Ohio State 38, Penn State 14: Second Half Shutdown
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For 30 minutes, Penn State, thanks to a key turnover and a lot of heart, looked like a team that had a chance at pulling off one of the biggest upsets in program history.
But then the second half happened.
Ohio State looked the part of the No. 1 team in the country with a dominant final two quarters in a 38-14 win on Saturday in Columbus.
Penn State (3-5) is still winless in the Big Ten and they’ve now lost five straight games. They’ve also dropped nine straight games to the Buckeyes and haven’t won in Columbus since 2011.
At the half, the Lions were in the fight as they trailed 17-14 – those 14 points were more first-half points than Ohio State had allowed all season combined.
But things came crashing down in all phases for Penn State in the second half.
It started with a dominant third quarter that saw Ohio State outscore the Lions 14-0. Less than three minutes after the second half kickoff, Ohio State had gone 75 yards to go up 24-14 on a short C.J. Donaldson touchdown run.
Then, a huge pass play to Jeremiah Smith set up a short Julian Sayin touchdown throw and the Buckeyes led 31-14 and had effectively put the game on ice.
Ohio State’s defense, which had shown a few cracks in the first half, was dominant. Early in the fourth quarter, the Lions had just one yard of total offense in the second half as Ohio State had blown the game open.
In the first half, Ohio State was similarly efficient, but a late first-half fumble gave Penn State some hope. Trailing 17-7, Amare Campbell forced a Donaldson fumble that Chaz Coleman recovered. Kaytron Allen then converted a key third-down shovel pass and scored on a short run a play later to put Penn State within three at the break.
There were other missed opportunities for Penn State in the first half. Trailing 10-7, Penn State had a chance to get off the field on a third down play when Dani Dennis-Sutton got pressure on Sayin. But Sayin, not known at all for his running ability, alluded the defensive end and scrambled for a first down. Sayin then hit Carnell Tate for a long scoring throw.
On the game’s very first drive, Penn State – behind an explosive run from Allen – had the ball at the Buckeye 42-yard line in a fourth and short situation. But, the Lions chose to punt and Ohio State drove the field and scored on a Sayin to Smith throw for the game’s first points.
Ryan Day’s offense shredded the defense of his former coordinator Jim Knowles on the day. Sayin passed for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns, while the maligned running game of Ohio State got going for better than 100 yards. More than anything, they were simply efficient and never seemed bothered by anything that Penn State did on the day.
Penn State returns home for the first time since James Franklin was fired next week. However, it will be a major challenge as the Lions will be taking on another Big Ten and National Title contender in Indiana.
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