No. 3 Ohio State smothers No. 7 Penn State to stay undefeated with massive 20-12 win

It wasn’t pretty, but No. 3 Ohio State found a way to get the job done and stay undefeated with a 20-12 win over No. 7 Penn State.

The Ohio State defense completely smothered the overmatched Penn State offense, keeping the Nittany Lions out of the end zone until the final minute while limiting them to a mere 240 yards and 1-for-16 on third down. And that lone third-down conversion from Penn State came with 45 seconds left in regulation. That’s how dire things were for the PSU offense.

The Buckeyes’ offense did not exactly dazzle either, but Kyle McCord was able to find Marvin Harrison Jr. enough to move the ball and ultimately put Penn State away. With the win, Ohio State improved to 7-0 with the trip to Michigan still looming. Penn State, meanwhile, dropped to 6-1 in another loss on a big stage for the Nittany Lions under coach James Franklin. 

Penn State entered the day with the No. 1 defense in the country statistically. But PSU just could not contain Harrison, who was the best player on the field. While tight end Cade Stover pitched in four receptions for 70 yards, Harrison went off for 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.

With fellow OSU receiver Emeka Egbuka sidelined, Harrison was targeted on 16 of McCord’s 35 pass attempts. And Harrison’s presence was felt on one of the biggest sequences of the game where he didn't even touch the ball.

Midway through the second quarter with the game tied 3-3, the Penn State defense appeared to make a huge play when linebacker Curtis Jacobs put a hit on McCord and knocked the ball loose. The ball then bounced right to Jacobs, who took off for a scoop and score.

Except there was a flag on the play. Penn State’s Kalen King was flagged for holding Harrison. Instead of a defensive touchdown to put Penn State up 10-3, the penalty gave Ohio State an automatic first down at the PSU 16. A few plays later, Miyan Williams plunged in from two yards out to put the Buckeyes ahead, 10-3.

It was a 14-point swing. And that overturned defensive touchdown was as close as Penn State would get to the end zone until the final minute of the fourth quarter. 

The Nittany Lions had a few field goal drives in the first half and were down just 10-6 at the break. In the second half, Penn State just couldn’t get anything going — even when gifted excellent field position by the Buckeyes.

With the score still 10-6 late in the third quarter, Penn State's defense stuffed Ohio State on a fourth-down play near the goal line.

On the ensuing drive, Penn State promptly went three-and-out and punted back to the Buckeyes. The punt deflected off of an Ohio State player, and Penn State recovered at its own 48.

It was a major opportunity for the Nittany Lions to potentially take the lead. Instead, the drive did not gain a single yard and Penn State punted it back to the Buckeyes.

Drew Allar, Penn State’s prized sophomore quarterback, struggled mightily in the first major road start of his career. He completed only 18 of his 42 attempts for 191 yards. It was flat-out ugly.

With the PSU defense gassed, Ohio State added to its lead with a field goal and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. By the time Penn State got the ball back down 20-6 with 2:41 remaining, the Nittany Lions had a total of six yards of offense in the second half.

PSU would finally reach the end zone with a 73-yard drive in garbage time. But it was far too late.