STATE COLLEGE — Penn State’s senior class earned a fitting introduction for sticking with the program through its darkest days.

The seniors ran through a tunnel of teammates and greeted their families at midfield. Penn State played a video tribute that said the players, “led by your commitment, led by your loyalty, by your actions, led by example.

But the sour ending to the final home game just might stick with the seniors a little longer.

Pat Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal on Nebraska’s first possession in overtime to lift the Cornhuskers to a 23-20 win over Penn State on Saturday night.

He sent the game into OT with a tying field goal late in regulation, then had a 37-yarder in OT called back on a false start. Smith had no trouble with 5 extra yards, giving the Huskers (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) their third win in four games.

Sam Ficken, who missed an extra point in regulation, missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt to open overtime. The Nittany Lions (6-5, 3-4) lost for the first time in three home OT games this season.

“This is team loss. It’s nobody’s fault,” PSU safety Adrian Amos said. “There were a lot of things before the kick we could have done to win the game and we didn’t win the game. I didn’t even think about missing the kick. It’s a team loss. Teams lose it, not players.”

The harsh penalties the NCAA levied against the program in 2012 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal included a four-year bowl ban and scholarship cuts.