Key Ohio State starter makes a funny but real admission on how the Buckeyes beat Penn State
The Ohio State Buckeyes came out with a huge 20-13 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. They went into a hostile Happy Valley environment and defeated the No. 3 team in college football. It was a big relief for head coach Ryan Day, who desperately needed a big win. When you really […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes came out with a huge 20-13 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday. They went into a hostile Happy Valley environment and defeated the No. 3 team in college football. It was a big relief for head coach Ryan Day, who desperately needed a big win.
When you really dissect the game, there are several reasons for the victory. The Buckeye defense held Penn State to just 270 total yards on the night, and 3.8 yards per carry. They also held that same struggling offense to just 3 for 11 on third down conversions.
Another big reason for the victory was the Ohio State offensive line, which was a bit makeshift today. With left tackle Zen Michalski out injured, who was already filling in for Joshua Simmons, All-American left guard Donovan Jackson was tasked with flexing outside to fill that void against one of the best pass rushers in college football in Abdul Carter.
For the most part, the offensive line got the job done. Jackson was asked about the key to victory after the contest, and it centered around the team’s ability to run the football. He had an entertaining answer to share.
“We just had to drop our nuts,” Jackson told the media.
That is a very unique way of saying that the offensive line took the challenge, competed and physically imposed their will in the run game. The Buckeyes ended the day rushing for 176 yards as an offense. It was especially a huge key down the stretch of that football game.
Entering the day, the Nittany Lion defense had surrendered just 93 yards rushing per game, on nearly 30 carries. That is an average of 3.2 yards per carry, and had just allowed four rushing touchdowns on the season. Ohio State made a statement on the ground, led by Jackson and the offensive front.
