How Ohio State’s defense made history against Penn State

There were big problems for Ohio State in the first quarter against previously undefeated Penn State. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 10-0 lead when Zion Tracy intercepted Will Howard’s pass at the Buckeyes’ 31-yard line and raced untouched into the end zone. The Buckeyes were upset in a narrow win over Nebraska and appeared to be on the wrong end of the game against a motivated opponent.

Ryan Day appeared to be at gunpoint. His team previously lost a road game to No. 1 Oregon, and it doesn’t look like things are going any better against No. 3 Pennsylvania. But the Buckeyes played with confidence the rest of the way, and Ohio State’s defense limited the Nittany Lions to field goals for the final 54-plus minutes. Ohio State won 20–13.

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has been recognized as one of the most creative players in college football. However, Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was able to prevent his crime from getting into the end zone for the first time since the 2021 season.

Knowles clearly has an idea of ​​how to slow down Kotelnitsky’s offense. He was Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator in 2021, the last time Kotelnicki’s men were held without a touchdown.

Howard and Buckeyes offense refuses to panic

Many teams would have been defeated after trailing by two points and playing in front of more than 111,000 fans at Beaver Stadium in University Park. However, Day saw Howard raise his level of play and slumber Ohio State ground game also came to life.

On the drive after the pick-6, Howard threw a 25-yard pass to Emeka Egbuka to stabilize the offense, followed by a second touchdown pass to Brandon Inniss, giving the Buckeyes a 14–10 lead that they would not relinquish. at any time during the game.

Ohio State’s rushing attack came back to life after a brutal performance in previous games against Nebraska. Quinshawn Judkins gained 95 yards on 14 carries and TreVeyon Henderson added another 54 yards on 10 carries.

Penn State had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter when they scored first on an Ohio State 3-yard run with 7:33 remaining, but linebacker Cody Simon and the Buckeyes defense stopped three straight plays and quarterback Drew Allard’s fourth pass fell incomplete on the end zone.

The win improves Ohio State to 7-1 and gives the No. 4 ranked Buckeyes a clear jump in the rankings. The Buckeyes will host Purdue in their next game. The Nittany Lions (7-1) will look to get back on track at home against Washington.

Steve Silverman has covered the NFL for more than 35 years and has been published in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s the Best, Who’s the Best in the NFL.”