Recap

It can’t be understated how much that win means for the Buckeyes this season. Earlier in the year, before the season started, this game was the 2nd most important game of the season, and the 2nd toughest game of the season. A loss to Penn State would have all but eliminated the Buckeyes from the Big Ten Championship game, going down 2 losses in conference play and would have needed a lot to happen with Indiana and Penn State to try and force a rematch with the Ducks. With this win, the Buckeyes are in the driver seat, and will have Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana, and Michigan to finish the season. Win all of those games, and the Buckeyes are playing in Indianapolis for the first time since 2020.

Penn State played the Buckeyes tough, especially defensively. It wasn’t an ideal start for Ohio State when Penn State started with the ball, chewed 8 minutes of game clock, and then got a field goal to take the early lead. Ohio State got the ball, and Will Howard threw a pick 6, and with the extra point, Penn State led 10-0 with 5 minutes left to play in the first quarter. All of the fears in Buckeye nation going into this game was starting to bubble. Will Howard and the Chip Kelly play calling responded perfectly, and drove 74 yards on 7 plays with a touchdown pass for Howard to Emeka Egbuka to cut the lead 10-7. The Buckeye defense then responded, forcing a 3 and out, and the Buckeyes were able to drive 10 plays for 81 yards, for a touchdown pass to Brandon Inniss to take the lead 14-10.

Penn State had a chance to score as they drove down 46 yards and Allar threw what looked to be a touchdown pass which was bobbled and turned into an interception for Davison Igbinosun with 11 seconds to go in the half. The Buckeyes took that lead into halftime. 

The second half, you could see the adjustments made for both sides, but you also saw points left off the board for Ohio State. In the first half, Howard had what looked to be a touchdown run that was called back for a fumble and turnover. In the second half, Howard three a pass that would have been a touchdown to Carnell Tate, but was passed too far to the sideline. He also had a pass to Jeremiah Smith, who slowed down on his route and dropped a one-handed grab which would have been a touchdown. They had to settle for 2 field goals, but stopped the Penn State defense for the game. 

It was clear that Ohio State was the better team, and they corrected the mistakes from the Nebraska game. It was not a complete game, but enough of an effort to beat the third ranked team on the road. This resume should help them in the rankings for the first College Football Playoff on Tuesday night. 

Will Howard played his worst game of the season, but he showed his heart as a leader. You could tell this game meant more to him, not getting an offer from Penn State as a eastern Pennsylvania native, but showed he was just as good as anyone to play in this game. Howard threw for 182 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. He also rushed 12 times for 24 yards. 

Quinshon Judkins lead the running backs with 14 carries for 95 yards. TreVeyon Henderson has 10 carries for 54 yards. Emeka Egbuka had 2 carries for 6 yards.

Jeremiah Smith broke the freshman receiving yardage in this game, and had 4 catches for 55 yards. Brandon Inniss has 2 catches for 33 yards and 1 touchdown. Emeka Egbuka has 3 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. 

Turning Point

After taking a 20-13 lead, Penn State drive down 74 yards to get it unto the 5 yard line. They had 4 attempts to score to tie the game, and the defense stepped up with a stop on all 4 downs, including taking away Tyler Warren on 4th down who was going to be the main target for Allar. After the big time stop, the Buckeye offense took over and milked the clock with a heavy dose of running, and asserted their dominance to take the win. 

Stars of the Game

As always, we rank the top stars of the game, with each Buckeye leaf representing a reward (3 leaves it the 1st place earner)

Quinshon Judkins. Judkins rushed with authority in this game, and blocked his heart out, especially on the last drive the Buckeyes had to seall the game. He was just shy of 100 yards, but earned every single yard.

Offensive Line. Going into this game, this unit had the biggest question mark, especially at left tackle when Zen Michalski went down last week against Nebraska, and the offensive line did not get any kind of push in the run game. This unit responded in a big way, and will have 2 games against Purdue and Northwestern to keep working together before the Buckeyes host Indiana. 

Ohio State Defense. You have to give a lot of credit to the unit that held Penn State to 6 points, and no touchdowns. The interception at the end of the first half and the goal line stand was a huge boost for this game and changed the momentum. They made two huge sacks in the 4th quarter that prevented Penn State from attempting a field goal.

Playoff Picture

Ahead of the first playoff rankings, Ohio State won where they absolutely needed to, and should likely see themselves as a top 5 team, and likely the 5 seed for the playoff bracket, which in the new format would be hosting the 12 seed in the first round of the playoff at home. Penn State should still be in the playoff hunt, and a 7 point loss at home should keep them near the top 10 in the polls. 

Looking Ahead

Ohio State (7-1) will return home to host Purdue (1-7) on Saturday November 9. Game time and network will be determined.

Penn State (7-1) will host Washington (4-4) on Saturday November 9. Game time and network to be determined. 

Photo Credit: 10tv.com