difference in the game was the ability of Miami's offense to come up with big plays early on as compared to the Lions' offense. When Senneca hooked up with Johnson on a 1-yard pass play on a 3rd-and-6 late in the second quarter for Penn State's first completion, Dorsey had already thrown for 205 yards and three touchdowns.

"I felt that we could have contributed more to the whole day if we could have started out a little better," said wideout Eddie Drummond. "If we had made a few big plays at the beginning of the game we could have affected the game a whole lot."

The Lions did show some flashes of brilliance later in the game — Johnson produced a pair of electrifying catches, including a 44-yard touchdown from Zack Mills — but fans could only wonder what might have been had Penn State cashed in on those early chances.

"You're kidding yourself when you pass up opportunities," Paterno said.