Ohio State vs Penn State: Highlights, score and recap

The Penn State Nittany Lions used a clutch special teams play to knock off the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium

Though there was a White-Out in Beaver Stadium in support of the Penn State Nittany Lions, not many were giving the home team a chance against the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Though they’d shown promise, the Nittany Lions still hadn’t been able to kill a white whale under James Franklin.

That’s all changed, however.

On Saturday night, it was an ugly affair to say the least. An underrated Penn State defense did their best to make big plays on that side of the ball and keep JT Barrett at bay. Moreover, Trace McSorley seemed to only come to play whenever the Lions needed a clutch performance or play.

However, the most clutch performance of the night came late in the fourth quarter from the Penn State special teams. With just under 4:30 remaining, the Nittany Lions blocked a field goal that would’ve put Ohio State up by seven. Instead, they took that blocked kick all the way to the house to give them the lead.

Penn State’s defense had one final stand in them, putting massive pressure on Barrett. They sacked him on fourth down to end the game and pull off the huge upset.

Three Stars

Nittany Lions Special Teams: Obviously this comes into play because of the blocked field goal return and rightfully so. However, the Penn State special teams also came up big on kick returns and solid punting on the night. They aren’t in this game if not for that unit.

Trace McSorley, QB – Penn State: No, McSorley going 8-of-23 on the night for 154 yards isn’t impressive. However, he did rush for 63 yards and earn two trips to the end zone (one passing, one rushing). However, it was his clutch plays in big situations that kept his team alive and in position to get the win.

Curtis Samuel, RB/WR – Ohio State: While the Buckeyes were disappointing in a major way, Samuel did the best he could. He finished the night with two rushes for 71 yards and a score to go along with eight catches for 68 yards.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/MorganEllisonFB/status/790012669587783680

Next Game

Ohio State will look to recover from their first loss of the season back at home against Northwestern. Meanwhile, Penn State will look to capitalize on the huge upset, going on the road to face Purdue.