Ohio State Buckeyes vs Penn State Nittany Lions: Looking Back at History's Greatest Games

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions have a history filled with high-scoring games, nail-biting endings and edge-of-your-seat victories.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions are no strangers on the gridiron, having one of the most entertaining rivalries in all of college football.

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions first met on November 16, 1912 (Penn State won, 37-0), but the rivalry did not become an annual affair until 1993. In a strange coincidence, the largest win for both teams came by a score of 63-14: Penn State in 1994 and Ohio State in 2013.

Here is a look back at some of the best contests between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions before their 38th meeting on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

October 27, 2001: Penn State - 29, Ohio State - 27

Penn State opens this list with a two-point triumph in front of a capacity crowd at their home venue, Beaver Stadium.

Ohio State scored the only touchdown of the opening half to grab the early 7-0 lead, but five made field goals (three from Penn State) saw the Nittany Lions head to their locker room trailing 13-9 at the half. The Buckeyes came out of the break with 14 unanswered points, but their 27-9 lead was not to last.

The Nittany Lions offense scored the remainder of the game's points, amassing three touchdowns over the next almost 14 minutes to take a 29-27 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Then, the Penn State defense kept Ohio State off the board for the entire 15 minutes of the final period to give the Nittany Lions their tenth, all-time win over the Buckeyes.

October 25, 2014: Ohio State - 31, Penn State - 24

Starting off almost a decade ago, this thriller saw the No. 13 Buckeyes pull out a hard-fought victory in double-overtime against the Nittany Lions, thanks to the legs of quarterback J.T. Barrett.

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott recorded the first touchdown of the game early in the first quarter, beginning a series of scores that put the Buckeyes up 17-0 at halftime. However, Penn State came out of the break swinging, scoring 17 points of their own while shutting out the Buckeyes in the final two-quarters of regulation to force overtime.

Penn State running back Bill Belton scored a one-yard touchdown to begin the extra period, but Barrett answered with a run of his own to extend the game. After the Buckeyes defense kept Penn State off the board, Barrett crossed the goal line on a four-yard scramble, sealing the 31-24 victory.

Barrett went 12-of-19 for 74 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions through the air, along with his two rushing scores. Elliott recorded 109 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, and Jeff Heuerman was Ohio State's leading receiver in the game with three receptions for 19 yards and a score.

October 22, 2016: Penn State - 24, Ohio State - 21

Penn State's last and most recent victory against Ohio State came seven meetings ago in State College, Pennsylvania. 

Trailing 21-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions offense found another gear, scoring a quick touchdown and field goal to cut the deficit down to just four points. Approximately five minutes later, Penn State cornerback Grant Haley returned a blocked Ohio State field goal to the house, giving the home team its first lead of the night, 24-21.

With this one play, ESPN's win probability dropped from 86 percent in favor of Ohio State to 76 percent for Penn State. 

Along with solid performances from Barrett and Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley, this contest featured touchdown receptions from two, future National Football League receivers: Ohio State's Curtis Samuel (Washington Commanders) and Penn State's Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

October 28, 2017: Ohio State - 39, Penn State - 38

No. 6 Ohio State put up one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in college football history back in 2017 when they climbed back from down 28-10 to No. 2 Penn State to win 39-38 in regulation.

ESPN gave Penn State a 97 percent win probability with five minutes left to play and the Nittany Lions up, 38-27. Not to be denied, Barrett and the Buckeyes scored two touchdowns late in the game to take their first lead of the contest with under two minutes to go.

Barrett had one of (if not the) best games of his Ohio State career behind center, completing 33 of his 39 pass attempts for 328 yards and four touchdowns. Those four scoring receptions went to three different Buckeyes receivers: Johnnie Dixon (2), Terry McLaurin (currently with the NFL's Washington Commanders) and Marcus Baugh.

September 29, 2018: Ohio State - 27, Penn State - 26

Ohio State must have had some magic left over from their 2017 comeback, as they did repeated the miracle against Penn State the following year.

The No. 9 Nittany Lions scored the first 13 points of the contest with two touchdowns and a field goal, including a 93-yard score from McSorley to receiver KJ Hamler. A 26-yard connection from Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins to running back J.K. Dobbins recorded the only points of the opening half for the Buckeyes, putting the score 13-7 going into halftime.

Dobbins earned the only points of the third quarter for either team, giving Ohio State a 14-13 lead entering the final period, but back-to-back Penn State touchdowns gave the Nittany Lions a 26-14 lead (Penn State failed a two-point conversion on the second score), along with a 96 percent chance to win. Proving the metrics wrong yet again, the Buckeyes rallied late with two, unanswered touchdown passes from Haskins to receivers Binjimen Victor and K.J. Hill to take the 27-26 victory.

Haskins was 22-of-39 over the game with 270 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception, while Dobbins rushed for 57 yards and a score on 17 carries. This game is a rare instance in which the losing team's offense out-earned the victor, as Penn State's 492 total yards trumped Ohio State's 389 yards.

With each of those thrilling contests coming within the last ten years, who knows what Saturday's game between No. 3 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State has in store?