Penn State football’s defense knew the challenge Oregon presented on the offensive side of the ball going into Saturday’s Big Ten Championship.

Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Dillon Gabriel and his host of talented wide receivers and tailbacks picked apart the Nittany Lion defense on Saturday, putting up six touchdowns and a field goal.

While Oregon boasts the Offensive Player of the Year, Penn State has Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Abdul Carter on one of the best defensive lines in the country. That group went head-to-head with Gabriel on Saturday, and the Oregon quarterback came out on top in the Nittany Lions’ 45-37 Big Ten Championship loss.

“They’ve got a challenging scheme,” James Franklin said postgame. “We knew going into the game that [Tez Johnson] was going to be a problem. We had a ton of respect for him, and he ended up having a heck of a game.”

Johnson finished the night with 11 receptions for 181 of Oregon’s 283 total passing yards while Gabriel went 22-for-32 with four touchdowns through the air.

“He was making great reads and he was finding the open receivers,” linebacker Dom DeLuca said. “Still, at the end of the day, we have to execute and finish.”

While the secondary has been a position group that has developed throughout the season, the defensive line and front seven have been the strong suit all year.

On Saturday, Jordan James and Noah Whittington each rushed for over 80 yards as the Ducks finished with 183 yards on the ground on top of the already blistering passing attack.

Most of the issues, though, came in the first half. Penn State allowed 31 points in the first two frames and allowed its first third-quarter touchdown of the season on the first drive of the second half after a 48-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Johnson.

The defense was able to shore itself up in the second half and held Oregon to just 14 points in the final 30 minutes of game action. Even with the improved play in the second half, the damage had been done.

“I thought our defense really came together in the second half,” Franklin said. “They gave us a chance to win with a big stop at the end, but we weren’t able to get it done.”

While the championship bid ended in a loss, there’s another lesson to be learned.

Penn State took two of the top ten teams in the country to the brink this season, and the team believes it’s getting closer to a win in the big games.

“We’re capable of winning these games,” DeLuca said. “We beat ourselves. At the end of the day, we’ll just have to look ourselves in the mirror tomorrow and just keep going for the rest of the season.”

While the loss stings, there’s still more to come for the Nittany Lions this season. The 12-team College Football Playoff means the season isn’t over, and Beaver Stadium will likely play host to a playoff game later this month.

Before that happens, though, the defensive personnel has to make adjustments. Oregon is the No. 1 team in the nation, but there are still good offenses that will need to be taken care of to make a run this winter.

“We played shot for shot with the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 3 team in the country this season,” DeLuca said. “It just comes down to one play or one touchdown at the end of the game. We have to be able to come back and fight that adversity and bite the bullet and keep going.”