Penn State-Ohio State Takeaways: Lions fall short in latest loss to Buckeyes

By Greg Pickel

Penn State suffered its first setback of the year on Saturday as its offense struggled to do much of anything productive en route to a 20-13 loss to Ohio State at Beaver Stadium. Our initial takeaways from the top-five showdown at Beaver Stadium are below.

1. It’s hard to win when you can’t score

Penn State did not score an offensive touchdown on Saturday. In fact, it accomplished what should be a near-impossible stat: It had two first-and-goal opportunities at the Ohio State 3 and came away with zero points. The first ended when Davison Igbinosun ripped the ball out of Harrison Wallace III’s hands in the end zone to turn a potential touchdown into an interception that all but ended the first half. The second was even worse. Andy Kotelnicki dialed up three consecutive Kaytron Allen runs in the fourth quarter. Those results in no gain, a gain of 1, and a gain of 1 before Drew Allar’s pass to Khalil Dinkins fell incomplete. So, in summation, Tyler Warren did not touch the ball on any of the team’s five plays inside of the OSU 3.

Penn State brought Andy Kotelnicki in to help it score points in every game, but especially this one. Yet, too often, the receivers were invisible, the ground game could not get going, and Warren was bottled up. The Lions were a putrid 3 of 12 on third down, 1 of 2 on fourth down, and 1 of 3 in the red zone. The effort and execution simply were not good enough on this day.

2. Yes, the officiating left something to be desired for the Lions

Penn State coach James Franklin was fuming at halftime and he’s likely to still be upset about the officiating. Ohio State was not flagged for what looked like numerous clear holds on Abdul Carter. There were also pass interference and defensive holding flags that could have flown but did not. Penn State fans will also be upset, we’re sure, about the Quinshon Judkins fumble that was ultimately ruled an incomplete pass. And they undoubtedly did not like the personal foul penalty called on Elliot Washington II that extended an Ohio State drive and led to a Buckeyes touchdown in the first half. There are probably some examples we’re missing, too.

Is officiating the main reason Penn State lost this game? No. Did it make its path to do so harder? It’d be difficult to look at the contest and come to any other conclusion. Ultimately, the first takeaway here is the main issue on this day, but that doesn’t excuse a very poor performance by the officiating crew.

3. The defense nearly did all it could

That is a familiar refrain in this matchup. After Zion Tracy’s pick six put Penn State up 10-3 in the first quarter, the Buckeyes did start to move the ball a bit and ultimately finished with 358 yards and 20 points. But this game would have been decided by a wider margin if not for the Lions’ defense mustering three sacks and six tackles for loss while holding the Buckeyes to just six points in the second half. Penn State, of course, mustered just three on offense in the final 30 minutes.

Was it a perfect outing by Tom Allen’s group? No. Was it good enough to win? Probably, if the Lions had any semblance of an offense that could score, which they did not on this day.

4. Odds and ends

–Let’s not overstate the obvious: Ohio State has a talent edge over Penn State, and it showed in this game.

–Coming into the day, the focus was on the jumbled Ohio State offensive line and the struggles it might have. But you could argue it held up and performed better than Penn State’s. Abdul Carter did get rolling after halftime, but the pass rush was not as much of a factor in the first half as expected, and the Lions rushed for just 3.8 yards per carry.

–Ryan Barker continues to be perfect. He booted field goals of 29 and 44 yards on this day.

–Will Penn State be able to regroup for a White Out matchup with Washington? That’s the big question now. Offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh played more than expected, and Allar played the whole game, but defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was extremely limited.