Penn State has not beaten Ohio State since 2016 but the stars appeared to be aligning this season. The Nittany Lions were hosting the Buckeyes in front of what proved to be the biggest crowd in Beaver Stadium history, Ohio State looked vulnerable coming off a terrible game against Nebraska, and their offensive line looked beaten and battered.
Despite all of this, the Nittany Lions once again failed to beat the Buckeyes making it eight straight losses against the visitors from Columbus. This loss dropped James Franklin to 1-10 against the Buckeyes.
This one was it's own kind of frustrating. The Nittany Lions had opportunities in this game but repeatedly came up short in the red zone. Then when the defense had to get a stop at the end of the game to get off the field, they failed to do so.
Even with the loss not all is lost for the 2024 season, however. We will get into that and more with this weekend's edition of day after thoughts.
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Offensive woes in the red zone
Penn State’s first drive of the game was masterful by Andy Kotelnicki. The Nittany Lions methodically marched down the field on Ohio State’s defense, but once they reached the red zone their season long red zone struggles continued.
With the offense in a rhythm, Penn State went to the Beau Pribula package on 1st down just outside the 10-yard line and ran a roll out pass play that had little chance of success due to the design of the play. They were flagged for an ineligible man down field and the offense never recovered having to settle for a field goal attempt. Going to the PriBula package there wasn’t an issue, but the play call was. Not targeting Tyler Warren at all was certainly a choice as well.
Right before the half, the Nittany Lions had a 1st and goal at the 4-yard line with a chance to take the lead into the half. At worst, they should have gotten a field goal and only been down 14-13.
Despite still having a timeout at their disposal and averaging 4.4 yards per carry up to that point, Ko called the dreaded end zone fade pass. On a play that was a tremendous effort by Davison Igbinosun it resulted in an interception. This allowed the Buckeyes to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room. Even if the Nittany Lions were not going to run the ball there, a fade route to Trey Wallace was a poor play call.
With less than 7 minutes remaining in the game the Nittany Lions had 1st and goal at the Ohio State 4 with a chance to tie the game. After running Kaytron Allen straight ahead into the pile on three straight plays, a pass play that saw Drew Allar try and force the ball to Kahlil Dinkins in triple coverage was the call on 4th down. It fell incomplete, keeping the score at 20-13.
Once again, poor play calling and designs burnt the Nittany Lions when the field shortened. With better play calling in the red zone Penn State could have won this game. There are a lot of calls from this one that Kotelnicki would love to have a do over on.
All of the words you just read about the offense struggling in the red zone can be summed up quite simply. Penn State twice had 1st and goal inside the Ohio State 4-yard line and neither trip resulted in points. Oh, and Tyler Warren was not targeted a single time on either of those series.
More questionable Big Ten officiating, review decisions
Early in the game, James Franklin was on the officials after they missed a holding call on Ohio State on Penn State’s first drive. On the second Nittany Lion drive, the aforementioned Igbinosun got away with a blatant hold of Liam Clifford on a 3rd down leading to a punt.
After Elliott Washington made a tackle short of the sticks, he was called for a phantom taunting call extending an Ohio State drive that would have ended in a punt. The drive would result in a Buckeye touchdown and a 14-10 lead.
Then in the 4th quarter, Quinshon Judkins was originally ruled with having lost a fumble that A.J. Harris returned into Ohio State territory. After review, the call was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass.
Was it an incomplete pass? Perhaps. Was there enough evidence to overturn the call on the field? There certainly did not appear to be. This kept the Buckeye drive alive and led to a field goal that extended their lead to 20-13.
Chip Kelly outcoached Tom Allen
In the coordinator battle, Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly spent much of the day out coaching Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen. There were poor coverage choices, man coverage against receivers as good as Ohio State is a risky move. Man coverage against a Chip Kelly offense often does not work, either. Man coverage against both of those things? Not good.
When Ohio State took over at their own 1-yard line with less than 5 minutes to go, the defense failed to get stops and get off the field. When the defense needed to come up big, Ohio State simply ran the ball down their throats.
There were too many times Penn State's defense seemed to struggle with communication, which contributed to multiple instances where the defense appeared to struggle to get lined up properly leading to chunk plays for the Buckeyes. Kelly out coached Allen on Saturday afternoon, and that was a big factor in the outcome of the game.
Loss not as crippling as in the past
If there is a positive, it's that in the 12-team College Football Playoff Era this loss is not as crippling for Penn State as past losses to Ohio State have been. The Nittany Lions sit at 7-1 and will still be a top 10, if not a top 5 team.
Looking ahead, the Nittany Lions will be favored in each of their four remaining games. To be honest, they might be 10+ point favorites in each of their remaining games. Take care of business against four inferior opponents and the Nittany Lions will not only reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, they will likely have a home game in the 1st round.
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