5 takeaways from Penn State's loss to Ohio State

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Penn State dropped its fifth straight game of the season and its ninth straight game to Ohio State. While the Nittany Lions weren't expected to beat the Buckeyes, there were certain parts that were supposed to go much better than it did throughout the game.

Here are five takeaways from Penn State's 38-14 loss to Ohio State.

Offensive line not living up to hype

Penn State entered the season with one of the most hyped offensive lines, returning most of its starters from last season.

Drew Shelton, Vega Ioane, Nick Dawkins, Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci provided one of the most experienced units in the country.

However, they have not lived up to the hype they received in the preseason. Run blocking has been better than the pass block, but no matter who the quarterback was in the backfield, there was little time.

That proved true again against Ohio State as Ethan Grunkemeyer had little time to throw. Multiple times there were free rushers at him, forcing him to try to evade the pocket.

Ohio State totaled four sacks and seven tackles for loss, causing issues in the backfield all game.

Run game was strong on scoring drive

Penn State's run game overall struggled against the best defense statistically in the Big Ten. However, on the team's two scoring drives, the running backs showed glimpses of life.

Even Nick Singleton showed signs of his old self, scoring a touchdown, but was contained on every other drive.

The duo of Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 96 rushing yards on 27 rush attempts. That's good for 3.5 yards per carry, a number that is typically way higher for at least Allen.

If they found consistency on more than just scoring drives, then the game may have been closer.

Defense crumbling

Penn State's defense was supposed to be on the top units in the country, with similar numbers to Ohio State's. That hasn't been the case for the Nittany Lions.

Ohio State moved the ball at will, not having to punt until the fourth quarter and made drives look easy.

The defensive backs couldn't keep up with the receivers and the pass rush struggled to get to Julian Sayin all game. With the talent out wide for the Buckeyes, the pass rush needed to get to Sayin quick, but instead he had plenty of time to air it out.

Grunkemeyer showed signs

Despite not having much time to throw throughout the game, Grunkemeyer showed signs of why he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024.

Late in the game, Grunkemeyer made a couple of throws that pushed Penn State deep into Ohio State territory. This included a 26-yard completion to freshman receiver Koby Howard.

The pass went just over the linebacker's hands, with perfect placement to Howard. Earlier in the drive, he completed a pass to Kyron Hudson on the sideline with good placement.

If Grunkemeyer gets time in the pocket, he can make high-level passes that show good signs of the future. But, the big thing is him getting time in the pocket.

Big plays thwart momentum

Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate each had 57-yard catches. Both of them came at times when Penn State was hanging around in the game.

Tate and Smith gave the Nittany Lions secondary trouble all game but the big plays, that were expected to be a focal point of shutting down on Penn State's side, were momentum killers.

Additionally, running back Bo Jackson bursted for 51 yards on the ground, averaging 8.1 yards per carry throughout the game. These big plays not only put Ohio State in scoring range, but also put away any momentum the Nittany Lions had.

It doesn't get any easier for Penn State as it hosts Indiana, another high-octane offense in just seven days.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: 5 takeaways from Penn State's loss to Ohio State

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos