Ohio State vs Penn State Recap

Take a look at these two articles from OSU vs PSU. Ver good reads! Five things we think we learned from Ohio State’s win over Penn State By: Phil Harrison Well that was a donnybrook if I’ve ever seen one. Both defenses made life extremely difficult for the opposing offense, and it was a razor thin margin (despite the junk time score) that was the difference in Ohio State outlasting the Nittany Lions, 20-12, Saturday afternoon in the ‘Shoe. At the end of the day, it’s another close loss to the Buckeyes by a James Franklin led team, and another massive win in this matchup from the Scarlet and Gray sideline. It was a pretty ugly game, but all you want in these types of games is to get out of it with a win, and that’s where we are … thankfully. After every OSU game we try to take stock in what we saw and pull out some observations. Here are five things we think we learned after Ohio State’s big win against Penn State as the Buckeyes stay on the path to what they hope is a fantastic journey in 2023. Is it too early to be thinking about Michigan? The defense is championship level What we observed Well, the observations are what everyone, including those on their couches saw. This Ohio State defense is a championship-caliber defense. This Penn State defense is really good, too, and the offense has been able to move the ball — even against Iowa. But not Saturday. Not against this Buckeye defense. Time and again, the OSU defense made the plays to get Penn State’s offense off the field and back to Kyle McCord and company. When things are a little clunky on offense, it’s nice to have that side of the ball to rely on. That travels to every corner of the country, including we here, Ann Arbor. Kyle McCord wasn't spectacular but ... What we observed If you watched this game, there’s no doubt Kyle McCord struggled placing the ball from time-to-time and missed open receivers. But, you have to give the kid credit for making plays when he needed to against a really good defense. In fact, looking back on the stats, it looks like a really good day. McCord finished 22-of-35 for 286 yards and one touchdown. By the way, he had zero interceptions. Against the caliber of defense and team OSU played Saturday, I think you take that stat line. Ohio State was more disciplined than Penn State What we observed There were some huge penalties from the Penn State sideline in this one, none of them bigger than the hold on Marvin Harrison Jr. that negated a scoop and score by the Nittany Lions. There were a couple of other penalties on that drive that helped Ohio State cap it with the first touchdown of the day. A quick look at the scoreboard shows that play alone as 14-point swing that is the difference in the game. There were other situations that contributed to things stalling out on offense and keeping things on the field for Ohio State. The Buckeyes had their questionable moments too, but not as glaring with discipline as the visitors. About some of those situational decisions by Ryan Day What we observed OK. we have to mention it in all the positivity of winning this one. The game really shouldn’t have even been this close. Can we get a quarterback sneak down on the goal line instead of a hand off in the backfield or throwing a stretch pass? We continue to wonder what Day has against quarterback sneaks. And, hey, there’s nothing wrong with kicking a field goal if it makes sense, especially in a game like this. You love the aggressiveness of Day at times, but do the simple thing when it calls for it. This game was closer because of the refusal to line up and just do what you have to do to put the game in a better position. But hey, at least this one is in the win column, so we’ll let it go for now. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the cheat code to winning a "matchup" game What we observed It was impressive enough that Marvin Harrison Jr. had the breakout season he had last season when he became the No. 1 option when Jaxon Smith-Njigba went down. However, it might be more impressive what he’s doing in year two. Why you say? Ryan Day said it perfectly in the postgame when he said teams go into the game putting in a game plan to not let Harrison Jr. beat them, yet he still goes out and beats them. In this one, the future first rounder hauled in 11 receptions for 162 yards and a score — all while being bracketed and mauled. He would probably be one of the best receivers in the NFL today, and just enjoy what you’re seeing from him the rest of the season. All things being equal, Harrison is the tie-breaker when going against teams with similar talent like today.

FIVE THINGS: OSU vs PSU By Chris Lauderback Ohio State made it seven wins in a row against Penn State and improved to 7-0 on the season by way of a 20-12 score Saturday afternoon in Ohio Stadium. Jim Knowles' defense took another step forward, keeping Penn State from reaching the end zone for the game's first 59 minutes. The Silver Bullets simply suffocated an overmatched Penn State offensive line and first-year starting quarterback Drew Allar, holding them to 240 total yards with 73 of those coming on a last-gasp touchdown drive with Ohio State content to run some clock to salt away the W. With the defense recording eight tackles for loss, four sacks, six pass breakups and four quarterback hurries, fits and starts from the Ohio State offense wasn't a huge issue. The Buckeyes once again couldn't run the ball with any consistency and while Kyle McCord, Ohio State's own first-year starting quarterback, struggled at times with accuracy, locating the open man and pocket presence, he made some big-time throws finishing with 286 passing yards and a touchdown. Ohio State's second win this season against a top-10 opponent coupled with Michigan's blowout of Michigan State leaves the Buckeyes and Wolverines as the lone unbeatens in the Big Ten East. The Buckeyes' tough schedule doesn't take a break next week as they head to Camp Randall to face the 5-2 Badgers in a primetime banger. But before we shift focus to Luke Fickell's squad, here are Five Things from Ohio State's big win over the Nittany Lions. GOT TO GIVE IT UP In a contest where both teams featured elite defenses, struggled to run the ball and were depending on first-year starting quarterbacks, Ohio State benefitted greatly from having the lone unicorn on the field in the form of Marvin Harrison Jr. A year after recording career-highs with 10 receptions, all going for first downs, for 185 yards iin a win over the Nittany Lions, Harrison was even better yesterday as he recorded 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown with nine of those 11 grabs moving the chains or finding the end zone. With Ohio State nursing a 13-6 lead and facing 3rd-and-11 with just over four minutes to play, Harrison delivered the knockout punch as he hauled in a yoss on a shallow cross, raced toward the sideline and cut upfield for an 18-yard touchdown with 4:07 left in regulation. Among his other clutch catches, he fought off defensive pass interference to snag a 12-yard strike from McCord on 3rd-and-10 from the Penn State 16 to set up 1st-and-Goal. Miyan Williams found the end zone two plays later to put Ohio State in front, 10-3, midway through the second quarter. Marvin's 162 yards marked the 12th 100-yard receiving game of his Buckeye career putting him just two behind David Boston's school-record. Across two games against Penn State, Harrison tallied 21 catches for 347 yards and a score with 19 of his 21 grabs going for first downs or a touchdown. There's a strong argument to be made that yesterday's performance was the most impactful of his Buckeye career to date. NO BURKE, NO PROBLEM Even with Penn State's passing game failing to generate many explosive plays against inferior opponents coming into the matchup with Ohio State, plenty of fans were still nervous about the fact No. 1 corner Denzel Burke was out due to injury. Burke's absence forced Knowles to lean heavily on Jordan Hancock and Jermaine Mathews Jr. and the duo stood tall versus Allar and company. Hancock recorded five tackles and broke up an Allar pass on the second play of the game. Penn State punted two snaps later. Late in the fourth quarter, Hancock gave up a completion but tackled KeAndre Lambert-Smith for no gain on a 3rd-and-1 snap from the OSU 36. Mathews continued his fearless play logging three stops and a pass breakup of his own. The PBU came on a 3rd-and-8 play with Ohio State nursing a 10-6 third quarter lead. In the fourth quarter, Mathews played a 3rd-and-15 snap perfectly, giving up a check down to Theo Johnson and immediately bringing him to the ground for a useless 5-yard gain to force a punt again as OSU clung to the 10-6 advantage. Starting cornerback Davison Igbinosun also added five stops and a tackle for loss as the Buckeyes held Allar to a dismal 18-of-42 performance (43%) for 191 yards and the late touchdown. Ohio State obviously needs Burke back to make a run at a conference title and CFP bid but Hancock came up big against Penn State and Mathews has the tools to be a future star. STARCADE At programs like Ohio State where the standard is perfection, it's sometimes easy to focus too heavily on what a player isn't versus what he is. Tight end Cade Stover is a bit of a lightning rod in this regard considering his blocking is inconsistent but as a pass catcher, this dude is doing major work. In recent weeks it seems the braintrust has minimized exposure to his blocking opportunities while continuing to utilize his top-tier talent as a receiver. With starting wide receiver Emeka Egbuka out with an injury, Stover stepped up as Harrison's top sidekick recording four catches on four targets for 70 yards against the Nittany Lions. He caught a modest 2-yard pass on Ohio State's first scoring drive to make it 3-0 and his 9-yard catch on 2nd-and-10 helped keep the Buckeyes on schedule during a touchdown drive putting OSU in front, 10-3, with 7:31 left in the second quarter. His longest catch of the day came on a 2nd-and-1 snap as he mossed Penn State's Kobe King for a 30-yard gain to the PSU 9-yard line with OSU leading 10-6 late in the third quarter. Just excellent concentration and hand-eye coordination in traffic to haul in the big gainer. The Buckeyes would fail to generate points on the drive after a McCord pass fell incomplete in the direction of Carnell Tate on 4th-and-Goal from the 2-yard line but Stover's catch helped ensure Penn State would have poor field position following the turnover on downs. Still leading 10-6 on the ensuing OSU possession, Stover went back to work, corralling a McCord throw and running upfield for a 29-yard gain. The catch and run gave the Buckeyes 1st-and-10 at the PSU 36 and they would cash in with a field goal six plays later to make it 13-6 with 8:59 left in the game. Stover's key performance pushed his season totals to 27 catches for 429 yards and three touchdowns, all of which rank second on the squad behind Harrison. The converted linebacker from Lexington, Ohio (not Mansfield) could threaten Ohio State's single-season receptions and yards records for tight ends as he sits just 243 yards from breaking Billy Anders' record of 671 set back in 1966. Stover needs another 29 catches to eclipse Anders' mark of 55, also set back in '66. THIRD DOWN DOMINANCE Along with Harrison's greatness, another major factor helping Ohio State to the winner's circle came as the Buckeyes dominated on third down. Day's offense converted a modest 6-of-16 third down conversion attempts (38%) including 4-of-7 on 3rd-and-short and 2-of-5 on 3rd-and-long but that was still well above the 27% rate Penn State allowed coming into the contest and most of OSU's conversions were impactful. An 8-yard pass from McCord to Harrison on 3rd-and-3 helped keep a drive alive as Ohio State went on to take an early 3-0 lead. On the touchdown possession putting OSU in front 10-3, Miyan Williams moved the chains with a 3-yard run on 3rd-and-1, a Penn State defensive hold wiped out a strip-sack touchdown on 3rd-and-11 and a 3rd-and-10 snap saw McCord hit Harrison for the previously noted 12-yard gain the PSU 4. Williams scored two plays later. On the touchdown drive to make it 20-6 that essentially ended the game, Williams gained two yards on a 3rd-and-2 before Marv's 18-yard catch and run touchdown on 3rd-and-11. Conversely, Penn State's offense converted only 1-of-16 third down tries (6%) marking the worst third down conversion rate by an AP top-10 team over the last 10 seasons (min. 15 attempts). The Nittany Lions went 0-for-6 on 3rd-and-short. Overall, Franklin's offense averaged 1.1 yards per third down play, Allar completed just 3-of-12 passes for 12 yards and the run game logged five yards on three rushes. Penn State's lone third down conversion came with 46 seconds left in regulation on a 3rd-and-6 pass that gained seven yards. Congrats on avoiding the donut. DAY AND NIGHT The win over Penn State improved Ryan Day to 18-6 against ranked opponents and pushed him to 10-5 versus the AP top-10. He's also now 5-1 at home versus the AP top-10. I'm still not sure Ohio State will ever be able to run the ball effectively against a legit defense this season after averaging a sack-adjusted 2.3 yards per pop against Penn State with two of its 41 carries going for at least 10 yards (10, 12). I'm also scared to death of Parker Fleming's special teams units and these ongoing injuries are out of control. That said, props to Day for leading Ohio State to a significant win. Unfortunately, there's little time to get Henderson, Egbuka and Burke healthy for another possible stiff test as Ohio State heads to Madison for a primetime contest against the 5-2 Badgers next weekend. Regardless of who is available, job one for Day will be to ensure his team doesn't suffer a hangover from the big win over the Nittany Lions. You can bet Luke Fickell will have his guys amped up to face his alma mater and while the Buckeyes are riding a nine-game winning streak over Wisconsin, Camp Randall should be a tough atmosphere for Ohio State and Day can ill afford for his team to come out flat.