#3 Ohio State[7-0] defeats #7 Penn State[6-1] 20-12. Next week, Penn State hosts Indiana while Ohio State travels to play Wisconsin.
1st Quarter: Ohio State Kicker Jayden Fielding kicks a 33-yard field goal. Penn State Kicker Alex Felkins kicks a 40-yard field goal.
2nd Quarter: Ohio State Running Back Miyan Williams runs in a 2-yard touchdown. Alex Felkins kicks a 41-yard field goal. Ohio State leads at halftime 10-6.
3rd Quarter: On a Penn State punt, the ball touches an Ohio State player and Penn State recovers at their own 48-yard line.
4th Quarter: Jayden Fielding makes a 37-yard field goal. Ohio State Quarterback Kyle McCord throws a 19-yard touchdown to Wide Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Jayden Fielding misses a 45-yard field goal. Penn State Quarterback Drew Allar throws an 8-yard touchdown to Wide Receiver Kaden Saunders(2-point conversion is unsuccessful). Ohio State wins 20-12.
Nittany Lions Notes:
Offensive-Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The run game was not helpful despite having arguably the best duo in the country. None of the receivers were getting open. The offensive line broke down throughout the game, including arguably the top offensive line draft prospect in Olumuyiwa Fashanu. Drew Allar was not able to get going at all. This offense is too talented to be doing this and I believe it is the coaching that is forcing players to play conservatively. Early in the year, it looked like this offense could explode but as the games kept going the play calls became more conservative. It feels like how the Bills used to play Josh Allen in his rookie year. Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen are too talented to be used like this. When everything is going wrong then the players on the field are far from the problem.
Run Defense-Stopping the run was great early on in the game. Late in the game as Penn State needed to stop the pass it became clear that some running lanes were getting open. Good game from the front 7.
Pass Defense- Outside of trying to stop Marvin Harrison Jr. the secondary played great. But that was the issue. Nobody in the country can stop Marvin Harrison Jr. at this level and even against one of the best defenses in the country, it is hard to slow him down.
James Franklin-Going into this year I gave James Franklin one more year to make this program a national championship contender. The best quarterback prospect we have had in over a decade, arguably the best running back duo in the country, the best offensive line in years, and the best Nittany Lions defense possibly ever. Manny Diaz will likely gain interest from a lot of programs or at the NFL level because he is a stellar defensive mind. Yet this team still can not beat the top guys in the conference. I think James Franklin is an awesome person, a great recruiter, and a motivational leader. He just can not coach a championship-level team. As long as he is the coach this program will be making bowl games but not the top games that matter the most and I think I can speak for everyone at State College when I say we want this team to go to that next level.
-Jordan Burden