Tim Shaw took this one hard.

Coming off of the Nittany Lions' second straight strong performance against the run, the sophomore linebacker was visibly upset following Penn State's 16-3 loss to Wisconsin Saturday.

Shaw was an integral part of holding the Badgers to just 13 rushing yards in the first half, but was hard on the defense and himself in particular when fullback Matt Bernstein ran for 123 yards in the second half.

"I'm not going to say it was just [Bernstein]," Shaw said. "But just as a defense, it was missed assignments. Missed tackles and ... I wish I could explain it to you. I got blocked a lot. I'm gonna take a lot of credit for that. We had to buck up and stop them, but we just didn't."

Shaw also referenced a near-interception that he nearly snagged in the first quarter as an example of a play the defense needs to make in a tough game like last Saturday.

Despite Bernstein's incredible second half, the defense still held the Badgers to just three points after halftime. But Shaw feels there's still room for improvement.

"You know, we step up, but we step up at sometimes not the right times," Shaw said. "We let 'em drive 80 yards and then stop them at the goal line and it's like man, where was that 40 yards ago? I don't know what it is, but we had our backs against the wall and we feel like we played tough. We know we played tough."

Day to remember

Offense: Wide receiver Mark Rubin. On a day when little went right for the Lions on offense, Rubin showed some skill at wideout that Penn State will desperately need with Michael Robinson out of the lineup. The true freshman caught two passes for 21 yards, both coming on a 74-yard drive that set up a Robbie Gould field goal and the Lions' only points of the game. Quarterback Chris Ganter looked Rubin's way on three other occasions, but the two weren't able to connect. Rubin is now listed second at split end on the depth chart behind Terrance Phillips.

Defense: Shaw. The converted running back stepped up for the Big Ten opener, playing his best game of the season. Shaw finished the day with nine tackles (six solos), a pass break up and a quarterback hurry of Wisconsin's John Stocco. Shaw's strong play in the middle is vital to stopping strong running games like the one the Lions will face Saturday in Minnesota.

Day to forget

Offense: The offensive line. The entire unit will want to forget the horrors of the Badgers' incredible front four, particularly defensive end Erasmus James. It has been said that James is an NFL player still competing in the college ranks, and after Saturday's performance that's pretty hard to dispute.

Defense: Andrew Guman and Calvin Lowry. This is really a bit of a reach because the Lions defense had a strong performance overall. The two safeties only get this distinction for having 270-pound fullback Matt Bernstein hurdle completely over top of one of them on two separate plays.

Did you notice?

The Wisconsin student section stayed full until after the game ended ... Former Badgers' quarterback Brooks Bollinger got one of the biggest cheers of the day when he was announced on the field in the first quarter ... Lee Corso attempting to don a 150-pound Bucky the Badger costume on ESPN's College Gameday.

Quotable

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, unaware of Wisconsin fullback's religious obligations for Yom Kippur, assumed he was injured before the game.

"I didn't see Bernstein warm up for pre-game warm-ups. I was actually excited he wasn't going to play. But they make miraculous recoveries up here, they're lords I guess."

Extra point

After a dark weekend with the tragedy of Joe Paterno's son-in-law's bicycle accident and Michael Robinson's injury, a loss to the Badgers seems paltry in comparison. This will be a tough week for all who were involved to put behind them.