Ohio State Buckeyes Defense Shuts Down Penn State Nittany Lions 20-12
Coming off of a win over Purdue last week, the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes were looking to get their biggest win of the season on Saturday against the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions in Columbus.
After a 60-minute slugfest, it was the Buckeyes that came out on top, holding on to take down Penn State 20-12 and winning their seventh-straight game against the Nittany Lions.
And as most expected, the defense ruled the majority of the day.
Things started slow for both offenses early, with the two teams sitting tied at 3-3 midway through the second quarter.
However, that is when the momentum swung in Ohio State's favor after a Penn State defensive touchdown on a Kyle McCord fumble was overturned. A couple of plays later, the Buckeyes got into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game, completing the 14-point swing.
After that, the Buckeyes were able to extend their lead to 13-6, knocking through a field goal with just under nine minutes to go in the game.
On the next Penn State possession, the Ohio State defense was able to keep the Nittany Lions in check with a turnover on downs near midfield.
Marvin Harrison Jr. would put the cherry on top for the Buckeyes, scoring a touchdown with less than five minutes to go to put the Nittany Lions away.
For the game, the Buckeyes defense was able to hold the Penn State defense to just 255 yards of total offense, including a mere 183 yards through the air from quarterback Drew Allar, who completed only 18 of his 43 passes.
The defense also allowed the Nittany Lions to just 1 of 16 on third downs.
And while the offense wasn't at its best all afternoon, it did enough, with Kyle McCord completing 22 of 35 for 286 yards and a touchdown. McCord was 11 of 14 for 161 yards in the second half.
Meanwhile, the real star of the game was Harrison Jr., who caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Following the slugfest with Penn State, the Buckeyes will now look ahead to another tough conference matchup, with they head to Madison to take on the 4-2 Wisconsin Badgers.
