Count the Golden Gophers as a team that is not afraid to admit the truth. After absorbing a 44-14 butt-whipping at the hands of Penn State, neither Glen Mason nor his players were in an excuse-making mode or talking about the things that went right in the game.

Perhaps that's because almost nothing did.

"Any way you cut it, we got our butts kicked good," Gophers coach Glen Mason said. "Credit Penn State. They played extremely well offensively and defensively, and we left a lot to be desired."

The numbers tell a lot of the story -- but not all of it. The Gophers were held to 291 total yards -- the first time in 31 games that they did not reach the 300-yard mark. Heisman Trophy candidate Laurence Maroney was met with two tacklers nearly every time he touched the ball and gained only 48 yards on 16 carries. The Gophers defense completely fell apart and gave up 394 rushing yards to a very ordinary Penn State ground game.

"We just got gutted," Gophers linebacker John Shevlin said. "To get gutted like that is a slap in the face."

Minnesota was trying to put together its third consecutive 5-0 start. The Gophers appeared to have a ton of momentum after their double-overtime win over Purdue in the Big Ten opener, but it was clearly obvious from the start of the game that Penn State had more fire and wanted the game more.

Minnesota had its most difficult problem containing Penn State QB Michael Robinson. He carried the ball 18 times for 112 yards and didn't allow the Gophers defense to settle down. While he was not accurate throwing the ball -- he was just 13-of-32 -- Minnesota could not slow down the running game.

Robinson was joined by RB Austin Hunt and WR Derrick Williams. Hunt had 114 yard on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns, while Williams carried the ball six times on end-around plays for 40 yards and scored two touchdowns. Williams' speed appeared to leave the Gophers dumbfounded.

Defensive coordinator David Lockwood has less than a week to get the messy defensive situation turned around before the team visits Michigan on Saturday.

KEEP AN EYE ON: FS John Pawielski -- On a day when few of his defensive teammates wanted to get involved, Pawielski had 12 tackles, a TFL and one forced fumble. Pawielski always keeps his aggressiveness even when others around him lose theirs.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We talked in the locker room, and there's nothing really to say. We got embarrassed. They just crushed us in every aspect. Hopefully, we'll bounce back next week." -- QB Bryan Cupito on the 44-14 loss at Penn State.

-- CB Jamal Harris may be one of the best one-on-one defenders in the Big Ten. He had an eye-catching four passes broken up in addition to six tackles.

-- RB Gary Russell was the Gophers' leading rusher. This is not a misprint. He had eight carries for 53 yards -- five yards more than Heisman candidate Laurence Maroney.

STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The Gophers looked like a beaten team early in the loss to Penn State. Minnesota appeared to gain a lot psychologically in their double-overtime win vs. Purdue, but they did not have the resilience needed to contend with a physical team like Penn State.

-- RB Laurence Maroney needs to get back on track after his 16-carry, 48-yard performance against Penn State. Not only does he need 150-plus yards to get back on track for the Heisman, he needs to show his teammates that he is perturbed about the performance of the Minnesota offense.

-- LB Kyle McKenzie is nearly always among the fastest and most physical Gophers linebackers. He was invisible vs. Penn State, registering just one tackle.

ROSTER REPORT: SS Brandon Owens was knocked out of the game after a big hit on Penn State QB Michael Robinson in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Dominique Barber filled in for Owens the rest of the way.