Penn State football can’t keep up with the Buckeyes as Ohio State rolls to a 38-25 victory
After a very slow start, the No. 18 Penn State never quite got back into Saturday night’s matchup with No. 3 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions’ showed signs of life in the second half, but it wasn’t enough, as they couldn’t get within striking distance of the Buckeyes in a 38-25 loss at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State trailed 21-6 at halftime. At the break, the Nittany Lions had just 75 total yards of offense, compared to the Buckeyes’ 280. Redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford had completed just two passes in the first half for 29 yards.
And of course, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields — a Heisman Trophy candidate — looked nearly unstoppable. Fields was 15-18 passing for 147 yards and a touchdown in the opening half.
Clifford finished 18-of-30 passing for 281 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while Fields ended the night 28-of-34 passing for 318 yards and four touchdowns.
Penn State is now 0-2 to start the season, while Ohio State moves to 2-0.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
WR Jahan Dotson: It’s hard to choose a Nittany Lion that stood out in a game like this, but junior receiver Jahan Dotson certainly did his part to try to keep his team in the game. The 5-foot-11, 182-pound Nazareth native caught seven passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
It was Dotson who scored the first touchdown of the game for Penn State on the team’s opening drive of the second half. With 11:14 left in the third quarter, Clifford connected with Dotson on his fifth-consecutive completion for a 14-yard score that made it a one-possession game. Then, it was Dotson who made the catch of the night — a one-handed 21-yard touchdown grab with 14:30 to go in the game that even drew oohs-and-ahs in the Beaver Stadium press box.
In the fourth quarter, Dotson caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Clifford to put Penn State within two scores of Ohio State with 6:27 left in the contest.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Dotson’s second touchdown catch of the night is easily an early candidate for catch of the year for the Nittany Lions. With Ohio State star cornerback Shaun Wade draped on him, Dotson created just enough separation before reeling in the ball with his right hand and waltzing into the end zone.
The touchdown brought the Nittany Lions within 12 points of the Buckeyes after the failed two-point conversion that followed.
Dotson’s highlight-reel play also caught the eye of former Nittany Lions star linebacker Micah Parsons, who tweeted that it was “time for the country to wake up” after the eye-popping catch.
There have been questions about whether Dotson can be a solid No. 1 option at receiver for Penn State. But plays like that one — and performances like the one he had Saturday — go a long way to putting any doubts to rest.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Questionable play-calling: After last week’s loss to Indiana, head coach James Franklin said that when Clifford became “more aggressive” as a runner, everything else “fell into place” for him.
Still, Clifford trying to run the ball more than he passed in the first half is a bit questionable to say the least. In the opening half, Clifford had thrown the ball just seven times, while he ran over 10 times.
There was also the decision to go for it on fourth down midway through the first quarter. The failed attempt to move the chains gave Ohio State the ball on Penn State’s 45-yard line, and the Buckeyes took advantage to score their second touchdown of the contest with 8:39 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
UP NEXT
vs. Maryland: After starting its season 0-2 for the first time since 2012, Penn State will take on a Maryland team that’s coming off a big win against Minnesota. The Nittany Lions will face the Terrapins next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium.
This story was originally published October 31, 2020 at 11:30 PM.
