Penn State melts down in Ohio State rout: Highs and Lows

The game between No. 13 Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday was, for about 50 minutes, competitive. The Nittany Lions kept the Buckeyes’ high-flying offense at bay and, through a handful of timely stops and explosive plays, the two teams played to a 21-16 score, with Penn State leading, with 9:46 left to play.

Then, it came undone for the hosts.

Three Ohio State plays later, the visitors enjoyed a 23-21 lead. Three plays after that, including Penn State’s possession, dropping a strip-sack fumble for its third turnover of the afternoon, the game became a virtual blowout at 30-21. Another pick-six later, and the Nittany Lions’ hard-fought battle turned into a lopsided, 44-24 deficit.

What went wrong for Penn State?

In a game that featured some spectacular performances for both teams, sandwiched around an epic collapse, here is a look at the highs and lows from the game:

Penn State/Ohio State highs and lows

PLAYER OF THE GAME C.J. Stroud had been kept in check, relatively speaking, by Penn State’s defense in the first half. In the second, he wasn’t. Completing 26-of-33 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown, Stroud engineered Ohio State’s dominant 28-point fourth quarter. 

PLAYS OF THE GAME Take your pick of three. Penn State pulled ahead, 21-16, and Ohio State wouldn’t let it stand. Beginning with a 21-yard completion from Stroud to Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes quickly connected again to Emeka Egbuka for another first down. At that point moving into Penn State territory, TreVeyon Henderson’s 41-yard touchdown jaunt gave Ohio State the lead and, effectively, the ballgame.

BEST PASS Marvin Harrison Jr. already had a step, but the 47-yard pass downfield from C.J. Stroud on Ohio State’s first possession of the afternoon was about as good as they come. Hitting Harrison in stride, the connection upended a third-and-long, flipped field position, and led to the Buckeyes’ opening points. Any of his fourth-quarter throws, completing six of his last eight with all going for double-digit yardage gains, could also qualify here. He was elite.

WORST PASS Credit where it’s due, as Ohio State’s J.T. Tuimoloau made some absolutely remarkable plays. Yet, Sean Clifford’s four turnovers on Saturday, three interceptions and a fumble, were also a product of the sixth-year senior’s inconsistent performances.  

BEST RUN TreVeyon Henderson spent most of the day bottled up by Penn State’s defense. That was true until the fourth quarter, anyway. Like an avalanche responding to the Nittany Lions’ go-ahead touchdown, the Buckeyes unleashed three plays for 75 yards, capped by Henderson’s 41-yard, untouched scamper into the end zone. 

BEST CATCH Parker Washington laid out for a third-and-long pass from Clifford midway through the second quarter to pick up a crucial first down. The acrobatic reception was a blow to Washington, though, as he was forced to the sidelines because of it. But, honestly, that wasn’t as good as the grab he made early in the fourth quarter. Bursting up the sideline, Washington made an acrobatic catch for a first down to put the Nittany Lions into the fringe red zone.

WORST DROP Daequan Hardy nearly stopped Penn State’s momentum in its tracks on the opening kickoff of the second half, bringing the ball out over a fair catch, and putting the ball on the ground in the process. Penn State managed to recover the fumble, but the miscue was closer than the Nittany Lions would have liked. There were others, too. Clifford’s strip-sack ended any realistic shot of a rebound. 

BEST SACK It took nearly the entirety of the first half, but true freshman linebacker Abdul Carter finally caught up with Stroud. Meeting the Buckeyes’ quarterback in the backfield, his options exhausted, Carter put Stroud on the Beaver Stadium turf for an 8-yard loss. 

BEST EFFORT At a point in the game in which positive offensive plays were coming at a premium, Washington upended that narrative with a little extra effort. Bouncing off tackle attempts from safety Tanner McCalister and corner J.K. Johnson, Washington kept his balance, found a blocker to escort him, and spanned the field for Penn State’s first touchdown of the afternoon. Good for a 58-yard touchdown, the play put the Nittany Lions at a 10-7 deficit with 11:13 left to play in the first half. Washington, who finished with 11 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown, was electric.

BEST KICK Jake Pinegar’s 44-yard field goal with 5:49 remaining in the game left Penn State facing a 30-24 deficit. 

BEST DECISION Clifford had an opportunity to pick up a couple of yards scrambling out of the pocket or, keeping his eyes upfield, finding Theo Johnson deep downfield. The connection was good for 42 yards and, with the Buckeyes on their heels, Penn State cashed in on the very next play with a perfect 23-yard catch-and-run to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. The sequence took a tenuous, shaky start and infused life into Beaver Stadium with the Nittany Lions holding a 14-10 lead. 

WORST DECISION There were a handful of good choices in this one.

Ohio State had an easy shot at a field goal for some momentum-stealing points in the final seconds of the first half. Ryan Day would have had to kick the field goal, though. Instead, the play with six seconds to go went for a sack and no points for the Buckeyes. 

He wasn’t alone, at all, though.

Penn State head coach James Franklin opted to go for a fourth-and-2 on the Nittany Lions’ first possession of the second half at the Ohio State 19 that came up empty. Already leading 14-13 at the time, the decision, and maybe worse, the play call to plug Nicholas Singleton into traffic for no gain, were mystifying.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Facing a 37-24 deficit, without any real hope of a comeback, Penn State’s soul was squeezed to completion when Tuimoloau made an incredible pick-six with 2:42 left to play. What’d been a Nittany Lion lead just seven minutes earlier had transformed into a 44-24 advantage for the Buckeyes. Fans headed to the exits and Penn State headed to 6-2 on the season with no recourse.