App St is a very well coached team ... and there QB is a “Houdini” with hiding the ball on fakes. Their special teams were great (100 yard return for a TD and an extremely well executed Onsides Kick).
That said, PSU lost 7 of their 8 leading tacklers from last year to graduation or injury. Defense showed that. Lot of young guys who need to grow and learn. Offensive line was supposed to be a strong suit and they couldn’t keep App St out of the backfield.
All that said, it was a win and if they learn from this ... If they don’t learn, it will be a long season ...