Defense Wins the Day in 20-12 Win Over Nittany Lions

Saturday, October 21

Columbus, Ohio

12:00 PM

Ohio State

7-0 , 4-0

#7 Penn State

6-1 , 3-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Penn State

Ohio State

Defense Wins the Day in 20-12 Win Over Nittany Lions

10/21/2023 2:57:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 3 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0) outlasted No. 7 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) 20-12 in a defensive battle Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeye defense held the Nittany Lions without a touchdown until the final minute of the game while allowing just a pair of field goals in the win.

Marvin Harrison Jr. caught 11 Kyle McCord passes for 162 yards and a score. McCord finished with 286 yards passing with 22 completions on 35 attempts.

Miyan Williams carried the ball 24 times for 62 yards and a touchdown to lead the Ohio State ground game.

Tommy Eichenberg led Ohio State with eight tackles.

The win for the Buckeyes was the seventh-consecutive victory over the Nittany Lions in the series.

Ohio State will travel next week to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on the Badgers. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. with NBC set for the national broadcast.

First Quarter
No. 3 Ohio State 3, No. 7 Penn State 3

The Nittany Lions received the opening kickoff after the Buckeyes won the toss and deferred to the second half.

After a touchback, Penn State was not able to produce a first down and punted. Ohio State took possession after a fair catch by Jayden Ballard at the OSU28 after a 41-yard kick.

Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord went right to work and found Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 13-yard gain to the OSU41.

Harrison Jr. earned Ohio State another first down on an 8-yard gain to get the Buckeyes inside Penn State territory at the PSU44.

A third Harrison Jr. first down catch led to a 19-yard pass play from McCord to DeaMonte Trayanum to the PSU15.

Ohio State’s drive stalled leading to a 33-yard Jayden Fielding field goal to put the Buckeyes up 3-0 with 10:49 left in the quarter. The drive covered 57 yards on 11 plays while using 3:37.

Following a touchback and a first down pass to the PSU37, the Nittany Lions punted again, this time a 38-yard effort to the OSU22 where Ballard returned it 4-yards to the OSU26.

Penn State’s defense forced the Buckeyes to punt on their next possession. From the OSU23, Jesse Mirco delivered a 54-yard effort that was returned 15-yards to the PSU38 by Daequan Hardy.

The Nittany Lions used rushing gains of 20 and 16 yards on back-to-back plays to move to the OSU26.

Backed up by a Sonny Styles sack of PSU’s Drew Allar, Penn State moved to the OSU23 before kicking a 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-all with 5:15 left. The drive covered 39 yards on six plays over 2:26.

The Buckeyes moved to their 42 on the next possession before a Mirco punt traveled 34 yards to the PSU24.

Ohio State forced the Nittany Lions into a fourth-and-1 situation at the PSU45 leading to a PSU timeout. Penn Stat then elected to punt, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the OSU13 following a 42-yard effort.

The Buckeyes ended the quarter with the ball at their 38 following a Carnell Tate 15-yard reception and a Miyan Williams rush of 7 yards.

Second Quarter
No. 3 Ohio State 10, No. 7 Penn State 6

The Nittany Lions forced the Buckeyes to punt, giving Penn State the ball at its 13 following a 50-yard kick.

The Buckeyes got the ball right back after Penn State failed to earn a first down. Ohio State got the ball at its 39 after a 10-yard Ballard return on a 54-yard Penn State punt.

The Buckeyes then went to the ground game and drove to the PSU21 after six rushes in seven plays.

Penn State then forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown but the play was nullified after a holding penalty was called on the Nittany Lions in the defensive backfield. The Buckeyes retained possession at the PSU16 with a first down.

The Buckeyes took advantage by scoring on a 2-yard Miyan Williams run up the middle to give Ohio State a 10-3 lead with 7:31 left in the half. Ten of the 13 plays during the drive were on the ground. It covered 61 yards and used 5:17.

The Nittany Lions responded by driving to the Ohio State 23 where the Ohio State defense held forcing a field goal attempt of 41 yards that was true to make it 10-6 Ohio State with 4:16 left.

The big play of the PSU drive was a 34-yard reception by Theo Johnson from Allar to the OSU28.

On Ohio State’s first play after a touchback on Penn State’s kickoff, McCord found Harrison Jr. over the middle for a 35-yard gain to the PSU40.

The Buckeye drive stalled leading to a Mirco 32-yard punt that was downed by Ohio State at the Penn State 6.

Ohio State got the ball back after Penn State punt of 52 yards to the OSU 17. The Buckeyes then ran out the clock to head into the lockerroom with a 10-6 lead.

Third Quarter
No. 3 Ohio State 10, No. 7 Penn State 6

Ohio State opened the second half with the ball but punted after driving to the OSU26. Penn State started its first possession of the half at its 31 after a 43-yard Mirco punt.

The Nittany Lions punted it right back to the Buckeyes, who took over at deep in its own territory after a 46-yard kick to the OSU7.

Penalties backed the Buckeyes to their 4. On fourth-and-long, Mirco, with his heels on the back line of the endzone, delivered a 72-yard punt that was downed at the PSU24.

The Nittany Lions were not able to produce a first down and punted it back to the Buckeyes, who started from their 35 after a 38-yard punt.

McCord then drove the Buckeyes to the Penn State 1 aided by a 30-yard grab by Cade Stover over the middle to the PSU9.

Penn State’s defense then kept the Buckeyes off the scoreboard by stopping a fourth-and-2 pass play to take over on downs.

The Nittany Lions were not able to get produce a first down after dropping a short pass on third-and-1 at their 11. Forced to punt, Penn State got the ball back after it hit an Ohio State player and was recovered at the PSU48.

The half ended with Penn State in possession at the PSU46 after a 2-yard loss.

Fourth Quarter
No. 3 Ohio State 20, No. 7 Penn State 12

The quarter opened with a sack by Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau that moved the Lions back 8 yards to the PSU43.

Penn State then punted a play later to the Ohio State 10, a 42-yard boot.

The Buckeyes quickly moved to the Penn State 36 after pass plays of 28 yards to Harrison Jr. and 29 yards to Stover.

Another completion to Harrison Jr. for 6 yards moved it to the PSU19 before an Ohio State timeout. For Harrison Jr. it put him over 100 yards receiving for the 12th time and for the third-consecutive game.

The Buckeyes put another three points on the board after a 37-yard Fielding field goal with 8:59 left to give Ohio State a 13-6 lead. The scoring drive covered 71 yards on nine plays over 4:40.

Tuimoloau then pressured Allar on fourth-and-4 forcing an incompletion to give the Buckeyes the ball on downs at the PSU43.

The Buckeyes found the endzone again on the next possession when Harrison Jr. gathered a pass on a crossing pattern and went 18 yards for the score that gave the Buckeyes a 20-6 lead with 4:07 to play.

Ohio State’s drive covered 43 yards on six plays.

The Ohio State defense stepped up again to get the ball back for the offense on downs after Allar was sacked on a fourth-and-30 play.

The Buckeyes got the ball at the PSU33 with 3:04 left to play and worked to run out the clock.

Ohio State drove to the PSU27 but missed a 45-yard field goal with 2:41 to go.

The Nittany Lions took advantage and drove 65 yards on 10 plays to score on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Allar to Liam Clifford with 29 seconds left. The score made it 20-12 Buckeyes after Penn State failed on a two-point conversion attempt.

Penn State then attempted an on-side kick that was recovered by the Buckeyes to secure the win.