COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford left in the third quarter after Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium, it looked like the best-case scenario for No. 2 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes led 21-0 and appeared on the way to another gap-widening blowout in the Big Ten against No. 8 Penn State. What transpired next might help the Buckeyes when they face the real national championship contenders down the line.
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The Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points behind backup quarterback Will Levis to make it a one-score game heading into the fourth quarter. For a team that entered the game outscoring its opponents 515-98, this was the first punch back of the season. Ohio State coach Ryan Day used that opportunity to gather both the offense and defense on the field after a fumble to drive that message home.
“You have their attention now,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “I know that sounds crazy now 11 weeks, 12 weeks into the season, but I think you do.”
In other words, the Buckeyes responded to a punch in the mouth for the first time in a 28-17 victory. Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) earned a third straight trip to the Big Ten championship game as a result. Penn State (9-2, 6-2) fell out of the Playoff race.
Ohio State helped Penn State with two third-quarter fumbles, one each from quarterback Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins, and Penn State rallied had the ball at their own 10-yard line with a chance to drive and take the lead.
That’s when the Buckeyes delivered the knockout. Chase Young, who had three sacks after returning from a two-game suspension, forced a three-and-out. Fields hit Chris Olave for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 13:18 remaining, and Justin Hilliard’s interception erased Penn State’s last scoring threat.
“At the end of the day we have to take care of the ball,” Day said. “I said it to one of the coaches, ‘Maybe it has been a little too easy at times.’ This was hard today. We learned some lessons. Hopefully we grow from them.”
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Ohio State made it look easy in the first half, building a 14-0 lead. Fields and Dobbins led a merciless 91-yard drive to start the game, and Fields’ fourth-and-5 scramble set up the second touchdown. Fields then hit K.J. Hill for a 21-0 lead on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 11:31 left in the third quarter. This looked like another run-of-the-mill-blowout at that point, and the final statistics still show that gap.
The Buckeyes outgained Penn State 396-206, and Dobbins (35 carries, 150 yards) and Fields (20 carries, 67 yards) led a rushing attack that piled up 213 yards. If not for the three turnovers, the other coming on a fumble by Fields at the goal line in the first half, then this is a blowout.
Ohio State advanced to its third straight Big Ten championship game and stayed on pace with unbeatens LSU (10-0) and Clemson (11-0). That sets up Day’s first experience in “The Game” against Michigan, a rivalry Urban Meyer dominated with a 7-0 record. That game could turn out a lot like this one did at Michigan Stadium.
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“We live that every day,” Day said. “’The Team Up North’ is something we talk about every single day.
“I’m not going to sit around and think about it too much because we still have so much football ahead of us. It’s a tribute to these seniors.”
Day, however, wouldn’t talk much about the gravity of leading the first Big Ten East championship run; It was merely on to the next test. Each one promises to be a little more difficult than the next, and from now on the other teams can throw a knockout punch.
“It’s very unique that we’re this far into the season before something like that would happen, but it’s true,” Day said. “Hopefully we learn from it and grow from it.”