If you're a Nebraska football fan, you perhaps hoped for a surprise Saturday. But forget it. Penn State slammed the door on that story line by bolting to a 32-point halftime lead.
They see a dreadful season in its merciful final stages, one game remaining, basically no chance of a bowl game.
"Man, I'm just sorry for these kids right now," said Nebraska third-year head coach Mike Riley, whose team fell 56-44 before an announced crowd of 106,722 at Beaver Stadium.
It felt a lot like Nebraska's 65-51 loss to Colorado to close the 2007 season.