No. 8 Penn State football can’t complete comeback, falls 28-17 to No. 2 Ohio State
Ohio State clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship Saturday, while Penn State’s hopes at a College Football Playoff berth were extinguished.
The No. 2 Buckeyes held on to beat No. 8 Penn State 28-17 in a high-stakes game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, out-gaining the Nittany Lions by a margin of 417 to 227. Penn State came alive after a 21-0 deficit and an injury to its starting quarterback, forcing two turnovers and scoring 17 third-quarter points with backup QB Will Levis, but it wasn’t enough in the close loss.
Ohio State defensive end Chase Young broke the single-season school sack record with 16.5 total, slipping past previous record-holder Vernon Gholston (14.0). He entered the game with 13.5 sacks and added another three Saturday.
The win puts No. 2 Ohio State at 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference, meaning the Buckeyes clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game since all other East teams have at least two losses. Penn State (9-2, 7-1) is now hoping for a New Year’s Six Bowl.
Player of the game
Ohio State QB Justin Fields: No, he wasn’t perfect Saturday. He committed two crucial fumbles, and he underthrew his second TD pass. But he was the driving force behind the Buckeyes’ offense. Not only did he finish 15-of-21 passing for 183 yards and two scores, but he also rushed for another 66 yards.
On Fields’ first touchdown, he completed a perfect 24-yard over-the-shoulder throw from the right hash mark to the left corner of the end zone. It was a throw few quarterbacks could make and, even with two defensive backs around the ball, Penn State didn’t stand a chance.
Play of the game/Turning point
Ohio State WR Chris Olave’s 28-yard TD catch: QB Justin Fields didn’t have his best pass on the day in this instance but, thanks to Olave and his incredible body control, it didn’t matter.
Let’s set it up: Early in the fourth quarter, with a 21-17 lead, the Buckeyes found themselves in a second-and-8 situation. The momentum was on Penn State’s side, so a mistake could’ve proved disastrous for the home crowd.
Fields launched an underthrown pass toward the end zone, while Penn State cornerback John Reid never turned his head to find the ball. Olave slowed up, turned around, leaped and caught the ball as momentum carried him in for the touchdown.
That touchdown gave Ohio State the two-score lead, and Penn State backup QB Will Levis threw an interception on the next dive all but seal the Buckeyes’ win.
Unsung hero
Penn State QB Will Levis: With about 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Penn State QB Sean Clifford crumpled to the turf with a lower-body injury and did not return. At that point, the Nittany Lions trailed 21-0, and outsiders had little confidence a backup QB who had seen eight career attempts against Power 5 competition would be able to keep it close.
But Levis performed admirably, keeping the Ohio State defense on its toes with an efficient RPO that featured some tough running from the signal-caller. Levis finished the game 6-of-11 passing for 57 yards, and he rushed for 34 yards and a score.
Thanks to two defensive turnovers, Levis was able to cut the 21-0 deficit to 21-17 before Ohio State pulled away. Again, it wasn’t a perfect performance — he threw a bad interception — but he fared well against the No. 2 team in the nation. Thanks to him, the Nittany Lions still had a chance late.
Up next for PSU
vs. Rutgers: Ugh. Yes, next on the schedule for Penn State is one of the worst teams in all of college football. With Thanksgiving just two days before kickoff, and students on break, the environment for the Nittany Lions’ final home game — at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, inside Beaver Stadium — probably won’t be all that rowdy.
On the plus side for PSU fans, some opponents have struggled with the bye more than they’ve struggled with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights entered Saturday’s game in dead-last in the following Big Ten categories: total offense, total defense, scoring defense, rush defense, pass efficiency defense, turnover margin, sacks, first downs, opponent first downs, and much, much more.
Rutgers last won a conference game on Nov. 4, 2017, in a 31-24 win over Maryland. Since then, the Scarlet Knights have lost 20 straight Big Ten games.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 3:30 PM.
