Penn State can’t hang on, falls to Ohio State in marquee matchup at Beaver Stadium
Penn State could not close out an enormous upset opportunity Saturday, falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Beaver Stadium, 44-31.
The Buckeyes opened the game with the ball and got on the board on their first drive. A big play by Marvin Harrison Jr. put them in field goal range but the Nittany Lion defense held and kept Ohio State to a Noah Ruggles field goal for the first three points of the game.
The Nittany Lions put their defense in a difficult spot when a tipped pass by Sean Clifford fell into Zach Harrison’s arms for an interception. The defense once again stiffened up, however, and held their opponents to another field goal attempt. This time Ruggles missed the 53-yarder short and to the right to give the ball right back to the Nittany Lion offense.
However, Clifford threw another interception and this time the Buckeyes made him pay for his mistake. They marched down the field with Miyan Williams punching it in from four yards out to make it a 10-0 game.
Penn State finally answered with a touchdown of its own. Clifford hit Parker Washington for what looked like a short gain, but Washington broke a tackle and took it in for a 58-yard touchdown to cut the Ohio State lead to three.
The Nittany Lions immediately got back on the board after a defensive stop. Clifford hit a big play to Theo Johnson to get to the Ohio State 23-yard line, then hit KeAndre Lambert-Smith to give his team the 14-10 lead. The Buckeyes added a field goal from there, and had a chance for another before the half but C.J. Stroud held the ball too long and took a sack as time expired with Penn State up 14-13 at halftime.
The third quarter was quiet from a scoring standpoint until Ruggles hit from 40 yards out to retake the lead for the Buckeyes.
Penn State took the lead back in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-goal run by Kaytron Allen for a one-yard touchdown, giving the Nittany Lions the 21-16 lead.
However, Ohio State was able to get back into the game, earning a 44-31 win over the Nittany Lions.
Player of the game
Penn State WR Parker Washington: It’s hard to envision Washington having a better game than he did against the Buckeyes. Not every throw to him was on point but he made it work regardless. His 58-yard touchdown in the first half was a product of his incredible lower body strength and balance, with a defender whipping him around but the receiver refusing to go down. The Nittany Lion is emerging as Clifford’s top target the rest of the way and could be the kind of game breaking talent the passing game has lacked this season.
What the loss means
The Nittany Lions are still in a good position to win 10 games but another loss to Ohio State says much of what was already known about the program. They are still behind the Buckeyes from a program standpoint and from a talent standpoint and have plenty of work to do to get on their level. What comes next to get there remains to be seen. They have work to do on and off the field to be among the elite. That is not to say this outcome is surprising — it is not — but it is still a good litmus test for just how far away they are from that level.
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 3:45 PM.
