​That was the best game Penn State has played in about a month. Although USC pulled out a 31-23 victory, it was a breath of fresh air to see the Nittany Lions fighting and looking competitive for the first time in a few weeks.The defense struggled a bit, but that was to be expected against an electric Trojans offense. However, the offense finally got in a rhythm for the first time since the Buffalo game, so it wasn’t all bad for Penn State.But despite the few positives drawn from the game, the Nittany Lions are now 3-3 after a 3-0 start to the season and need a win in the worst way. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the team’s third straight loss.Missed tacklesPenn State’s defense would have been much better over the last few weeks if they didn’t miss so many tackles. Most of these situations against the Trojans happened on critical downs, allowing them to extend drives and pick up points.Overall, D’Anton Lynn’s unit has been solid this season, but tackling is one area where they need to improve. Michigan has some slippery offensive players that can gash the defense next week if they aren’t able to wrap up and bring ball carriers to the ground.New connectionsNittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht struggled mightily in the team’s losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, but now he finally seems to be back on track. A large reason for this is his connection with wide receiver Chase Sowell.The former Iowa State teammates connected four times against USC for 95 yards. It looked like they were right back in the Big 12 on Saturday night and it did wonders for Penn State’s offense. The emergence of a receiving threat outside of injured wideout Koby Howard opened up the field and made the unit look as dynamic as they have in weeks.Hopefully this was a sign of things to come for Becht, Sowell, and the entire offense.Gut checkRegardless of the result, Penn State needed to step onto its home field and fight tirelessly to make the game competitive. The program had been dominated in the previous two games, but they made sure that didn’t happen on Saturday night.Both sides of the ball were much more physical and it looked like they fed off the energy of the home crowd. In Year 1 under head coach Matt Campbell, this game was quietly an important sign of what to expect going forward.The team could have packed it in for the year after their season was flipped on its head with back-to-back losses. But they came out with the intentionality and pride, and they proved that Campbell knows how to keep players motivated and bought in despite adversity.White OutIt clearly didn’t make a difference on the scoreboard, but it was nice to see the White Out still having its classic impact on fans. This game made it clear that Penn State could probably be winless and it would still pack the seats in Beaver Stadium for the most anticipated event of the year.The crowd was impactful from the opening kickoff and didn’t begin to quiet down until the fourth