Penn State knew one thing heading into the locker room at the end of the first half against Northwestern.

The score should have been at least 20-0.

Instead, the Nittany Lions failed to capitalize on their offensive opportunities after manhandling the Wildcats on both sides of the ball. A dropped pass that would have led to a touchdown and two missed field goals from short range all were part of the demise of Penn State as they fell to Northwestern 17-7.

"We missed a lot of scoring chances," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "We had a lot of chances to put them away and we didn't. You let people hang around, they're going to beat you."

The Wildcats did just that.

Instead of marching into Evanston to extend a five-game winning streak against Northwestern, the Lions imploded.

"There's nothing more we could do," cornerback Rich Gardner said. "It's all about making the big plays, and we didn't do that."

Is this rock bottom for Penn State?

Day to remember

Offense: Maurice Humphrey. The redshirt freshman continues to fill the void left by Tony Johnson as the go-to wideout and had a career day for the second straight week. His 97-yards receiving are a career high, surmounting his previous record set against Ohio State of 64. Humphrey also had eight catches in the losing effort to the Wildcats, which is the most by a Nittany Lion this season. Humphrey would have gone over a 100 yards receiving, but he dropped two key passes, one of which would have led to a touchdown.

Defense: Paul Posluszny. Another Lion with a career day, the true freshman outside linebacker continues to turn heads with his playmaking ability on defense. He had eight tackles, one of which was a tackle for a three-yard loss in a big fourth quarter play. The tackle for a loss should have been called for a sack but instead Wildcats' signal caller Brett Basanez was flagged for intentional grounding.

Day to forget

Offense: David Kimball. Inconsistency once again mars the kicker. Only a week removed from a solid performance against the Buckeyes, Kimball missed his only two field goal opportunities. The first one, he knuckled to the left from a mere 27 yards out. On his second miss, he punched it wide right from 34.

Defense: Tim Johnson. When Gino Capone went down in the first quarter with a knee injury, Johnson was his immediate replacement at middle linebacker. Johnson, who was one of the most highly touted recruits in the class of 2000, has seen minimal playing time since his freshman year. He played only two series against the Wildcats, failing to record a tackle. Former walk-on Andy Ryland took over the reins shortly after.

Quotable

"We just need to get some success to build for next year," said Gardner after the loss to Northwestern on Saturday. Gardner will play his last home game as a Nittany Lion this weekend against Indiana.

Did you notice?

Sean McHugh line up as a wide receiver in Penn State's failed slot reverse to Maurice Humphrey at the end of the first half ... Former Penn State running back Eric McCoo on the Nittany Lions' sideline ... Paterno wave his hand in disgust as Humphrey dropped a potential touchdown pass ...

Extra point

Will fans honor the worst senior class in Penn State history by booing or adorning "1931" signs at Saturday's game?