After struggling to protect Zack Mills against Boston College, the Nittany Lions changed their passing scheme.

Mills went almost exclusively to three step drops on passing plays, in order to ensure that he could get rid of the ball and cut down on the number of hits.

If the game plan was not to allow a sack, it was effective.

The problem was that Mills' go-to-guy was not a wide receiver, but fullback Sean McHugh, who caught seven passes for 48 yards. His longest reception was nine yards, as Mills would check down to him when the first receiver wasn't open.

"Nebraska made us play very patient offensively," Mills said. "We only had four or five times to get a big play or a big pass play. We just waited for our chances."

The Lions never took any real shots, 30 or 40 yards down the field.

Mills' longest completion came on Penn State's final possession, a 31-yard pass to Gerald Smith. Many of the yards on that pass came after Smith made the catch and was heading up the sideline. The longest pass in the air was a 20-yard completion when Mills connected with tight end Matt Kranchick down the middle of the field.

With the Penn State offense struggling to move the length of the field, it helps to take shots down the field.

"I think we're close offensively to put up some yards and points," Mills said.

The think behind deeper drops is that it stretches the defenses making it easier to throw underneath.

Day to remember

-- Offense: Sean McHugh. On a day when the offense only amassed 203 total yards, McHugh was responsible for 62 of them. The Ohio native had a career-high seven catches against Nebraska. He also carried the ball three times for 14 yards. McHugh's block on the counter play allowed for Ricky Upton to walk in the end zone untouched.

-- Defense: Lavon Chisley. With his uncle, Jimmy Williams, standing on the opposing sideline as the linebacker coach, Chisley played the best game of his young career. Chisley had a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss. He finished with five tackles.

Day to Forget

-- Offense: Tony Johnson. A week after making a career-high seven catches against Boston College, Johnson played one of his worst games of his career. He dropped two passes on third down that had they been caught would have extended drives. Johnson continued to demonstrate that he isn't prepared to be the go-to-guy.

-- Defense: John Bronson. After running his mouth during the week, Bronson didn't respond on Saturday with a big game. The only returning starter on the defensive line didn't even start against the Cornhuskers. His biggest impact of the game was when he got into a scuffle in his first series with Nebraska left tackle Richie Incognito.

Did you notice?

Penn State President Graham Spanier was in attendance in Nebraska, where he was the chancellor... Rich Gardner didn't jump on the top of the huddle prior to the start of the game... The Cornhuskers removed the stripes on the side of their uniform after going 7-7 last season. Last season, was the first year of the stripes...Donnie Johnson, who started the season at running back, has been converted to wide receiver.

Extra point

Does Penn State need to follow Herbie Husker's off-season regiment, and lose weight while adding 20 pounds of muscle?