STATE COLLEGE — On the eve of Halloween, the Michigan defense looked like it was cursed on third down.

Penn State, led by a former walk-on at quarterback in Matt McGloin, converted 10-of-16 chances on the all-important down. But the Wolverines had a chance to jump out to a strong start after forcing a quick 3rd-and-10 on the Nittany Lions' first drive.

McGloin dropped back, saw an opening to the left and scrambled away from sophomore linebacker Kenny Demens and redshirt junior defensive lineman Ryan Van Bergen for an 11-yard gain and a first down. Penn State converted two more third downs on that drive before taking a 7-0 lead.

“Obviously as a defense you want to get stops and get three-and-outs and get off the field,” senior linebacker Jonas Mouton said after the game. “It’s just mistakes, man. You’ve got to clean up the little things, keep working.”

The Wolverines’ defense ranks 95th nationally on third-down conversions, and Michigan is No. 106 in total defense.

Penn State’s success on third down was no fluke, though. Iowa moved the chains at a 54-percent rate on third down and Indiana was even higher at 58 percent. But, in contrast, Michigan State converted just four of its 13 chances against the Wolverines.

Michigan stopped the Nittany Lions just once in the first half and allowed 28 points, which tied with Youngstown State for the most allowed to Penn State in a half all season.

The Wolverines could be kicking themselves for allowing three third-down conversions of seven yards of more on drives that resulted in 17 Penn State points. And Michigan allowed a total of 71 yards combined on those three long plays.

The backbreaker was the touchdown the Wolverines allowed on the Nittany Lions’ last possession before the half. A booted kickoff started Michigan inside its own five-yard line and the Wolverines’ ensuing three-and-out gave Penn State great field position.

At the time, Michigan trailed just 21-10 and needed a stop in the worst way. After a 17-yard screen pass, the Wolverines defense answered the call once again on first and second downs.

But McGloin continued his third-down heroics and hit senior wide receiver Graham Zug for a 20-yard touchdown in front of newly minted starting safety Ray Vinopal.

“We just have to play harder sometimes,” Vinopal said. “We can’t slip up when the game’s on the line. We get teams in a lot of third downs and we let them off. If we make a couple of third-down plays, then all of a sudden, we’re not such a bad defense.”

That defense allowed 250 yards through the air to McGloin in his first career start and 150 yards rushing by senior running back Evan Royster, who also became Penn State’s all-time leading rusher in the game. He had been having somewhat of a down year considering his success the past two seasons. Michigan allowed just his second 100-yard game of the season — the other was against Temple.

“I thought that’s the best he’s played,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said of Royster. “I thought he had a little more running room. He had a chance to make some decisions and he had time to make some decisions because we stayed on some blocks.”

For a defense that was considered inexperienced and young at the beginning of the season, there aren't a lot of choices for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez to bring in as substitutes on long drives.

In the second half, the Wolverines rebounded to force Penn State to kick two field goals and score just 13 points. But Michigan had dug itself a hole too big to climb out of. The Nittany Lions controlled the clock all game and held the ball for nearly 15 more minutes than the Wolverines.

Michigan’s defense couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most.

“It’s very frustrating, especially because we’ve had trouble with that all season,” Demens said. “That’s just something we practice in practice and we just come out during game time and for some reason we just can’t get off the field.

“We’ve just got to home in on our assignments. Just really focus in. Third and long — get those receivers. Third and short — stop the runs.”