No. 3 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State met up as top-ten teams for the fourth time in the last seven years, and once again, the Buckeyes came away with the win.
The Buckeyes started the game strong, forcing a Penn State punt and then driving down the field. Though they stalled in the red zone, the Buckeyes struck first with a field goal to go up 3-0.
After each team punted, the Nittany Lions drove into Ohio State territory and kicked a field goal to even up the game.
Early in the second quarter, the Buckeyes started a long 13-play drive. On a third and long in Penn State territory, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord fumbled in the backfield, and Penn State’s Curtis Jacobs, who forced the fumble, picked it up and scored.
However, a holding penalty on the Nittany Lions took away the touchdown and gave Ohio State a new set of downs. Another Penn State penalty set up the Buckeyes at the one-yard line, and Miyan Williams finished the 61-yard drive with the game’s first touchdown, putting Ohio State up 10-3.
Penn State began their next drive at their own 25. A few plays into the drive, Drew Allar hit tight end Theo Johnson for a 34-yard pass to put Penn State inside Ohio State’s 30. The Nittany Lion drive would stall, resulting in another field goal to cut the lead to 10-6 before halftime.
After two punts by each team to start the second half, Ohio State drove down the field and was faced with a fourth and goal at the two-yard line.
Electing to go for it, Coach Day went with a questionable play call, in which receiver Carnell Tate was thrown the ball short of the goal line. He made the catch, but the Nittany Lions defense made the stop.
In a fourth and goal situation from the two-yard line, if the ball is thrown, it has to be into the end zone. There is no reason for the ball to be thrown short of the goal line.
The Buckeyes’ defense continued to play well, forcing a three-and-out. On the punt, the ball bounced and hit receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr., and the Lions jumped on it.
The defense stepped up once again, not allowing Penn State to score after getting a good field position.
The Buckeyes offense again drove down the field and again stalled. This time, Day took the points, kicking a field goal to go up 13-6 in the fourth.
The Ohio State defense continued to make Penn State struggle for every yard and put them in a 4th down situation on their own side of the field with a bit over seven minutes left.
Penn State went for it, but J.T. Tuimoloau forced a bad throw, resulting in an incompletion and turnover on downs.
The Buckeyes put the game away on a third and long in the red zone when McCord found Marvin Harrison Jr. for an 18-yard touchdown to put Ohio State up 20-6 with a little over four minutes left.
Penn State turned it over on downs again, then Ohio State’s Jayden Fielding missed his first field goal all year. The miss did not matter in the long run.
The Lions would finally score a touchdown with about half a minute left, but they missed the two-point attempt.
The Buckeyes would recover the onside kick from Penn State and kneel the ball, winning by a final score of 20-12.
The Buckeye defense played what might have been their best game so far, holding Penn State to just 240 yards and only giving up one-third down conversion on sixteen attempts.
The run defense was impressive, and the man coverage was tight, even without star cornerback Denzel Burke.
The Medina High School product Drew Allar missed a lot of throws, even on the rare occasion that he had a lot of time and an open receiver.
If the Lions want to beat Michigan in late November, he’s going to have to be a lot more accurate, as he will be facing another elite defense.
The Buckeyes’ offense, almost identical to the Notre Dame game, gained many yards. They put up 366 in South Bend and 365 against Penn State; however, in both games, they did not score many points.
Part of the reason for that is their inefficiency in the red zone. In both games, they had failed fourth and goal attempts and field goals in the red zone. They, too, will have to fix that before they head to Ann Arbor.
Twenty points will almost certainly not be enough to beat the Wolverines.
Penn State continues to struggle to beat top teams under James Franklin, and many wonder if his seat is warming up. The Nittany Lions will head home to take on Indiana (2-5, 0-4).
McCord will have to be able to spread the ball around more than he has. Marvin Harrison Jr. accounted for 162 of his 286 passing yards. Harrison Jr. also had a career-high 11 catches, along with that late touchdown. Perhaps he had to carry the load because Emeka Egbuka was out, or maybe it’s because McCord leans on him a little too much, possibly both.
The Buckeyes’ offensive line absolutely must improve before The Game on November 25th. The run game only mustered 79 yards, averaging 1.9 yards per carry.
TreVeyon Henderson missing his third game is not the reason, either. The Buckeyes have a deep running back room; the injury to Henderson a few weeks ago should not mean the run game averages less than two yards per carry, even if it’s going against a tough defense.
Up next for the Buckeyes is a potentially tough road game under the lights against the Wisconsin Badgers (4-3, 3-1).
Demetri Manousos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
