It did not come as a surprise to many. Penn state has been the target of all the attacks after the Sandusky scandal broke and last 10 months have been tough on the Penn State. The pressure on its football team to prove its worth might have been too much to bear, which succumbed to defeat against an underdog.

The game opened with a 'moment of reflection' for victims of sexual abuse. In the first game under the new coach Bill O'Brien who replaced Paterno, Penn State lost 24-14 to Ohio University, reports Reuters.

Paterno had been associated with the Nittany Lions coaching staff since 1949 and head coach for nearly five decades. He was fired from his position after the scandal came to light and died of lung cancer at 85, in January. Jerry Sandusky has been convicted for abusing 10 boys over 15 years.

There is a long season ahead of the team, which has been restructured as a result of the overhaul of its coaching staff and departure of many of its star players, AP reports.

"It really isn't a new beginning yet," Anthony Lubrano, a recent addition to the Penn State board of trustees, told Reuters on Friday. "It won't be a new beginning until we come to grips with what ails this community and we address that."

"It's not in a new marketing campaign that says let's move forward and forget about that past. It's not in the removal of Joe Paterno's name from places around campus. They took the statue down but they can't take the memories away," he said.

The Penn State saved its reputed football program from being sacked by accepting the NCAA's unprecedented sanctions which included a fine of $60 million, voiding its football victories for the past 14 seasons, banning it from lucrative post-season games for four years and cutting the number of scholarships available to players.

The university had removed Paterno's statue outside Beaver Stadium in July after a huge uproar, but a cardboard likeness of the coach was erected on Friday at the same place with a sign that read: 'JoePa made Penn State a Better Place.'

The Penn State's comeback game may not have gone as planned, but hopefully the defeat won't dampen the spirit of the players for future games.