Dip in Offensive Production & Surplus of Penalties Seal No. 10 Penn State’s Fate versus No. 3 Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An offensive struggle combined with a defensive battle in the trenches described No. 10 Penn State’s fall 20-12 to No. 3 Ohio State in the Shoe.

The Buckeyes held the Nittany Lions to just 240 total offensive yards on the day. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar completed 18 of his 42 passes for 191 yards and a late touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

The eight-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Kaden Saunders came too little too late for a Penn State offense that struggled to generate consistent production.

“If we don’t learn from it, we’re just fooling ourselves,” Allar said in a postgame press conference. “We have to really be critical of this film.”

Allar mentioned that offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich drew up quality plays that did not translate onto the field against a physical Buckeye defense.

Head coach James Franklin cited Ohio State’s zero-hole defense as a catalyst to shrink the offense’s window of opportunity and force Allar out of the system.

“We [have] got to be willing to throw it over their heads in those situations and take some shots and be aggressive,” Franklin said.

On the stat sheet, Penn State and Ohio State had similar looks until the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions had only eight fewer total plays than the Buckeyes but converted on just one of their 16 third-down looks.

“It’s not always going to be the perfect pass, but you can’t let that be an excuse,” Tight end Theo Johnson said regarding the offense’s lack of capitalization on presented opportunities. He hauled in two catches for 39 yards and tallied his 12th career 20+ yard reception.

Allar’s visible disappointment regarding the game’s outcome extended to not securing a victory for veteran players like Johnson and top 2024 NFL Draft prospect and offensive lineman Olu Fashanu.

Allar said that the offense stopped itself “a lot more than we needed to,” which allowed the Buckeyes defense to read and snuff out a play well in advance.

The Buckeyes had double the number of sacks as the Nittany Lions, who lost 45 yards alone from eight tackles for loss.

“They were getting there a half second before we were able to get open,” Franklin said. “We weren’t able to make plays in those scenarios.”

Another hindrance to the blue and white came in the form of flags. Penn State sustained four defensive penalties, three of which were accepted for 27 yards and triggered automatic first downs for the Buckeyes.

A major momentum swing in favor of the blue and white came with a 60-yard scoop and score by linebacker Curtis Jacobs in the second quarter, which was retracted due to defensive holding.

Back-to-back pass interference and unsportsmanlike conduct calls on brothers Kalen and Kobe King followed the called-back touchdown and haunted the Nittany Lions as Ohio State capitalized on the bonus yardage to take the lead.

When asked about how the retracted touchdown affected morale on the sideline, Jacobs said he emphasized to himself and the defense the importance of moving on to the next play.

Penn State is now 14-25 versus Ohio State. The loss at the Shoe snapped the longest active streak in the country of scoring at least 30 points a game.

The weight of the loss on Penn State could be felt in the press room as the Nittany Lions trickled in and out of post-game media availability.

“Pain really motivates people, and I think there’s a lot of guys [that] are in pain right now,” Johnson said. “The key is [that] pain can either hurt you or help you.”

Emma Holtz is a senior majoring in public relations. To contact her, email emma.holtz01@gmail.com.