Jordan Hancock (7) and Latham Ransom (8) after an Ohio State fourth down stop.
Credit: Caleb Blake | Lantern Photo Editor
The No. 1 Nittany Lion defense versus the No. 7 Buckeye defense.
But it seemed like the rankings were reversed in Saturday’s showdown at Ohio Stadium.
No. 3 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) topped No. 7 Penn State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) 20-12 in the pair’s seventh consecutive nationally ranked matchup.
“The goal is to win the game,” head coach Ryan Day said. “The more confidence we have in our defense, that allows us to play a couple different ways.”
There were 15 punts, six total sacks and just 32 points on the board, the lowest in the series since the 2009-10 season.
With the first possession of the game, Penn State and sophomore quarterback Drew Allar got a chance to put their No. 1-ranked Big Ten scoring offense to the test. It came up empty as the Ohio State defense forced its first, first-drive three-and-out of the season.
Junior quarterback Kyle McCord responded by finding junior receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 13-yard gain to start their march down the field. Stopped in the red zone, the Buckeyes settled for a 33-yard Jayden Fielding field goal to put them up 3-0 with 10:49 on the first-quarter clock.
“There’s so much room for improvement, and I feel like obviously we’ve taken steps in the right direction,” McCord said. “The sky is the limit for this offense and this team.”
Nittany Lion sophomore running back Nicholas Singleton rushed for back-to-back 15-plus yard gains to put them in field goal position. From 40 yards out, senior kicker Alex Felkins tied up the game 3-3.
McCord began the first quarter going 5-for-5 in pass completions, but his final six were incomplete against Penn State’s top-ranked pass-protection defensive secondary.
The second quarter began almost as poorly as the first quarter ended.
Penn State’s junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs forced a McCord fumble on the Nittany Lions’ 26-yard line, which he ran back 59 yards for a scoop and score. However, a holding on Penn State trumped its momentum and gave the Buckeyes a first down and 10 more yards.
“If there wasn’t a hold there, that would have been a whole different game,” Day said. “But still, there were some really good things, he kept battling in there.”
Penn State brothers Kalen and Kobe King allotted for back-to-back penalties — pass interference and unsportsmanlike conduct, respectively — putting Ohio State on the 2-yard line.
Senior running back Miyan Williams rushed in for the score, giving the Buckeyes a 10-3 advantage with 7:31 on the second-quarter clock.
Three minutes later, Felkins cut Ohio State’s lead to four with a successful field goal from 41 yards out.
Allar, an Ohio native, sits at second in the Big Ten with a 65.2 completion percentage. In the first half, he capped just 35 percent and could not convert any third downs on seven tries.
McCord, originally from Pennsylvania, completed 52 percent of passes for 125 yards.
After back-to-back three-and-outs for both teams to start the third quarter, Ohio State possessed the ball with 11:35 on the clock. McCord took the field for a six-play, 4:18-minute drive that resulted in a loss of 3 net yards, two offensive-line penalties for minus 14 and a quarterback sack.
The Buckeye defense countered with an equally impressive series. Senior linebacker Cody Simon took Kaytron Allen down for minus 3 yards, which was followed up by a Jermaine Mathews Jr. pass breakup. This garnered Penn State’s seventh punt of the afternoon.
“The kid’s got moxie,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “He just went out and played, made some tackles, didn’t flinch at the moment of truth.”
Mathews, a freshman, earned the starting job in place of junior cornerback Denzel Burke who leads the Big Ten in passes defended with seven. Burke left in the third quarter against Purdue Saturday with an ankle injury.
McCord led the Buckeyes 59 yards down the field when quarterback Devin Brown came in to finish in the red zone. Instead, the sophomore suffered a right ankle sprain at the 1-yard line and was carted off the field. The Nittany Lions then forced a turnover on downs.
Starting at the third quarter’s 2:12 mark, the Buckeye defense forced its fourth three-and-out.
However, a muffed punt by junior cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. gave the Nittany Lions the ball back near midfield. Penn State closed out the third quarter with possession, but an 8-yard sack by J.T. Tuimoloau halted its drive, giving Ohio State the ball with 13:39 on the game clock.
“If you look at the years past, it always comes down to that fourth quarter, that last round,” Harrison said. “You’ve just got to leave it all out there.”
The Buckeyes’ Fielding capitalized with a 37-yard field goal.
Penn State followed with a four-and-out, despite topping the charts with a 91.7 fourth-down conversion percentage. It converted one of three on the day.
A McCord to Harrison 18-yard connection in the end zone with 4:07 to play put the Buckeyes up 20-6. Harrison reached a new high of 11 receptions and tied former Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson for seventh place in career touchdown receptions — 23.
“He showed up in a big spot today,” Day said. “I would argue to say, I haven’t seen everybody play across the country, but it’s hard for me to find somebody who is better in the country.”
The Nittany Lions came up short in their next chance off seven incomplete Allar passes.
Fielding, who faced a 45-yard field goal on Ohio State’s next possession, kicked it too far left, leaving 2:41 for Penn State to challenge the Buckeyes.
That it did. Allar completed a short, 8-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Kaden Saunders, coming within 8 points — 29 seconds on the clock. The Nittany Lions tried for a 2-point conversion but came up empty.
“They [the defense] shouldn’t have been out there at the end of the game,” Day said. “That was not their fault.”
The Buckeye defense allowed one of 16 third downs and notched six pass breakups and four quarterback hurries while the Nittany Lion defense gave up its second-most of the season.
Ohio State will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for an NBC Saturday Night matchup against the Badgers.
