On Saturday, 4th ranked Ohio State traveled to Happy Valley to play the 9th ranked Nittany Lions. This was one of the biggest games of the year because the winner will have an easier path to the Big Ten Championship and to the CFP. 110,889 fans packed into Beaver Stadium wearing all white and it was looking to be a tough environment for the Buckeyes.
Penn State is led by Senior quarterback Trace McSorley and they came out firing on all cylinders to start the game. After the first quarter, the score was only 3-0 Penn State, but they clearly had the momentum moving forward in the game. The crowd played a huge role in the first couple drives for Ohio State as they had trouble keeping drives alive.
With 11 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, Penn State kicked another field goal to make it 6-0 and Dwayne Haskins and the Buckeyes desperately needed to score, but still couldn’t convert. Later in the quarter, with over 5 minutes left, wide receiver KJ Hamler scored a 93 yard touchdown on a 3rd down to make it a 13-0 game. Ohio State needed a touchdown before halftime to avoid a blowout and they got one on a Dwayne Haskins pass to J.K Dobbins to end the half making it 13-7.
Ohio State got the ball to start the second half and drove down the field and scored on another Dobbins touchdown to make it 14-13. There was not any scoring the rest of the third quarter as both defenses stepped up and made key plays to try and keep the score as close as possible.
By the end of the third quarter, Penn State was set up with good field position as they scored on a 2 yard touchdown pass with 12 minutes left in the game. After a 4th down stop by the Nittany Lions they march right down the field and score again with 8 minutes left. The score was now 26-14 and the Buckeyes needed two touchdowns to come back. On the first drive, Dwayne Haskins threw a bullet to Benjamin Victor for a 47 yard touchdown to make it 26-21. After forcing Penn State to punt, the Buckeyes now had the ball with a chance to take the lead. Dwayne Haskins led the offense down the field and scored on a 24 yard touchdown to take the lead with 2 minutes left. The score was now 27-26 and the Buckeyes needed one stop and they got it on 4th down to win the game. Senior Adam Hascher said, “That was one of the best college games I’ve ever seen”.
Ohio State won 27-26 and they are now favorites to win the Big Ten Championship.
