Watch: Penn State head coach James Franklin recaps 44-31 loss to Ohio State
Penn State had its chance Saturday against second-ranked Ohio State. Although the final score shows a double-digit win for head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, Saturday’s game in Beaver Stadium fit the mold of so many games between these two in recent years. Penn State punched Ohio State in the mouth. The only problem is that it wasn’t hard enough.
Leading 14-13 at halftime, the Nittany Lions overcame back-to-back interceptions to open the game by quarterback Sean Clifford. Down 10-0 to start the second quarter, Clifford led two scoring drives of more than 70 yards. As importantly, the Nittany Lion defense had also played well, limiting Heisman Trophy favorite CJ Stroud and a loaded receiver corps.
Highs & Lows: Penn State melts down against Ohio State in 44-31 loss
The third quarter saw just three points scored on an Ohio State field goal before things got out of hand in the fourth. Penn State took a 21-16 lead with nine minutes to play, but Stroud and and Ohio State would respond with a three-play, 75-yard drive that crushed the atmosphere inside the stadium. Just two plays later is when the game was pretty much put to bed, as Clifford fumbled following a sack at the Penn State 31-yard line. Stroud found tight end Cade Stover on the following play for a score and the Buckeyes never looked back.
Both teams scored two more times each in the final six minutes to inflate the score, but in the end, it’s the same result that Penn State fans have become used to, as the Nittany Lions have no lost seven straight games to its biggest Big Ten rival.
Fans can watch James Franklin’s complete press conference above.
