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UNIVERSITY PARK -- Shortly after arriving at Penn State in 2014, James Franklin said he would not be "one of those coaches" who didn't enjoy victories, no matter how ugly.
His personal credo was put to the test Saturday.
The Nittany Lions defeated Bowling Green, 34-27, before 103,861 at Beaver Stadium, but the only thing they really won was the final score.
The Lions were not ready to play defensively, did not lead for the game's first 38 minutes and were booed after the Falcons went up 24-17 late in the second quarter.
"Obviously," Franklin said, "we have some work to do."
Expectations for this season were raised by a dominating performance at West Virginia last week, and the Lions clearly did not build on that momentum as 34.5-point favorites against a Mid-American Conference rent-a-win.
Because he didn't think this was the time to "start critiquing," Franklin credited Bowling Green for a great effort, saying "they played their tails off," and added "the moment wasn't too big for them."
And he's right. Bowling Green did play great. Its passing game, led by Connor Bazelak, was exceptional in the first half, and its backs broke tackles.
Franklin prides himself on his 1-0 mentality entering each week -- be it Ohio State or Bowling Green -- but the Lions appeared to allow their No. 8 ranking to get to their heads.
"We were much more productive against West Virginia on the defensive side of the ball ... flying around the field, being disruptive," he said.
Bazelak picked the Lions' secondary apart early, starting with a 30-yard zinger to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. through the seam of the PSU defense.
Bazelak wound up the first half completing 16-of-20 for 192 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and he wasn't sacked.
"Early on, we were trying to make plays, rather than play the defense," Franklin said. "The second half, we were able to calm down and put them in more second- and third-and-longs."
The Falcons also enjoyed success on the ground -- including Jamal Johnson's 41-yard touchdown gallop that gave the visitors a 24-17 lead as Penn State's tackling was poor.
"We have a standard," linebacker Tony Rojas said, adding the Lions didn't meet it in the first half. "They were a great team. We didn't come in (taking BG) lightly, but we have to be better."
The second half was a different story, and after the Lions took a 27-24 lead, the defense slammed the door on Rojas' interception with 6:13 left.
"I'm just trying to be a game changer, and I think that play helped change momentum," Rojas said.
"We had to come out with more urgency, and I feel we responded great," defensive end Abdul Carter said.
But just as the defense took control, the offense endured a couple of empty possessions, the worst of which was Drew Allar's interception to close the third quarter with a chance to expand the lead, and as late as five minutes left, Penn State only led by three (27-24) before Nick Singleton's 41-yard touchdown finally iced it.
"Overall, it wasn't the best game, but we got the job done," receiver Omari Evans, who caught a touchdown pass, said. "That's all that matters."
All in all, it was an uneven performance that the Lions must now lug into the early bye week prior to Kent State on Sept. 21.
"It's weird to have a bye week after your second game," Franklin said. "But I think it's going to be important for us."
Was this a flat, noon-time effort or do the Lions, under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, have bigger problems?
Penn State's defense did only allow 89 yards and a last-minute field goal in the second half so its wake-up call was eventually answered.
But back to giving Bowling Green credit. The Falcons look like a MAC title contender.
And Penn State? We'll see.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com. He will respond to brief comments in Gameday.