Ryan Day deserves major credit for Ohio State handing Penn State a loss on the road after a tough start
Ohio State and Ryan Day accomplished felt like a must-have with a big win over No. 3 Penn State on the road. The No. 4 Buckeyes didn’t let a slow start hold them back and held off Penn State 20-13. Coming into the matchup, Ryan Day was just 2-7 against teams that were ranked in […]
Ohio State and Ryan Day accomplished felt like a must-have with a big win over No. 3 Penn State on the road. The No. 4 Buckeyes didn’t let a slow start hold them back and held off Penn State 20-13.
Coming into the matchup, Ryan Day was just 2-7 against teams that were ranked in the top five. Penn State’s James Franklin was 1-12 in top-five matchups coming into the game. Both coaches have teams who they believe can win it all.
Things got off to a disastrous start for the Buckeyes. The defense gave up an eight-minute drive to open the game resulting in three points for Penn State. Ohio State’s very first possession was awful with quarterback Will Howard throwing a pick-six to Nittany Lions cornerback Zion Tracy.
The Buckeyes answered with 14 straight points and had a huge forced turnover just before half thanks to a terrific interception by cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the end zone. After a disastrous start for Ohio State, it was a great answer by Ryan Day’s team in the first half.
After losing to Oregon, the matchup against Penn State was even bigger than it looked at the beginning of the season.
Penn State had it first-and-goal inside the five with under six minutes to go trailing 20-13 and a chance to tie it. The Buckeyes stuffed a run there straight times before forcing a Drew Allar incompletion and turnover. It was the biggest stop of the season for this Buckeyes defense.
Ohio State really made their running game a force on the final drive of the game and didn’t allow Penn State to get the ball back. Exactly what good teams do is what Ohio State put on display late in the game against the Nittany Lions. For the Buckeyes to have 359 yards of offense with a makeshift offensive line was impressive. Donovan Jackson made his first start at left tackle and it worked out.
Losing on the road to Oregon could have been very different with a few small changes. Day and the Buckeyes winning the big game here on the road shows you they are for real and it gives them that high-quality win on their resume.
Big games against Indiana and Michigan still await Ohio State during the regular season. With a win over Penn State, Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship hopes are well alive.
Ohio State’s first road win over a top-five team since 2006 will take away the bad feeling after a subpar performance against Nebraska. Ryan Day’s team has often struggled to step up in these moments and they did exactly that in Week 9. The Buckeyes have taken eight straight from the Nittany Lions.
Former Ohio State star Garrett Wilson made a great case for catch of the year against C.J. Stroud’s Texans
The former Buckeye caught the eye of everyone.
