Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State vs. Ohio State Position Grades

By Shane Lunnen

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions special teams players celebrate a blocked punt against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions special teams players celebrate a blocked punt against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions fans celebrate their teams victory on the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions fans celebrate their teams victory on the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

A program-defining win for Penn State Saturday night in front of a raucous White Out crowd.

What a win!  Words can’t even describe how much the 24-21 victory over second ranked Ohio State means to this program.  This is a victory that will live in Nittany Lion lore for a long, long time.

Three weeks ago, this team and program were at a crossroads, coming off a 49-10 shellacking to Michigan.  At 2-2, the season could have spiraled out of control.  There was a ton of talk about James Franklin’s future.

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At halftime of the Minnesota game, with the Nittany Lions down 13-3, the students were chanting “Fire Franklin”.  Penn State surged back in the second half to send it to overtime and Saquon Barkley’s 25-yard dash to the end zone in the extra frame sealed it.

Then came the best game the team had played all season to that point, a crushing of then-undefeated Maryland 38-14.

Which lead us to Saturday night.  The Nittany Lions were 20-point home underdogs and no one, myself included, gave them much of a chance.  This Nittany Lion squad proved everyone wrong.

This was a total team effort.  Not perfect by any means, but all three facets contributed to the win.

Let’s grade out each position and bask in the glory of sweet victory.

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