The Boilermakers (3-3, 1-1) had their chances, but their kicking game hurt them. Carson Wiggs missed an extra point and a field goal and pulled a kickoff out of bounds that led to a 60-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter for Penn State.
Some people might call the Lions lucky. But the players don't want to hear it.
"Nothing is a matter of luck," offensive tackle and cocaptain Quinn Barham said. "It's a matter of really playing hard. Sometimes plays are not going to go your way. I don't think it's a matter of luck. It's hard work and really just playing football."
Cornerback D'Anton Lynn, who returned after missing two games with a concussion, echoed those sentiments.
"I don't know about luck," Lynn said. "I think we played real hard. We definitely had some plays go our way, but we've worked real hard, and it's been showing on the football field."
Still, the Nittany Lions made their own bad breaks. Matt McGloin threw an interception - his team's only turnover - on a tipped ball at the goal line, and the 55-yard return set up a Boilermakers touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Chaz Powell electrified the crowd by returning the ensuing kickoff 92 yards to the Purdue 3, but he flipped the ball in the air instead of handing it to the official and was assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. The Nittany Lions could not make a first down and Fera kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it a five-point game with 6 minutes, 24 seconds to play.
"That's on me," Powell said. "You've got to hand the ball to the refs."
"You're not supposed to call attention to yourself," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "It's a tough call, but theoretically, it's one they're supposed to call."
