Penn State Football: Nittany Lions collapse in fourth quarter at Ohio State

Penn State was 15 minutes away from an epic win before Ohio State came storming back. 

The Penn State Nittany Lions walked into Ohio Stadium and did exactly what they wanted, right up until the final 15 minutes of the game. The Nittany Lions held a double-digit lead on the Buckeyes, but were unable to hang on and ultimately fell 39-38.

Heisman Trophy favorite Saquon Barkley got things started with a bang when he returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Penn State then forced an Ohio State fumble and Trace McSorley found DaeSean Hamilton in the end zone to go up 14-0 in the first quarter.

A 36-yard Barkley run in the second quarter put the Nittany Lions up 21-3. At that point, Ohio State was reeling from mistakes and Penn State appeared to be well on its way to a huge victory.

Ohio State did find the end zone twice in the second quarter, but Penn State took a commanding 28-17 lead into the break.

Penn State got a big touchdown in the third quarter when a play that was initially ruled an interception was overturned on replay. DeAndre Thompkins was deemed to have had possession of the ball in the end zone before the defender took it away from him. With that, Penn State took a 35-20 lead into the final frame.

That’s when Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett took over. He completed 16-straight passes at one point and threw three touchdowns in the final quarter. The Nittany Lions were doomed by a blocked punt in and ended up managing just a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State’s three touchdowns in the fourth quarter sealed the fate of the Nittany Lions.

Barrett finished the game with 328 yards passing on the tough Penn State defense and put his name clearly in the race for the Heisman Trophy.

McSorley threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and also added a score on the ground. Barkley, aside from his two touchdowns, was bottled up for most of the game and finished with just 44 yards on 21 carries.

The potent Penn State offense really struggled against Ohio State’s defense and managed just 283 yards of total offense. On the flip side, Ohio State kept its streak of 500-yard games alive by racking up 529 on the Nittany Lions.

The loss will hurt Penn State for a long time, but the Nittany Lions still have a shot at making the College Football Playoff. All they have to do is win out and see what happens with everyone else. Up next is a game at Michigan State.