Penn State fans livid after ridiculously soft taunting penalty gifts Ohio State a touchdown

Penn State jumped out to a 10-0 lead over Ohio State after Will Howard threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt of the game. However, the Buckeyes answered back with 14 straight points, though Penn State fans aren’t upset with their defense, they’re upset with the officials that gave Howard and his offense a second chance on their third drive of the game. 

Facing a third-and-11 on Ohio State’s own 38-yard line, Howard completed a short pass to wide receiver Carnell Tate who slipped up short of the first down marker and was tackled by Penn State cornerback Elliot Washington II. Penn State nearly forced an Ohio State punt, but the Big Ten officials bailed out the Buckeyes with a taunting flag against Washington for stepping over Tate as he was getting up after making the tackle. 

The flag gave the Buckeyes 15 yards and a first down. Five plays later, Howard found wide receiver Brandon Inniss on a crossing route and Inniss waltzed into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown to give Ohio State the lead. Penn State fans were furious with the call. 

However, very few are surprised to see the Buckeyes getting all the calls from the Big Ten officials, especially with Ohio State already having suffered a conference loss. Another regular season loss could potentially keep the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff. 

It’s not just Penn State fans who view that taunting call as ridiculous and incredibly soft in a matchup for top-5 teams with Big Ten title game implications. Many media personalities have expressed disdain for the taunting penalty including college football analyst Mike Golic Jr. 

Penn State now has to overcome a slew of calls going against them to upset the Buckeyes at home.