Penn State’s defense showed up to play at a championship level on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Unfortunately, Penn State needed an offense to have a pulse for any chance of rewriting the narrative against Ohio State. Penn State came up short in a 20-12 setback in a massive Big Ten contest, its first loss of the season.
Penn State’s offense was a horrific 1-for-16 on third down conversions against a stuffing Ohio State defense. Penn State was also 1-for-3 on fourth down, with its lone fourth-down conversion coming late in the fourth quarter. It was a truly horrendous day for Penn State’s offense, which has become a running theme over the years against these Buckeyes.
[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed just 18-of-421 attempts for 191 yards, his third tough outing on the road this season. While he continued to avoid a turnover, Allar could never get in sync with his receivers. The running game also struggled in this one with just 48 rushing yards for [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and 26 yards for [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag]. Penn State was also shutout in the first half with just a pair of [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] field goals to show for in the first half.
Penn State’s offense was outgained by Ohio State 367-167 until Penn State’s final possession of the game.
Penn State’s defense allowed big numbers to Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., but allowing just 13 points on the road against Ohio State is about as good as it gets. Penn State’s defense came up with a huge goal-line stand in the third quarter to keep things within reach, just begging the offense to do something to take advantage.
Special teams miscues played a role in the outcome as well. A few short moments after Penn State’s goal line stand against Ohio State, the offense was forced to punt the ball away. But the football hit an Ohio State player and Penn State recovered around midfield to retain possession. But the offense could do nothing with the golden opportunity with the game still just a four-point game.
Penn State’s [autotag]Daquan Hardy[/autotag] also had a moment he’d like to have back. A week after returning two punts for touchdowns, Hardy misplayed a punt from the back of Ohio State’s end zone. After letting the ball drop, the football bounced and dribbled nearly 25 more yards behind him for a 72-yard punt, wasting a terrific defensive effort at the other end of the field.
Penn State’s defense nearly scored the only touchdown of the game by the Nittany Lions. After forcing a fumble by Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] picked up the loose ball and returned it for what could have been a touchdown if not for a defensive holding penalty on [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] while covering Harrison Jr. Ohio State kept possession and went on to score the first touchdown of the game to go up 10-3 for what would end up being the game-winning score.
Penn State lost defensive star [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] in the first half to an injury. His status moving forward has not been updated.
Penn State will look for a rebound next week at home against Indiana. The loss to Ohio State is a crushing defeat for now, but Penn State can still remain on the radar for a spot in the College Football Playoff and still can get a shot at the Big Ten East as long as it doesn’t drop another game. But this puts Penn State behind the curve at the moment.
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