No. 4 Ohio State defeats No. 3 Penn State in heavyweight bout after goal line stand in fourth quarter

Ohio State Buckeyes leaving Happy Valley with a smile.

The No. 4 ranked Buckeyes defeated the No. 3 seed. Penn State 20-13 on Saturday. The victory marked the Buckeyes’ eighth straight victory over their Big Ten opponents.

Things couldn’t have started better for the University of Pennsylvania. They kicked a field goal on their first offensive drive, and then safety Zion Tracy intercepted Ohio State safety Will Howard and returned it for a touchdown on their first defensive possession.

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Despite the quick 10-0 run, Ohio State’s offense worked. Howard bounced back by leading the Buckeyes in two consecutive touchdown passes. Howard connected with receiver Emeka Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 10-7. Ohio State’s defense forced a three-and-out and the ensuing possession, and Howard went back to work.

The Buckeye quarterback capped a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive with a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Brandon Inniss to give Ohio State a 14-10 lead.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Howard. On the Buckeyes’ next offensive drive, with a chance to extend the lead, Howard burst out of the end zone near the goal line, turned the ball over and kept the score 14-10.

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Penn State quarterback Drew Allar had a chance to give his team the lead before halftime. With 11 seconds left in the half, Allar threw the ball down the goal line toward wide receiver Harrison Wallace III. Wallace briefly gained possession of the ball, but defender Davison Igbinosun made a sensational play, snatching the ball and securing it for an interception.

The teams traded field goals early in the second half, ending the game 17–13. Howard then led another field goal in the fourth quarter to put the Buckeyes up 20–13.

Penn State had a golden opportunity to tie the game when they scored first and scored from inside the five-yard line with just five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

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But the Buckeye defense stopped Penn State’s offense from inside the five-yard line four times, preventing them from getting into the end zone, securing a 20-13 victory.

Howard threw for 182 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and running back Quinshawn Judkins rushed for 95 yards on 19 carries in the win.

Allar threw for 142 yards and an interception in the loss, while Penn State did not score a touchdown on offense.

Following this loss, Penn State head coach James Franklin found himself struggling. best teams continue.

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During his time at Penn State, Franklin is 1-7 against top 10 teams at home, 6-10 against ranked teams at home, 1-5 against top 5 teams and 1-10 against Ohio State.

Penn State fell to 7-1 with the loss and will look to bounce back. against Washington November 9.

With the win, Ohio State improves to 7-1 and will look to keep its momentum going into the match. vs. Purdue November 9.

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