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UNIVERSITY PARK -- James Franklin sounded his own warning earlier in the week, but it didn't appear that the Nittany Lions got the message.
After the loss to Ohio State, Franklin said, "We've got to make sure his loss doesn't get us twice, which I think has happened in the past."
To be exact, since 2014, in nine games following the team's first loss, Penn State had gone 4-5.
The Lions narrowly avoided another hangover loss Saturday as they overcame a slow start and a shaky fourth quarter before escaping with a 33-24 win over upset-minded Indiana.
Penn State came in as a 31-point favorite.
Franklin's program is built on emotion, and when that component is deflated, Penn State is vulnerable.
Just like it was Saturday.
When asked how he felt his team bounced back emotionally, Franklin was politely curt, indicated the team needs to improve handling adversity because, he judged, "no one cares" or wants to hear excuses.
Right, it's a bottom-line business, and none of the 107,209 Beaver Stadium witnesses on hand Saturday left convinced the Ohio State game is in the rear-view mirror.
Bottom line: The Lions weren't ready to play.
They allowed two deep touchdown passes of 90 and 69 yards in the first half as Indiana went up 7-0 and 14-7.
They continued to struggle in short yardage and converting third downs, making just one of their first five.
Rutgers rushed for 276 yards in blowing out the Hoosiers last week. Saturday, the Nits managed just 55 on 24 first-half tries and ended up with 132 on 43 carries.
Penn State was booed several times while punting on its first three possessions.
Indiana, not surprisingly, cooperated and committed two half-turnovers that gave the Lions short fields and helped them take semi-control.
Penn State used a late second-quarter interception by Jaylen Reed to set up Alex Felkins' 50-yard field goal that provided halftime (17-14) momentum, and when they opened the third quarter with a nice drive, capped by a touchdown pass from Drew Allar to Theo Johnson for a 24-14 lead, it appeared the rout would be on.
Until it wasn't.
Indiana answered with a third touchdown pass and a defense that played so well almost the entire year officially had turned in its worst performance.
"We made some mistakes that have been uncharacteristic of us," Franklin said. "A couple blown coverages."
It got worse when Allar threw his first interception of the season -- and his career, ending an NCAA record streak of 310 attempts without one -- and Indiana set up shop, down 24-21, at the Nits' 20 with five minutes left.
Hoosier coach Tom Allen, inexplicably, played super conservative, ran three times and settled for a game-tying field goal.
Allen said the Hoosiers decided to "play it safe" after not getting the looks they wanted on first and second down.
They did and lost.
Allar found KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 57-yard touchdown that was both the margin of difference and the first bomb the two have connected on since the opener, mercifully styming that narrative.
From there, the Lions' defense forced a safety to avoid losing twice to the Buckeyes.
The positive is for the first time this year, the Lions showed they can find a way to win when the game is in doubt.
The negative is, Franklin said, "obviously we have some things we have to get cleaned up and learn from the last two weeks."
The issues are still many -- only sporadic separation from the receivers, an offensive line clearly in the state of regression, a run game that can't get its playmakers into the secondary, now a defense that sprung leaks and was out of position, some mounting injuries and a coach who is still feeling sorry for himself.
But, in maybe the only bright spot, the Lions found a way to go 1-0 and moved to 7-1.
At least that's what the scoreboard said.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.