The Penn State-Ohio State Report Card

Penn State laments another missed opportunity against the Buckeyes, notably on offense.

COLUMBUS, Ohio | Penn State left Ohio Stadium bitter once again following a 20-12 loss to Ohio State. The Buckeyes won their seventh straight in the series, James Franklin's longest single losing streak to any one team, raising a host of questions about the Lions' offense in the process.

The report card from Penn State's first loss since, well, its loss to Ohio State in 2022.

OFFENSE: D

Sure, Ohio State's defense blistered the Lions behind linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, defensive backs Sonny Styles and Jordan Hancock and end JT Tuiomoloau. But the Lions' offense was alternately harried, impatient, chaotic, confused and flat-footed. Quarterback Drew Allar and his receivers often appeared to be playing a different game. Tight ends missed blocks. Left tackle Olu Fashanu said he "didn't perform to the best of my abilities." And we'll get to offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.

But by going 0-for-15 on third down until their final series, the Lions gave themselves no chance to generate momentum, much less score a touchdown, much less win the game. 

DEFENSE: A-

Defensive end Adisa Isaac said his group should have done more. The question is, what and how? The Lions fairly corralled Ohio State's run game (41 attempts, 79 yards), got a fourth-down red-zone stop, forced two more red-zone field goals, broke up five passes, made nine tackles for loss and gave their offense a bunch of chances.

 Marvin Harrison Jr. (11 catches, 162 yards, one touchdown) was the problem everyone expected him to be, including Penn State, and certainly was a deciding factor. But the Lions trailed only 10-6 entering the fourth quarter, a function overwhelmingly of the defense's work. And they did so without injured end Chop Robinson for most of the game. Penn State had no update on Robinson's injury after the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-

Tyler Elsdon's third-quarter recovery of a muffed punt should have been a turning point. It wasn't, but at least Penn State's special teams contributed. Kicker Alex Felkins comfortably made two field goals of 40+ yards, Riley Thompson hit two punts of 50+ and Daequan Hardy gave the offense decent field position with a 15-yard punt return. Hardy also chose not to fair catch an Ohio State punt from its own end zone, leading to a demoralizing 72-yarder. That was a setback.

COACHES: D

About halfway through the fourth quarter of a one-possession game, Franklin went for a 4th-and-3 instead of punting. Franklin's reasoning? "At that point right there, ... you feel like you have to be aggressive," he said. "You may not get the ball back." Remember, this was with more than 7 minutes remaining of a 13-6 game in which his defense had allowed one drive over 5 minutes and had just made a huge red-zone stop. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz rightly should have been furious. Sometimes, Penn State ran its offense as though it trailed by three possessions. At others it seemed painfully risk averse. Which brings us to  Yurcich, who ran a bunch of goo (a flea flicker, three receiver option plays) that reeked of desperation. Allar struggled to find rhythm, and Yurcich didn't help. Further, Ohio State exposed Penn State's season-long issues at receiver, which will require an offseason dive into recruiting and development.

OVERALL: C-

Two phases did their jobs. Defensively, the Lions mostly were spectacular. They gave the offense a life raft several times. The offense did nothing with it, never really making any plays that mattered substantially. This wasn't the shocking heartbreak of Penn State's past losses to Ohio State, say in 2017, 2018 or last year. But this one might have burned more hotly because of how it unfolded and how vulnerable Ohio State appeared.

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