Without even getting through the first month of the season, Penn State finds itself in a difficult place, attempting to overcome its first loss - on its home field, no less - and seeing its dream of winning a national championship virtually shattered before it could take form.

Because Big Ten football takes no weeks off once conference play begins, the Nittany Lions had little time to dwell on the mistakes in their 21-10 loss to Iowa and agonize about what happened in front of a stunned "whiteout" at Beaver Stadium.

Now, Joe Paterno gets an opportunity to see how his younger players bounce back when the Lions take to the road for the first time Saturday to play Illinois.

"We've got to find out if we've got some fighters - as simple as that," the Penn State coach said yesterday at his weekly teleconference. "If you get knocked down, you feel sorry for yourself. You get up angry. I think they'll be angry. I think we'll do well."

The Nittany Lions unraveled in the fourth quarter Saturday. They committed three of their four turnovers in the final 15 minutes and also had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Apparently, the older Lions did not let the loss linger at Monday's practice. Linebacker Sean Lee and quarterback Daryll Clark, the cocaptains, made sure of that, according to Lee.

"We've been through a lot of ups and downs and we know how to respond," said Lee, who sat out the game with a sprained left knee. "Daryll has stepped up huge. He's been very vocal, very loud. He's making sure we don't feel sorry for ourselves. We're getting back on track."

Lee said that his knee was "getting better every day," but that it was too early to know whether he would be able to return to the field at Illinois.

The Iowa defeat as a whole, and the Lions' late struggles in particular, shocked most of the 109,000-plus in attendance who felt their team could be national champion.

Paterno acknowledged the fans but felt more empathy for his players.

"You've got to understand that the kids who are playing the game have high expectations," he said. "They work all winter trying to get bigger and stronger and quicker and faster. They go to a tough spring practice and summer workouts, preseason, the whole bit. So their expectations are high and they're disappointed.

"So, I really appreciate the fans' interest, but I'm more concerned with those kids. If you really put the effort into it that these guys have put into it and you lose, it hurts. . . . We've got to all get together to see what we can do to make ourselves better. Whether it happens today, whether it happens five weeks from now, I don't know."

Paterno made sure the loss did not linger. Lee said Paterno "doesn't want anybody involved in the program to forget about how good a football team we have." Linebacker Josh Hull said Paterno referred to a loss to Alabama in 1982, a season that ended with the Lions being crowned national champions.

"That's definitely something that sticks in the back of our minds," Hull said.

To get there, the Nittany Lions need all the help they can get, and that means dwelling on the past is forbidden.

"We know we can't allow one loss to carry on to the next game," Lee said. "We can still accomplish the things we want to do and have a great season."

Notes. Lee said he was just starting to be able to jog on his injured knee and would have to wear a brace for much of the rest of the season. . . . Paterno said senior offensive tackle Nerraw McCormack, who relieved starter DeOn'tae Pannell midway through the Iowa game, could start Saturday. "He's worked hard," the coach said. "I think he deserves a shot."

Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com.