Here’s 3 takeaways from Penn State football’s 38-25 loss to Ohio State
Penn State was unable to rebound from last week’s heartbreaking loss to Indiana. The Nittany Lions were beaten soundly by the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes in Beaver Stadium, 38-25.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s loss.
1. Sean Clifford’s struggles continue
The blame for Penn State’s 0-2 start could go many places. The wide receivers don’t get enough separation consistently — with the exception of Jahan Dotson — the running back room has been decimated by injuries and the defense hasn’t lived up to its standard in key situations. But at the end of the day, the quarterback isn’t making plays when they’re available. Redshirt junior Sean Clifford showed promise during the 2019 season, with room for key improvements to be made to his footwork and accuracy.
Through two games, there isn’t much evidence that he’s taken the step forward. Clifford showed similar issues against Ohio State to the ones he had last year — and last week. He doesn’t work through his progressions and he appears to drop his eyes when the opponent gets pressure. Without improvement from Clifford, there won’t be much improvement from Penn State.
2. The College Football Playoff dream is over
Penn State came into the season with hopes of reaching its first-ever College Football Playoff and having a legitimate shot at winning a national title. Two weeks in, those dreams have already been dashed. The Nittany Lions are 0-2 in head coach James Franklin’s seventh season at the helm of the program. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has altered the season greatly and devalues some of what is happening on the field, but every team is playing under the same set of circumstances.
An 0-2 start wasn’t outside the realm of possibility given the Nittany Lions’ difficult first two games, but it’s still jarring to see that result come to fruition. A quarter of the way through the season, there’s plenty for Penn State to play for, but the highest goals for the talented roster are out the window.
3. Penn State isn’t close to Ohio State
Two years ago Franklin took the podium after a brutal 27-26 loss to Ohio State in Beaver Stadium. It was that night that he said his Nittany Lion program needed to work to take the next step to go from great to elite. Two years later, the gap between Penn State and the nation’s elite — in this instance Ohio State — appears to have gotten wider. Say what you will about the final score and Penn State’s scoring drives in the second half, but this game never seemed to be in reach for the Nittany Lions, who had no answers for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
The Buckeyes showed the gap beginning with the opening drive. They moved down the field with ease, scoring a touchdown on a three-play, 75-yard drive. They walked through Penn State’s defense — the team’s strongest unit — more than once Saturday night all the way to their two-possession victory. If the Nittany Lions’ best unit can’t hang with Ohio State, then what unit can? The answer this weekend was none of them.
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 11:19 PM.
