MY THOUGHTS.....PENN STATE

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes survived a scare from a good Penn State team by scoring four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to go to 8-0 on the season. J.T. Tuimoloau was simply, DA MAN, forcing four turnovers, intercepting two passes, one for a pick-six, forcing and recovering a fumble, and deflecting another pass for an interception. DE Zach Harrison also got in on the act with the interception that Tuimoloau tipped to him and four tackles. Just when Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford seemed to put the first half turnovers behind him, the pressure ramped up again in the fourth quarter, resulting in his third interception and a lost fumble. Almost lost in what was the “J.T. Tuimoloau Show” was Tommy Eichenberg and his 15 tackles, which led the defense. Steele Chambers and Lathan Ransom also contributed with nine and seven tackles respectively, and Ronnie Hickman led the way in the secondary with six tackles, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble. The Penn State ground game was limited to a mere 3.3 yards per rush and even though they gave up 371 passing yards to Clifford and 482 total yards, the Ohio State defense clearly had the answers when it mattered.

Marvin Harrison Jr. staked his claim to being one of the best receivers I the country, logging a career-high 10 receptions for 185 yards against a good Penn State secondary. C.J. Stroud looked for him often on third down and Harrison was able to make four catches on third down, each keeping a scoring drive alive. Stroud finished 354 yards and a single touchdown pass to Cade Stover, who also caught five other passes as he continues to be a vital part of the pass offense. Emeka Egbuka also caught six passes, one of which, a 42-yarder, was key on a scoring drive. It was tough sledding in the ground game for the second straight week. Penn State keyed on the running game in the first half, holding Ohio State to a mere 2.1 yards per attempt. They did a little better in the second half, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt, bolstered by TreVeyon Henderson’s 41-yard touchdown run which gave the Buckeyes the lead for good with 8:51 to play. The play-calling, at times, got too predictable. A decent defense like Penn State’s was bound to figure out the “bubble screen” offense and they did. Penn State’s front seven has recovered from the beat-down they suffered against Michigan, and they covered those screens pretty well most of the game and, outside of Henderson’s long TD run, made it hard to get consistent yards on the ground. But the story of this game is coming up with the plays when they were needed and on both sides of the ball, the Buckeyes did just that.

Next up is a trip to Northwestern, which should be a breather and perhaps give banged-up players, such as Miyan Williams, a chance to heal up for the stretch run in November.