Penn State lost 44-31 on Saturday to No. 2 Ohio State in a game that was closer than the final score and not nearly as high scoring as that final score. All the same Penn State entered the fourth quarter with a chance to win but failed to do so. Why is a complicated answer and so too are the grades that follow.
Offense: B-
Sean Clifford was at his typical best and worst. Four turnovers hurt this grade but it’s a mixed bag in regards to who to blame for some of them. Two interceptions were the product of tipped/batted passes, a strip sack is everyone’s fault and his other interception could have been defended better by the intended receiver. In any case Clifford was not sharp with his ball protection and that is only somewhat balanced out by 371-yards passing and three touchdowns to his name. For all the mistakes he made, Penn State was also still in the game the entire afternoon in-spite of them. When Clifford was sharp he made plenty of plays Penn State needed him to, but it’s hard to give someone too much credit when they’re holding the ball ahead of four different turnovers. This was sort of the Clifford brand in a nutshell, good enough to keep you in the game, mistake prone enough to take you out of it. The fact Penn State had the lead inside of 10 minutes to go gives him something to take credit for.
In the running game Penn State was surprisingly effective on first down and averaged 3.4 yards per carry overall which looked a lot better than the number itself. Kaytron Allen was solid with 76 yards on 12 carries and his fourth-down touchdown involved breaking at least one tackle in the backfield. Nicholas Singleton hasn’t quite found his stride in Big Ten play but his speed is always a threat. All things considered Penn State will take 111 rushing yards against Ohio State, especially on a day that included 47 passing attempts.
Parker Washington was outstanding and rose to the occasion with a ton of great catches. His 179-yards on 11 receptions was highlighted by all sorts of chain-moving catches. All told 11 players caught a pass from Clifford on Saturday but nobody really played to the occasion like Washington. KeAndre Lambert-Smith made his first catch in weeks for a 23-yard touchdown reception which was a welcome sight for Penn State’s offense. Penn State ended the day with 24 first downs and went a respectable 6-for-16 on third down including 3-for-4 fourth down attempts.
The Nittany Lions couldn’t quite get it done in the end and Clifford kneecapped Penn State at times but all things considered this was a plenty balanced and successful effort, especially against Ohio State. This grade could be worse, but Penn State did a lot of good things in this game.
Defense: B-
The fourth quarter aside Penn State’s defense did what you needed it to in a game like this. It held down the fort long enough to give Penn State’s offense a chance. If you’re holding Ohio State to 16 points through three quarters you’re doing something right. Ji’Ayir Brown led the way with eight tackles while Keaton Ellis came up with five of his own. Generally speaking this group gets a C+ because it did enough for three quarters and then got sliced and diced in the biggest moment of the game. Ohio State was able to attack the middle of the field and CJ Stroud was accurate as always which doesn’t help either for the nation-leading PBU group that only registered two breakups all afternoon. Ohio State had 98-yards rushing, but averaged nearly 14-yards per completion.
Penn State needed a turnover in this game and didn’t get one, it needed quarterback pressures and didn’t get many of those either. All things considered the overarching effort was more than good enough for three quarters but the fourth quarter is what will leave a bad taste in the mouth. Then again, you can only blame a team for so much when they’re taking on the best offense in America. Ohio State finished the day going 4-for-12 on third down.
Special Teams: C
A kickoff out of bounds starts the bad moments for this grade. Two missed field goals – that never counted – hurt his grade. Barney Amor was nothing special in punting -a 44 yard average – and that hurts the grade as well. Penn State managed to not really shoot itself in the foot on special teams when it was all said and done in the box score but this group also didn’t add any value either. To a certain extent special teams not messing up in a big game is more than enough, but this group didn’t add anything either and is lucky that penalties kept bad moments off the board.
Coaching: A-
Penn State came into this game with a plan and it worked for the most part. New formations, new motions and new looks kept Ohio State on its toes and aside from Sean Clifford’s turnovers Penn State offense looked sharp and played a pretty solid game. James Franklin was aggressive with his decision making and it paid off more often than not. Penn State’s defense did well for three quarters but the fourth quarter hurts this grade if for no other reason than this is when coaching should/could win you a game. All things considered you can say what you want about Penn State against Ohio State over the years but this wasn’t a game to look back at and say “it was poorly coached.” Penn State just lost and that’s fine. It also took chances, and props for that too.
People are going to take exception for Penn State’s softer coverage but in the end this was likely a decision to keep Ohio State underneath and avoid big plays down the field. It gave up a lot of yards as a result but Ohio State very rarely had success are deep shots down the field. Pick your poison situation.
Overall: B-
In the greater context of the series you can find plenty of things that might make you say “nothing has changed” but Penn State playing the No. 2 team in the nation as well as it did on Saturday has to count for something. There was more good than bad, but you can’t get a great grade for losing, especially when you had a reasonable shot at winning. In a lot of respects this was as good of a performance as Penn State has put up against Ohio State under James Franklin and this team is also not as talented as others Franklin has fielded. Time will tell if the tide ever turns.
