Penn State’s offense for most of the White Out was nonexistent.

On the biggest home stage of the regular season, the Nittany Lions’ offense put up 109 yards in the first three quarters, including a dreadful 8-for-16 and 62 passing yards for quarterback Drew Allar.

“We went to the drawing board at halftime and just looked at things we needed to do better and things we wanted to execute better,” wide receiver Devonte Ross said postgame. “Slow to start, but I think we finished hard, and I was proud of this team.”

It wasn’t until the Ducks took what initially seemed like an insurmountable 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter that the Penn State offense came to life. Just 2:30 minutes later, Allar laid a perfect play-action pass to Ross for a 35-yard touchdown, seemingly out of nowhere.

“It was a great feeling. I think it sparked the offense a little bit…We rally around each other,” Ross said postgame. “When one person makes a play, I feel like it rubs off on the rest of the team.”

In the very next drive, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki called upon Ross again with a type of flip-pass, allowing the receiver to gallop into the end zone from seven yards out.

It was Ross who sparked the Penn State comeback, putting pressure on the Ducks, forcing the away team into overtime.

“I was proud of the way we battled and rallied around each other,” Ross said. “You look at film, it’s obviously a lot of opportunities. So just making sure next time that we capitalize on those opportunities and execute a little bit better.”

James Franklin discussed limiting Oregon’s tendency to start fast, and completed that goal well; however, Penn State’s offense itself was not where it needed to be to compete with Oregon’s defense in the first three quarters of the game.

“Obviously, it’s a great team, but I feel like for us, we try to focus on us, what we’re doing. There’s always room for improvement. We just looked at things we can do better and just ways we can get better,” Ross said.

The Penn State offense started slow, yes. However, Ross knows what it takes to get the unit moving earlier in the game, especially against top teams such as the Ducks.

“We were ready, obviously, but just making sure we are staying connected, motivating each other, pushing each other, and then I think it’ll take care of itself,” Ross said.

Aside from the heavily criticized strength of schedule Penn State started with this season, there were mixed emotions about the week four bye. Some believed it would be good for the Nittany Lions to get some rest before the big game, while others felt it would halt possible offensive efficiency. Ross felt that the team did what it needed to do during the idle week to prepare for Oregon.

“I think we had a great bye week. We did a good job preparing. I think we took the bye week very seriously, and this week obviously,” Ross said.

The receiver knows the Nittany Lions wanted to start faster, finding that Penn State would “get behind schedule” and fall into obvious passing situations.

Ross finished the game with just four catches and 48 yards, but caught every target and had the two touchdowns, making him the lead receiver and one of the few bright spots in the Penn State offense.

The passing game was not up to the task again for Penn State. Shades of last season’s woes, despite a “new and improved” wide receiver core, haunted Franklin and Co. once again, leaving fans wondering “when will it get figured out?”

The answer is not as easy as most thought, apparently. However, Ross looked to take that next step of stepping into a leading-receiver role when the going got tough, a quality no receiver on last season’s roster possessed.

“We just go back to work, look at the film, and just learn from it,” Ross said. “Made a couple of plays starting in the second half. One play leads to another, and we feed off each other.”