No. 13 Penn State football held a five-point lead with nine minutes left to play against No. 2 Ohio State but saw it all fall apart from there in a 44-31 loss to the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium .
The game saw four lead changes, as Sean Clifford threw for 371 yards and Parker Washington caught 11 passes for 179 yards, but four turnovers, including a strip sack and a pick-six in the fourth quarter, led to 21 Buckeye points and became too much for the Nittany Lions to overcome.
Despite opening the weekend as 15-point underdogs, Penn State (6-2, Big Ten 3-2) played Ohio State (8-0, Big Ten 5-0) close for much of the game, but ultimately a late emergence of the Buckeye offense shut down any hopes of an upset.
How It Happened
Ohio State took the game’s first possession. After Penn State stuffed a screen pass and forced a deep incompletion, Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud completed a deep pass to convert on third down. The Buckeyes made it near the red zone, but at the 23-yard line, two consecutive runs went for no gain and Beaver Stadium forced a delay of game. Ohio State’s third and long failed to convert and Buckeyes’ kicker Noah Ruggles secured a 3-0 advantage on a 38-yard field goal.
Kaytron Allen, in his first collegiate start, popped off a 6-yard rush to start the Nittany Lions’ first drive, then consecutive passes to Parker Washington gave Penn State 15 yards and a first down. Ohio State defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau, who had a monster game, batted a Sean Clifford pass that was intercepted by Zach Harrison, gifting the Buckeyes excellent field position at the Penn State 39. Another defensive stand led to a long missed field goal, bailing out the offense and returning the ball to Penn State.
Two quick plays by the Nittany Lions gave way to another Clifford interception, this time by Tuimoloau on a short pass targeting Allen. The Buckeyes finally took full advantage of their field position, turning a start from Penn State’s 41-yard line into a three-play touchdown drive. Ohio State led 10-0 with less than three minutes left in the first quarter.
A quick offensive drive went nowhere for the Nittany Lions, as Barney Amor came out to punt for the first time. Ohio State responded with a three-and-out of its own to open the second quarter. Penn State took possession at its own 27-yard line.
Clifford found Washington for a 14-yard catch, but it was negated by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on tight end Brenton Strange. Four quick plays kept the Nittany Lions moving, until Clifford found Washington again down the left sideline. Washington spun out of contact and took his catch for a 58-yard touchdown. Jake Pinegar’s extra point attempt succeeded, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 10-7 with 11 minutes left in the half.
Penn State’s defense got another three-and-out, while Beaver Stadium helped force another delay of game penalty on the punt attempt. Ohio State punted on fourth and long, giving the Nittany Lions possession at the 21-yard line.
On the fifth play of the ensuing drive, Clifford faced heavy pressure and he scrambled outside. Instead of crossing the line of scrimmage though, he found Theo Johnson for an enormous 42-yard gain. Clifford followed that up with a 23-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. The Nittany Lions took their first lead of the game at 14-10 with less than seven minutes left in the half.
Despite starting the day run-heavy, Ohio State pivoted to the pass. The Buckeyes threw seven times on eight plays (including one nullified by defensive pass interference). Safety Keaton Ellis blew up a screen pass for a 5-yard loss and on the subsequent play, Abdul Carter hurried Stroud into a nearly-intercepted throw on third and 15. Ohio State’s Ruggles converted a 37-yard field goal attempt to bring the Buckeyes within one. Penn State led 14-13 with three minutes left in the half.
The Nittany Lions would convert one third down on their next drive, but the offense stalled at its own 38 and was forced to punt with just over a minute remaining.
Ohio State moved quickly with a series of four plays over 10 yards and made it to Penn State’s 8-yard line with six seconds remaining in the half. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day aggressively dialed up a shot to the end zone on the final play, but Penn State cornerback Johnny Dixon broke into the backfield picking up a strip sack, ending the half.
After fumbling and recovering its own opening kickoff, Penn State was immediately put into a fourth-down situation. James Franklin opted to go for it, despite being on his own 32-yard line. Clifford’s keeper moved the chains and the Nittany Lions kept rolling. The offense took the ball down to the OSU 19-yard line, setting up a red zone fourth and 2. A Nick Singleton run picked up nothing, though, and the Nittany Lions went 50% on the drive’s fourth down conversions, leaving potential points off the board and turning the ball back over to Ohio State.
The Buckeyes picked up a first down, but were quickly forced into another third down. Stroud overthrew an open Marvin Harrison Jr. to usher out the punt team. Penn State took over at its own 14, but also had to punt seven plays later.
Three plays consisting of two 16-yard gains and a defensive offsides penalty put Ohio State in scoring distance. Penn State’s defense only allowed 8 yards and forced a field goal. Ohio State took a 16-14 lead with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
A big pass interference call on third and 16 bailed out Penn State’s stalling offense and Clifford’s squad began rolling downfield. Allen picked up 14 on a run and Clifford connected with Washington for 26, before being held to a field goal attempt. Pinegar’s first kick was whistled dead on a false start and then he missed the subsequent attempt which was nullified by an Ohio State illegal formation penalty. Franklin then sent his offense back out for the fourth and 1, with a 4-yard pass from Clifford to Tyler Warren getting the job done. Mitchell Tinsley hauled in a pass and fumbled around the goal line, but Penn State recovered inside the 1 and two plays later Allen got in for the score. Penn State led 21-16 with nine and a half minutes left in the game.
Stroud responded immediately with completions of 21 and 13 yards before TreVeyon Henderson broke off a 41-yard touchdown run. An extra point gave Ohio State a 23-21 lead with less than nine minutes remaining.
Two plays into the responding drive, backup right tackle Bryce Effner was blown up and Clifford was stripped from behind. The Buckeyes retook possession and scored on the first play back with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to Cade Stove, giving Ohio State a 30-21 lead.
A 27-yard Allen rush drove Penn State into scoring range, but the Nittany Lions were ultimately forced to kick. Pinegar’s 44-yard field goal sailed through the uprights, putting the score at 30-24 Ohio State with less than six minutes remaining.
Penn State brought the pressure and forced a third-and-10, but Stroud found standout receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 12-yard gain. As the clock ticked down, Penn State failed to halt the Buckeyes momentum, and a 42-yard Stroud completion to Emeka Egbuka led to first and goal. A subsequent delay of game gave the Nittany Lions some hope, but Henderson scored on a 7-yard scamper. Ohio State led 37-24 with under three minutes remaining.
On Penn State’s first play back, Ohio State’s Tuimoloau intercepted Clifford again, this time returning it for a 14-yard touchdown. Ohio State led 44-24 with just under two minutes left in the game.
The last gasps of Penn State’s offense were ultimately futile, even after a long catch and run by Lambert-Smith set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Allen. Penn State trailed 44-31, and after the Buckeye offense picked up a first down Ohio State ran out the clock to end the game.
Takeaways
- Despite what the score might indicate, Manny Diaz’s defense had a strong showing for much of the game. Ohio State’s running backs were nearly neutralized until late. With confusing packages and heavy pressure, C.J. Stroud was uncomfortable frequently. It was already huge, but with Sean Clifford’s two early interceptions, the fortitude of Diaz’s defense was the insulation the Nittany Lions needed to stay in it as long as they did.
- Sean Clifford threw a pair of interceptions on Penn State’s first two drives, but bounced back to bring the Nittany Lions ahead before the late turnovers. Until the strip sack he largely avoided pressure, changed protections and ended the day with 371 passing yards and three touchdowns. As the game looked like it was going to get ugly, the sixth-year senior showed his poise and showed up in a big way. Still, his fourth-quarter fumble after a blown blocking assignment was effectively the team’s death knell and a fourth-quarter pick six ended any hope.
- Penn State’s offensive line was solid for a majority of the game, but midway through the third quarter, the unit started to show cracks. Clifford faced more pressure than before and altered timings. Suddenly, defenders were finding space in the offensive backfield and it showed up in a consequential way when Clifford was strip sacked and on the game-clinching pick six.
- Sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington had the game of his life. With 11 catches for 179 yards, Washington had multiple crucial conversions and scored the Nittany Lions first points with an explosive 58-yard touchdown. It looked like he could not drop anything.
- Earning his second consecutive start, true freshman linebacker Abdul Carter was a menace to Ohio State’s offensive line. He recorded a lone sack, but also picked up a quarterback hurry and totaled four tackles. Carter was a major factor in the Buckeyes’ discomfort for a lot of Saturday’s game.
What’s Next
Penn State will travel to Indiana next Saturday. The game’s kickoff time and television coverage will be announced Sunday.
