Here are 5 takeaways from Penn State football’s 33-24 loss to Ohio State
The Nittany Lions put up a fight against the Buckeyes, but they weren’t able to get over the hump — losing 33-24.
Penn State took an early lead in the first quarter, but relinquished it in the second quarter when Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Chris Olave for 38 yards. The Buckeyes took a 10-7 lead with 3:48 left in the half and never looked back. It’s Penn State’s third consecutive loss, following a 20-18 loss to Illinois last week and a 23-20 loss to Iowa two weeks prior. The Nittany Lions now drop to 5-3 on the season.
Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s loss to Ohio State.
Mike Yurcich went deep into his offensive play-calling bag
Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich got creative on Saturday with Clifford regaining his health. He was able to scheme open wide receiver Parker Washington, with Jahan Dotson also making the most of the health of his quarterback. Dotson even got involved in the running game, scoring on a 2-yard rush out of the Wildcat formation on the goal line with 10:16 left in the third quarter.
Clifford was able to spread the ball around to other receivers, too. Tight end Brenton Strange scored the team’s first touchdown of the game on a 5-yard reception to cap off a 13-play, 89-yard drive that lasted 4:48. Penn State went into a T-formation later in the third quarter to hand off to Keyvone Lee for a 1-yard rushing touchdown for the Nittany Lions to trail 27-24 with 10 seconds remaining in the third.
Ohio State’s defensive front constantly caused issues for Penn State’s offensive line
The defensive end tandem of Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith had their way with an assortment of Penn State offensive linemen. They were able to collapse the pocket and Smith sacked Clifford and stripped the ball loose for defensive tackle Jerron Cage to scoop up the ball and run it into the end zone for 43-yard fumble recovery, giving Ohio State a 17-7 lead following an extra-point.
Running game continues to disappoint
Penn State could never get the ball moving in the right direction in the running game. It’s been an ongoing problem, dating back to its first game of the season against Wisconsin, where Penn State rushed for 50 yards. Saturday night proved to be an even worse result — the Nittany Lions picked up just 33 yards on the ground. Their longest rush came on an 11-yard pickup by Noah Cain and Clifford had a carry for 10 yards, but he finished with -11 yards rushing.
It all starts up front. The offensive line wasn’t able to get any push throughout the night. With multiple changes to the offensive line, they expected to get a better push and could not fire off on the defensive linemen and combo to the linebackers.
Sean Clifford actually looked 100%, or at least close to it
Franklin said prior to the matchup with Ohio State that quarterback Sean Clifford could possibly be 100%, following an undisclosed injury sustained in Penn State’s loss to Iowa. Clifford appeared to be experiencing discomfort in the team’s loss to Illinois, raising questions about his availability moving forward.
“Last week we weren’t sure,” Franklin said midweek. “We were kind of trying to see where he was going to be at. Sean is much further ahead now to being back to 100%. ... We expect to have a 100% Sean Clifford this weekend.”
Those comments initially raised doubts, considering that Clifford often clutched his side in Penn State’s 20-18 9-overtime loss. Picking himself off of the ground, the redshirt senior walked gingerly to the sideline in the fourth quarter following a fall to the grass. He went 19-for-34 on passes for 165 yards and a touchdown and couldn’t hit targets in stride.
But on Saturday, Clifford out-gained Stroud in the first half through the air with 190 yards, going 17-for-24 and throwing a touchdown. He did this all under duress throughout the game. He finished 35-for-52, for 361 yards, one touchdown and one interception with no running game to speak of.
Penn State has no reason to hang its head for this loss
The Nittany Lions had a week full of questions of whether or not they could compete against Ohio State. They lost a game against Illinois that they were heavily favored in during Homecoming a week prior, dropping from No. 7 to No. 20 in the AP Top 25. The coaching search rumors surrounding Franklin and questions about his commitment to the Nittany Lions didn’t help to limit distractions heading into this game. It could’ve been easy to lay down and lose the game by multiple touchdowns, but Penn State hung in there. The Nittany Lions will need to capitalize off of that momentum against Maryland next week to stop its losing skid and have a chance at eight wins.
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 12:26 AM.
