EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - It didn't lose the first half on the scoreboard.
But Penn State sure didn't feel like winners in the trainer's room.
Three key Nittany Lions players - tight ends Matt Lehman and Kyle Carter and linebacker Mike Hull - all ended the first half in the locker room with injuries suffered in the first two quarters of Penn State's 23-17 win over Syracuse on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
Hull suffered a knee injury on a 22-yard run by Syracuse's Jerome Smith late in the first quarter and went to the locker room. He returned with his leg wrapped, but late in the second quarter, he went back to the locker room for further treatment. He watched the second half in street clothes, his leg wrapped.
"We looked at it as next player up," linebacker Nyeem Wartman said. "When Hull went down, we knew we had a guy behind him - Stephen Obeng-Agyapong - who was physical and ready to play. When we lost Mike, it stunk. But next guy up."
Carter, who was held without a catch in the half, suffered an arm injury and played only sparingly in the second half.
But, the most significant injury was the one suffered by Lehman.
Running a pass route in the second quarter, Lehman attempted to plant off his left leg and immediately went to the ground. He clutched his knee and waved trainers frantically from the sideline.
He needed to be carted off the field. He had two catches for 17 yards and was Penn State's leading receiver at the time of the injury.
He didn't have an update on any of the injured players after the game, but coach Bill O'Brien insisted that the tenuous situation with the Penn State depth chart due to the scholarship reductions isn't something that will matter on the field.
"Depth is an issue for everybody," O'Brien said. "If a good player gets hurt, that's not good for any team in the country."
Just watching
Penn State receiver Allen Robinson, the Big Ten's defending receiver of the year, did not play in the first half.
"That's between Allen and I," O'Brien said. "Allen has a fantastic future. I think he's a great kid. It was important to make that decision for him."
He returned for the second half and, judging by his play, Penn State fans better hope he learned his lesson.
In the third quarter alone, Robinson had six catches for 115 yards and a 51-yard touchdown catch just 3:14 into the half.
"Obviously, when he came back in, we tried to get him the ball," O'Brien said.
The big tackle
It might be the only tackle Garry Gilliam makes all season. But it might have won Penn State the game.
After Syracuse cornerback Brandon Reddish knocked the ball loose after a completion to Robinson that would have put Penn State at the Orange's 27 with just more than four minutes left in the third quarter, Reddish saw nothing but open space to the right.
So, he sprinted up the sideline, dodging a few winded tacklers. But Gilliam, the converted tight end, ran back and eventually enveloped Reddish at the Penn State 27 after a 46-yard return.
Despite the gift of field position, the Orange managed just one yard on the next three plays, and Ross Krautman's 43-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
"For a big guy, what a fantastic athlete," O'Brien said. "What a tough guy.
I expected no less of him than to go chase that down. It shows his athletic ability, but also his heart and toughness."
Nittany notes
Kicker Sam Ficken drilled all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-high 46-yarder that gave Penn State a 16-10 lead just 44 seconds into the fourth quarter. ... A down spot for the Lions: The talented group of tight ends managed just four catches for 27 yards, and none came from sophomore Kyle Carter or true freshman Adam Breneman. ... Wartman, on his play in his first career start, in which he recorded three tackles: "I was happy. It was a great team win. It was nice. I'm just excited. Now, we look to next week."
Contact the writer: dcollins@timesshamrock.com