Penn State (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) fell to Ohio State (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) in a double overtime thriller by a final score of 31-24 despite a near miraculous fourth quarter show by the Nittany Lions.
Ohio State opened the game with a bang; less than five minutes into the first quarter, defensive back Vonn Bell picked off one of Hackenberg’s passes to set up the Buckeyes’ first scoring drive. Running back Ezekiel Elliot rushed for 10 yards to give Ohio State their first touchdown of the night. They would score again on their first drive of the second quarter, setting up Sean Nuernberger for a 49-yard field goal. Freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett would end their regulation scoring on a one-yard pass to Jeff Heuerman just seven minutes later.
Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry led his team with 18 tackles, while Joey Bosa also contributed six tackles and three sacks. The Buckeyes’ defense was punishing in the first half of contest, but miscommunications on the sidelines and a sold-out, boisterous crowd of more than 107,000 at Beaver Stadium left them confused, allowing the Nittany Lions to dominate the second half.
Penn State’s defensive effort was solid; it kept them in the game against the bigger, stronger, faster Buckeyes. Senior linebacker Mike Hull, the Big Ten’s leading hitter, recorded a career-high 19 tackles and grabbed an interception for the night. Junior defensive end Anthony Zettel made a three-yard sack and tallied another tackle, but his highlight of the game came when he snatched an interception in the third quarter to get the Nittany Lions on the board.
Leading the Lions’ offensive effort was redshirt freshman DaeSean Hamilton, who broke the Penn State single-game reception record, netting 14 grabs for a total of 126 yards. He was quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s favorite target for the night, who completed 31 for 49 passes, including a 24-yard bullet to receiver Saeed Blacknall for the freshman’s first career touchdown in the fourth quarter, leaving the Ohio State lead only 17-14.
Sam Ficken got both of Penn State’s extra point attempts and successfully kicked a 31-yard field goal to tie with the Buckeyes with just 2:49 left in the game.
As the clock expired, the tie wasn’t broken, the game headed to overtime. Ohio State won the coin toss and chose to defend first, but Hackenberg again connected with Hamilton to gain 12 yards before running back Bill Belton finished the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown. Ficken completed the extra point attempt, leaving the score 24-17.
Ohio State answered quickly as Barrett took a five-yard run to garner the touchdown and force a second overtime. The Buckeyes opened at the 12-yard line after a Penn State penalty was recognized in the opening possession, but the team needed only three plays to score and take the 31-24 lead.
Penn State managed to pick up five yards, but Bosa got the final say and sacked Hackenberg, securing the final score for the Buckeyes.
Penn State will meet Maryland at Beaver Stadium next week and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
