Key stats in Penn State's Week 6 loss to UCLA

In the Nittany Lion's upset loss at the hands of UCLA, several of their worst flaws came to light yet again. The run defense. The inability to get off the field on third down. The ineffectiveness of their transfer receivers at certain moments in the game. And most importantly, they displayed the sheer lack of discipline required to play a complete game. UCLA deserved to win hands down and the stats are further proof. Here are the key stats from Penn State's frustrating loss.

16 carries, 128 yds, 3 TDs

These weren't UCLA's lead back's rushing numbers. They were quarterback Nico Iamaleava's. The former Tennessee QB and five-star recruit repeatedly gashed the Penn State defense time and time again. The most worrying aspect of Iamaleava's day on the ground was at one point early in the third. On three consecutive third-and-longs, Iamaleava compiled 92 yards on the ground alone. If this statistic doesn't worry Penn State fans about the trajectory of their run defense without several key players, I don't know what will.

39:20-20:43 TOP battle

For the second straight week, the Nittany Lions lost the time of possession battle. As a result, for the majority of the game, they had to play from behind rather than potentially match UCLA touchdown for touchdown and find a way to pull out the win late. At certain times, throughout the game, you could see on the sidelines, it affected James Franklin's urgency as he was imploring the offense to speed up a little bit. While they still somehow put up 37 points, UCLA controlled the game on their terms from the very beginning, and that was why 37 points was ultimately not enough.

1-3 on fourth down

While not as worrying as the top two, this statistic kind of told the story of how Penn State lost this game. They had a chance on fourth and two to extend the game and potentially win it but came up short. This has been the story several times this season when Penn State have gone for it in key moments. This week, it came back to bite them. I'm not saying that they should get more conservative, but it's worrying that with all the weapons they have, they can't execute in short-yardage situations.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Key stats in Penn State's Week 6 loss to UCLA