It was groundhogs day for the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon against the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Nittany Lions found themselves on the losing end of the annual matchup, this time by the final score of 20-13, this time in front of a record crowd of 111,030 at Beaver Stadium.
The lasting image of the latest setback for the Nittany Lions will be a failure to score a touchdown on the goal line in the closing minutes. While the touchdown wouldn't have given Penn State the lead, it would've allowed them to tie it and hope to get the ball back one more time in regulation.
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Instead, three straight runs and then a pass into triple coverage by Drew Allar resulted in a turnover on downs for the Nittany Lions. Ohio State would take the ball over with just five minutes remaining and would run the clock out.
It was one of three red zone trips for Penn State in the game. On those three drives, they ultimately came away with just three points, a short field goal on their opening drive.
It was overall a mediocre day at best for the Nittany Lions offense.
They totaled just 270 yards of total offense in the game, Drew Allar coming off a leg injury last week against Wisconsin looked fine. In fact, he was the Nittany Lions' second leading rusher in the game with 31 yards on 10 attempts. Through the air, it was a fine but unremarkable day, 12-for-20, 146 yards and one interception as the Nittany Lions' wide receivers struggled to gain separation throughout the day.
Defensively, two back-to-back scoring drives that helped Ohio State erase an early 10-0 Penn State ultimately was the difference maker in the game. While the Nittany Lions' defense didn't have their best day by any means, it was an effort from Tom Allen's unit that continuously gave the Nittany Lions offense chances to tie the game or even take the lead including forcing a pair of Will Howard turnovers in the first half.
Early in the game, it looked as though it may be the NIttany Lions' day to finally come out on top. The offense moved down the field well on their first drive, going 61 yards on 14 plays but had to settle for a field goal after getting into the redzone.
Three plays into Ohio State's first drive, Zion Tracy would jump an ill-advised throw from Ohio State's Will Howard for a pick-six, the Nittany Lions found themselves leading 10-0 within the first 10 minutes of action.
Howard and Ohio State were not fazed by the pick-six, however, immediately answering it with back-to-back scoring drives of 74 yards and 81 yards. The Nittany Lions' offense in the meantime struggled to move the ball after their opening drive, picking up just 38 additional yards over their next three drives in the first half.
Prior to halftime, the Nittany Lions would find some offensive success with under two minutes, going 46 yards on seven plays. Looking for a touchdown, Drew Allar would target Harrison Wallace on a fade route, the ball would hit Wallace in the hands and bounce into the hands of Ohio State defensive back Davison Igbinosun for an interception. A heartbreaking finish to a potential go-ahead scoring drive right before halftime.
In the second half, Penn State's offense would garner slightly more success but only touched the ball three times. After settling for a field goal on their first drive of the half before ultimately failing to punch it from the goal line in the final minutes.
The Nittany Lions defense would have the opportunity to get the Penn State offense back the ball one more time, but the Buckeyes would run the ball nine straight times, running out the clock to seal the Ohio State victory.
The loss drops Penn State to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in conference play; the Nittany Lions will likely be ranked within the top-10 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. Ohio State improves to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in conference play. The Buckeyes now control their own destiny to a potential Big Ten Championship game appearances and a potential rematch with the Oregon Ducks.
WHAT'S NEXT?
While Penn State fans won't want to hear it on Saturday, and perhaps not even on Sunday or Monday, the loss, while disappointing for the Nittany Lions and the fanbase, isn't the end of the world. Penn State has a strong opportunity to finish the season off strong with Washington, Purdue, Minnesota, and Maryland left on their schedule.
With an 11-1 record, the Nittany Lions would be in a prime spot to make this year's College Football Playoffs and likely host a first round playoff matchup against a favorable opponent. But before they get there, that will start with taking care of business next weekend against Big Ten newcomer Washington in the program's annual White Out.
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