Ohio State managed to gut out a victory against a Penn State
squad tougher than their record indicates. Despite issues on both sides of the
ball, the Buckeyes ultimately prevailed. The defense was mixed bag. They
allowed Penn State to convert on 11 of 18 third down conversions, yet they
completely shut down any kind of running threat by Penn State, holding them to
a mere 33 yards, and there was the scoop-and-score by Jerron Cage, who huffed
and puffed 57 yards with a Shawn Clifford fumble to give the Buckeyes a
10-point margin in the second quarter. Ronnie Hickman once again led the
defense in tackles with 15, his career best. The pass rush, which was
non-existent at the start of the season, came up with five sacks and the scoop
and score by Cage. Cameron Brown turned in perhaps his best game with four
tackles, good pass coverage, and an interception that led to a field goal in
the fourth quarter.
Red-zone woes plagued the Buckeyes. Of course, it wasn’t
until near the end of the third quarter that TreVeyon Henderson was able to
break his 68-yard run. Up until then, Penn State’s defensive front had been
getting the best of Ohio State’s offensive line on most plays. It was clear
Penn State’s strategy was to key on Henderson and make C.J. Stroud beat them
through the air, betting that their experienced secondary could keep up with
Ohio State’s receivers. They were not able to. Garrett Wilson led with seven
catches and Jaxson Smith-Njigba had six, including taking one 58 yards up the
middle of the field after breaking a tackle. Despite being double-teamed most
of the game, Chris Olave hauled in three catches, including hauling in a ball
put up for grabs for Ohio State’s first touchdown.
All in all, it was a good game for this team. For the first
time this season, they had to earn a gutty win against a team that was better
than their recent losses indicated. Their next two games are relative breathers
in comparison with a trip to Lincoln to take on a struggling Nebraska team and
at home against Purdue.
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