PASADENA, Calif. — A trip to the West Coast was supposed to be a get-right game for Penn State.

Instead, it was a gut-wrenching loss for the second straight week, as the Nittany Lions fell to a then winless UCLA team following a heart-breaker in double overtime last week against Oregon.

What went wrong for Penn State on Saturday?

Defense gets torched

Penn State spent $3.1 million on landing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles this past offseason. He played a large role in helping Ohio State win the national championship and was supposed to elevate the Nittany Lions from a pretender to a contender.

To start the 2025 campaign, it looked like the hire had paid off. His defensive unit dominated during nonconference play, allowing just 17 points with the lone touchdowns coming with under a m

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