Penn State’s defense came up with a big turnover on Ohio State’s opening possession of the game, but the Nittany Lions gave the ball right back to the Buckeyes one play later. In a quick roller coaster of emotions in Columbus, Penn State’s running game blew the golden opportunity at the start of the game as Penn State looks to score a major upset against the heavily-favored Ohio State.
On a 3rd-and-3, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud completed a pass to Jeremy Ruckert. After Ruckert managed to stay on his feet after initial contact by Ji’Ayir Brown, Ruckert had the ball stripped from his hands by Brown who came back on the play as Ruckert battled for the first down yardage. Brown then came up with the fumble recovery.
Unfortunately for Penn State, taking the ball over at the Ohio State 46-yard line went down as a missed opportunity for the Nittany Lions. On the first play after the Ohio State fumble, Sean Clifford handed the ball off to Noah Cain. As Cain ran up the middle, he was stopped just behind the line of scrimmage and had the ball stripped out of his hands by Marcus Williamson, and Haskell Garrett jumped on the loose ball before Clifford could save the play.
Penn State’s defense managed to send the Ohio State offense off the field on the ensuing possession, keeping the game scoreless at the time.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.