Ohio State Stock Report After Buckeyes Bury Penn State

The Ohio State Buckeyes walked out of Happy Valley with a 20-13 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions. Here are some notables in another edition of stock up, stock down.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) warms up prior to the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to No. 3 Penn State in search of a bounce-back victory versus the Nittany Lions. After a one-point loss versus the Oregon Ducks, a bye week and a narrow win in a poor performance versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers, momentum has not been on Ohio State's side.

A major part of Ohio State's struggles on the offensive side comes down to poor offensive line play. Losing left tackle Josh Simmons for the season against the Ducks was potentially more costly than the loss of that game. His backup Zen Michalski then went down to injury versus the Cornhuskers.

Against a Nittany Lions team that Ohio State has had fairly consistent success against in recent history, this team looked to be much improved up front with an interesting reshuffle of the personel. Donovan Jackson moved to left tackle and last year's starting center, Carson Hinzman, got the start at left guard.

Ultimately, the move panned out and the Buckeyes won 20-13. This edition of stock up, stock down feels like an obvious unit needs some recognition.

Stock Up: Offensive Line

Despite being matched up against one of the best edge rushers in college football and lacking true offensive tackle length, Donovan Jackson held up pretty well against Adbul Carter.

Jackson was not the only bright spot. Hinzman, Seth McLaughlin and Tegra Tshabola were certainly clearing out some running room in the middle for Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, especially on the final drive of the game.

Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Carson Hinzman (75) calls out a play beside Donovan Jackson (74) during the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Judkins ended the game with 95 yards on 14 carries, while Henderson and Will Howard added another 78 yards combined on the ground. This is all credit to the big guys up front.

What this dominant performance up front likely did was establish a starting group for the rest of the season.

Stock Down: Will Howard

Howard did not play his best game. He made two major mistakes that could have been extremely costly.

The pick six on the opening drive was a result of not paying attention to the corner looking to jump the route of Jeremiah Smith underneath. That immediately put the Buckeyes in a 10-0 hole.

As the Buckeyes marched back and had all of the momentum going their way, it looked like they would be taking a 21-10 lead. Instead, Howard had the balled punched out at the one-yard line, hit off his left leg and go over the pylon for a touchback. Not protecting the football gave the Nittany Lions a much needed stop that appeared unlikely at the time.

Nov 2, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) loses control of the ball short of the goal line resulting in a touch back during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Those two mistakes were the major ones, yet he missed several throws as well. Carnell Tate would have had a touchdown if Howard did not throw the ball behind him, resulting in a circus catch that was incomplete due to being thrown to the boundary. Unfortunately, missed opportunities like this one have been holding this offense back.

To the credit of Howard, he did not let these mistakes unravel his game. He kept battling, competing and running when the Buckeyes needed him. His clock management at the end of the game was excellent as well.

Stock Up: Defense

The defense has been playing well lately, but they deserve a ton of credit for this victory as a unit. Whenever they were backed up against their own end zone, they made plays at crucial times.

Drew Allar threw a very catchable ball to Harrison Wallace III in the corner of the end zone at the end of the first half. A slight bobble from Wallace allowed Davison Igbinosun an opportunity to get his hands in there and snatch the football. Not only did he get the ball but he also kept his feet in bounds for an incredible interception.

Nov 2, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1) intercepts the ball in the end zone resulting in a touch back during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

In the second half, Penn State had a first and goal from the Ohio State three-yard line. After stuffing the run three consecutive times, the Buckeyes came up with a stop on fourth down thanks to excellent coverage. Lathan Ransom jumped the route of Tyler Warren and Caleb Downs was all over the route by Khalil Dinkins.

Cody Simon once again led the way as a tackler with 10 total and added one sack as well. His fellow linebacker Sonny Styles pitched in with nine total tackles as well.