Ohio State graduate quarterback Will Howard celebrates after sliding to gain a first down against Penn State at Beaver Stadium Saturday. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 20-13. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
In a make-or-break game for Ryan Day, the Ohio State Buckeyes could easily have fallen short in front of 111,030 fans — the largest ever in Beaver Stadium.
Donovan Jackson was playing out of position at left tackle, Carson Hinzman made his first career start at left guard and the Buckeyes went down 10 points early in the first quarter.
But the No. 4 Silver Bullets defense only allowed two field goals all afternoon, and Ohio State held its lead for nearly three full quarters en route to a 20-13 victory to put the Buckeyes back in the Big Ten championship picture.
“All of our goals are in front of us now,” Day said. “We’ve been through a lot, and now we have to continue to build as we head into the back half of the season. But I can tell you, coming out of that locker room right there, there’s a lot of guys that are excited, probably the most animated locker room I’ve been in in a long time.”
Amid a sea of white and a deafening Penn State crowd, the Nittany Lions looked like they were going to score early and often.
Penn State kicker Ryan Barker notched a 29-yard field goal on the opening drive that killed eight minutes of clock, and the Buckeyes’ drive toward their own first score was met with disaster.
Quarterback Will Howard’s third-down pass was snatched by Penn State cornerback Zion Tracy, who ran 31 yards to complete the Pick 6 and put the Nittany Lions ahead 10-0.
“I was just like ‘Hey, I made this a little harder than it should’ve been on myself and us,’” Howard said. “But the mindset can’t change.”
And it didn’t.
On its next possession, Ohio State drove down the field before Howard found wide receiver Emeka Egbuka open for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 10-7. The Buckeyes then took a 14-10 lead following wide receiver Brandon Inniss’s 21-yard score.
Ohio State had all the momentum, and Howard and the Buckeyes appeared to be on their way to another score after a Penn State three-and-out, until Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley punched the ball out of Howard’s arm as he raced toward the pylon, sending it into the end zone.
By rule, the ball was deemed a touchback, which put the Nittany Lions offense back on the field.
“It’s literally like taking a shot right to the stomach,” Day said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
Penn State then drove down to the 3-yard line with 11 seconds left in the half, looking to either cut its deficit or take the lead. Quarterback Drew Allar threw a fade to wide receiver Harrison Wallace lll, but it was instead grabbed with one-hand by Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun for an interception, sending the Buckeyes into the break with a 14-10 lead.
“They [the referees] didn’t think that I actually caught it,” Igbinosun said. “I was just trying to tell them I got the ball, it’s a catch.”
Ohio State had the ball to start the second half, and a Jayden Fielding 36-yard field goal pushed the lead to 17-10.
The Nittany Lions matched that field goal, with Barker scoring a 44-yard kick to draw within four, but Fielding padded the lead again with a 39-yard effort with just over 10 minutes left, extending Ohio State’s lead to 20-13.
The home environment was electric, and Penn State was threatening as time ticked down in the fourth quarter inside the 5-yard line.
But three straight runs up the middle were stuffed by the Buckeyes defense and a fourth-down, goal-line incompletion put the Ohio State offense back on the field with 5:13 remaining.
“There’s a grit, there’s a toughness, there’s a never-give-up, give-me-an-inch-and-I’m-going-to-defend-it type mentality,” Day said.
Penn State didn’t touch the ball again.
The Buckeyes ran 10 straight rushing plays and amassed 59 yards, allowing Ohio State to drain the clock out and secure a 20-13 win.
“To finish that drive the way we did, I think it’s just going to springboard our physicality, our toughness, as we head into the back half of the season,” Day said.
Ohio State will return home and play host to the Purdue Boilermakers Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will broadcast on FOX.
