Watch Penn State head coach James Franklin's postgame press conference following Ohio State
Penn State couldn’t have asked for a better start Saturday against an Ohio State squad that came into today’s game 9-1 against the Nittany Lions in their past 10 meetings. However, despite an early 10-0 lead, it was once again a similar story for head coach James Franklin and his team, as the Buckeyes pulled out a 20-13 win at Beaver Stadium to drop Penn State to 7-1 on the season.
Following a confidence-building 14-play, 61-yard drive to open the game that ultimately led to a field goal, Penn State’s defense had its biggest play of the season when cornerback Zion Tracy picked off quarterback Will Howard deep in Buckeye territory and returned it 31 yards for a score. A record Beaver Stadium crowd of 111,030 fans came alive with all the momentum in Penn State’s favor, giving many the belief that Saturday could be a special day.
Highs & Lows: Penn State offense tamed in physical slog with Ohio State
However, Ohio State did what it always seems to do against the Nittany Lions, responding with back-to-back scoring drives to take a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter. Then came two major swings of momentum for both teams, as safety Zakee Wheatley forced a fumble at PSU’s 2-yard line that kept Ohio State from scoring for a third consecutive drive. A few drives later, it was Penn State’s chance to capitalize late, but an interception in the end zone with the ball at the 3-yard line kept the game tied at 14-10 going into the half.
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Penn State possessed the ball just three times in the second half. The first of those drives led to another field goal following a 49-yard drive. They then punted on the second drive before driving the ball 74 yards on 9 plays to set up a 1st and goal on the 1-yard line. Nittany Lion fans won’t forget what followed, as PSU ran the ball three straight times, hoping to stuff it in, only to be denied all three times. A pass attempt on fourth down then fell incomplete. For the second time, PSU failed to come away with any points after having the ball within Ohio State’s 5-yard line.
“You got to give Ohio State credit. They did a really good job today. We did some things that were good enough to win and other things we did not. You can’t have the ball inside the five-yard line twice and come up with no points,” Franklin said during his postgame press conference.
