Penn State Falls to (13) Ohio State, 31-24

In front of a packed Penn State Whiteout crowd of 107,895, the Nittany Lions showed a substantial amount of resilience as they battled No. 13 Ohio State  in a double overtime thriller. However, the Buckeyes escaped Beaver Stadium with a 31-24 win behind quarterback J.T. Barrett’s four-yard touchdown run in the second overtime.

Ohio State (6-1, 3-0) raced out to 17-0 lead in the first half, but the Nittany Lions responded with 17 unanswered points of their own in the final two quarters. Penn State (4-3, 1-3) began their comeback after junior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel intercepted a pass from Barrett and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The touchdown was the first of his career.

Zettel and senior linebacker Mike Hull led a fantastic Penn State defensive effort throughout the game. In addition to his interception, which was his second of the season, Zettel recorded a three-yard sack and one tackle. Hull made a career-high 19 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and notched his second career interception. The senior’s 19 tackles were the most in a single game by a Penn State player since Gerald Hodges made 19 stops against Illinois in 2011.

Freshman safety Marcus Allen made the first start of his career and had an impactful performance. He finished with 11 tackles and two pass deflections, while sophomore linebacker Brandon Bell contributed 13 tackles, including a sack for a seven-yard loss.

Penn State’s defense started the comeback, but the offense kept the momentum going as it was able to finally put points on the board in the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Saeed Blacknall early in the fourth, and kicker Sam Ficken’s 31-yard field goal tied the game, 17-17, with nine seconds remaining.

Hackenberg was 31-of-49 passing for 224 yards and one touchdown. Blacknall’s touchdown reception was the first of his career. He finished the game with four catches for 34 yards. Redshirt freshman receiver DaeSean Hamilton set a Penn State single-game record with 14 catches for 126 yards.

Ohio State won the toss in the first overtime and elected to start on defense. The Lions put together a decent drive on their first possession, which was highlighted by a 12-yard pitch-and-catch from Hackenberg to Hamilton. The drive ended with running back Bill Belton scoring a one-yard touchdown run after taking a direct snap from the Wildcat formation. The touchdown gave Penn State a 24-17 lead, its first lead of the game.

The Buckeyes responded on their next possession when Barrett rushed the ball two consecutive times, the first for 17 yards and the second 5 yards for a touchdown. The Nittany Lions were called for a personal foul on Barrett’s score, which gave the Buckeyes the ball at the 12 to start the second overtime.

In just three plays, Ohio State scored a touchdown on a four-yard run by Barrett to take a 31-24 lead. The Nittany Lions gained five yards on their next possession, but a sack of Hackenberg on a fourth-and-5 play by Buckeyes linebacker Joey Bosa secured Ohio State’s victory.

Questionable Calls:

Penn State was on the wrong end of two questionable calls by officials during the game.

In the first quarter on the Nittany Lions first drive of the game, Hackenberg dropped back to pass on 1st-and-10 from his own 36, only to see Ohio State linebacker Deron Lee closing in. As he was being rushed, Hackenberg was unable to set his feet and step into his throw, resulting in him throwing a rushed pass towards the sideline that Buckeye safety Vonn Bell stepped in front of to intercept.

Although Bell sold the play well, several replays on the Beaver Stadium video boards showed that the tip of the ball hit the ground before he actually secured the interception. Despite the officials’ review of the play, the call was upheld. Running back Ezekiel Elliott would score on the Buckeyes’ ensuing possession, giving Ohio State a 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter with the Buckeyes still up 7-0, Ohio State lined up to attempt a 49-yard field goal. Freshman kicker Sean Nuernberger made the kicked and gave his team a 10-0 lead. However, replay shows that the play clock had expired before Nuernberger attempted the kick. Ohio State failed to even snap the ball until two or three seconds after the clock expired. The play should have been blown dead by officials and Ohio State should have been flagged for delay of game. But as it turns out, officials did not see the clock expire and that play is not reviewable.

*Section Photo credit to Bill Landis, Cleveland.com; Featured Photo (above) credit to Jamie Sabau, Getty Images

Week 9 Big Ten Takeaways
Week 9 Big Ten Takeaways