Penn State Football: Revisiting the marquee win over Ohio State
A game that was filled with momentum-swinging haymaker after haymaker ended in a program altering win for Penn State football.
It’s no secret fans and pundits circle the 24-21 win over Ohio State as the turning point of the Nittany Lions’ 2016 season. Penn State football restored its blue blood dominance and returned to big-time college football. VBR analyzed this game in a number of ways, but it’s a significant game to still dissect.
This game didn’t light up the scoreboard, but it felt like a throwback slugfest. Two traditional powers giving each other their best shot. In the early going, Ohio State got on the board first, but Penn State put together multiple promising, scoreless drives. In the end, the Nittany Lions made enough plays to upset the Buckeyes.
Absorbing the Buckeyes’ punches
After a scoreless first quarter, Ohio State created a little breathing room with two Tyler Durbin field goals bookending a romping Marcus Baugh 26-yard touchdown catch. Durbin missed the extra point making it a 12-0 Ohio State lead. Ohio State entered the game ranked No. 2 in the country, and it seemed like they were on the road to a win.
As soon as they began to separate, Trace McSorley erased the lead to one possession. Penn State went 74-yards in 7-plays thanks in large part to McSorley. He completed 3-of-4 attempts for 73 yards including the 20-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin with nine seconds remaining in the half.
Despite the end to the first half, Ohio State had one more run left in the tank. Curtis Samuel turned on the afterburners on the Buckeyes’ second drive of the second half. He took a handoff right and sped past two angling defenders untouched for a 74-yard score making it 19-7 Ohio State.
On Penn State’s next drive a calamity nearly happened. A high snap flew over Nittany Lions’ punter Blake Gillikin. Although the situation turned bleak, Gillikin hurried to the ball and recovered it for a safety. Most people saw this as a poor play, but it was a game-saving play by Gillikin. If he doesn’t recover it, the Buckeyes score, and it’s a 26-7 game instead of 21-7.
17 unanswered in one quarter
The subtitle perfectly describes what happened after that play. Penn State went up and Ohio State trended down. In clutch time, Penn State football came through. Another efficient drive by McSorley and a big 37-yard carry by Saquon Barkley punctuated a two-yard, never-say-die touchdown run by McSorley.
A blocked punt by freshman Cam Brown didn’t produce a touchdown, but Tyler Davis connected on a 34-yard field to cut the lead to 21-17. Finally, the special teams and defense wrapped up the brilliant win.
Marcus Allen blocked a field goal and Grant Haley took it the distance to take a 24-21 Penn State lead. The defense rounded out a tremendous performance with two key sacks on Ohio State’s drive to steal the game.
Making a Name
To this point in the season Penn State was just 4-2. They entered on a two-game win streak and hadn’t quite discovered an identity yet. The Nittany Lions beat the teams they were supposed to in Kent State, Temple, Minnesota and Maryland, and they lost to Pittsburgh and Michigan.
McSorley earned a bit of a turnover-prone reputation with fumbles. He proved he could lead the team and start, but he needed to take the next step forward. Against Ohio State, he did that. He completed just 8-of-23 passes for 154 yards for one touchdown but threw zero interceptions against a ballhawking Buckeyes’ secondary. He added 61 yards and a touchdown on the ground with zero fumbles lost.
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Furthermore, the defense made a name for itself. They pressured Barrett and threw Ohio State’s offense into inconsistency. Ohio State went over 400 yards on the day, but it took 83 plays. They made them earn it and it cost them. Out of this game, Penn State earned the respect it once garnered as a strong program.