Penn State Nittany Lions football claimed a 44-13 win over Ball State on Saturday inside Beaver Stadium.

Ball State head coach Mike Neu met the media after the game to offer some insights, including thoughts on the crowd, Penn State's secondary, and more.

Here's what he had to say.

Neu said that his team prepared for the environment it was set to walk into inside Beaver Stadium on Saturday, but, regardless, the 105,000 fans in attendance on Saturday made things difficult on his team.

"The crowd was awesome," he said. "The student section was awesome down at their end doing their part.

"Certainly, they made it tough to hear. We know that going in. You've got to be able to execute."

Penn State head coach James Franklin frequently praised his secondary in the buildup to the 2021 season, and Neu offered similar thoughts on Saturday.

"They do a good job mixing it up," he said. "They were challenging us at the line of scrimmage in press coverage at times.

"They're talented. You look out there on the field, you see the length of the corners, you see the size of the safeties — they're talented. It's a good unit on the back end. It's a great challenge for us. My hat's off to them.

"Coach Franklin and his staff have definitely done a good job in recruiting."

Neu was disappointed with Ball State's effort in the Red Zone against the Nittany Lions on Saturday.

The Cardinals entered the Red Zone four times and came away with just touchdown — the same touchdown rate Wisconsin posted in the Red Zone against the Nittany Lions last week.

"We got down in the red zone and they did a good job of stepping up," Neu said.

He added that he was discouraged by the penalties his team took in that part of the field.

When playing a team of Penn State football's caliber, he said, that type of thing simply can't happen.

"There were opportunities where, if we execute the way we're capable of executing, we could have scored points, and we didn't get that done," Neu said.

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