No. 9 Penn State Falls Late to No. 4 Ohio State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Senior quarterback Trace McSorley totaled a school-record 461 total offense yards (286 passing, 175 rushing) to lead No. 9 Penn State, but No. 4 Ohio State rallied late in the fourth quarter for a 27-26 victory in Big Ten football action Saturday night in front of a Beaver Stadium-record 110,889 fans.
 
After entering the fourth quarter trailing by one point, Penn State (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) took a 26-14 lead with exactly eight minutes remaining following a McSorley touchdown pass (12:22) and a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Miles Sanders (8:00). However, Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) responded with two touchdowns and then stopped the Nittany Lions on fourth-and-5 from the Ohio State 43 inside two minutes to seal the win.
 
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw both fourth-quarter touchdowns, connecting on a 47-yarder with Binjimin Victor with 6:42 remaining and a 24-yarder with K.J. Hill with 2:03 remaining.
 
Keys and Difference Makers
 
Trace McSorley (PSU, QB)
McSorley totaled 461 yards of total offense, rushing for a career-high 175 yards on 25 carries and completing 16-of-32 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. The effort broke former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg's school record of 456 yards of total offense set against UCF in 2014, and his 175 rushing yards rank as the second-most by a quarterback in a game in program history and the most since Eugene "Shorty" Miller ran for 250 yards in 1913 against Carnegie Tech.
 
McSorley set career highs for his longest run and longest pass play, rushing for 51 yards in the first quarter and connecting with wide receiver KJ Hamler for a 93-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The latter gave Penn State a 13-0 lead with 5:59 remaining in the first half and marked his 33rd consecutive game with a touchdown pass, extending his school record and the longest active streak in FBS.
 
McSorley's second touchdown of the night put Penn State back in the lead after falling behind in the third quarter. A 36-yard completion to Hamler and a 15-yard rush by McSorley moved the Nittany Lions to the Ohio State 2, and McSorley lofted a pass to the back of the end zone for freshman tight end Pat Freiermuth, who pulled it in with one hand for a go-ahead touchdown, 20-14, with 12:22 remaining.
 
Of his 175 yards rushing, 99 were in the second half.
 
KJ Hamler (PSU, WR)
Hamler's speed and playmaking ability shined on a 93-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Ohio State appeared to be gaining the upper-hand in the field position battle, pinning Penn State on its own 2 with a 58-yard punt midway through the second stanza, but Hamler took a short-slant 93 yards for a touchdown, out-running the Buckeye defense for a 13-0 Penn State lead with 5:59 remaining in the half. It's the second-longest play from scrimmage in Penn State history.
 
Hamler's 36-yard reception in the fourth quarter led to a go-ahead touchdown for Penn State, however he left the game after the play due to injury.
 
He finished with four catches for a career- and game-high 138 yards.
 
Ohio State Passing Game
Ohio State was able to move the ball through the air in the second half. Haskins was held to just seven completions on 16 attempts for 62 yards, an interception and a touchdown in the first half, but completed 15-of-23 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the second. Parris Campbell caught seven passes for 60 yards to lead the Buckeyes in both categories, while K.J. Hill followed with six receptions for 59 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
 
J.K. Dobbins' two catches for 61 yards were both impactful. He scored Ohio State's first touchdown of the game on a 26-yard reception from Haskins with 1:50 remaining in the first half, and then moved the Buckeyes from their own 4 to the 39 with a 35-yard reception to start their eventual game-winning, eight-play, 96-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
 
Victor also scored a receiving touchdown, weaving through the Penn State defense for a 47-yard score with 6:42 remaining in the game, pulling the Buckeyes to within five, 26-21. 
 
Penn State Rushing
Led by McSorley's 175 yards, Penn State totaled 206 yards rushing for an eighth consecutive game. Sanders added 43 yards on 16 carries and his 1-yard rushing touchdown gave Penn State a 26-14 lead with 8:00 remaining.
 
Jake Pinegar (PSU, K)
Limited to just one field goal on three tries in the first four games of the season, Jake Pinegar converted field goals of 34 and 39 to give Penn State an early 6-0 lead. He also missed from 46 yards out and converted both of his extra point tries.
 
Points Off Turnovers
A Garrett Taylor interception – the first of his career – setup Pinegar's second field goal of the night. Taylor picked a pass off the hands of Johnnie Dixon at the Penn State 27, and then returned it 45 yards to the Ohio State 28. The Lions were unable to advance into the red zone for a first down, so Pinegar converted from 39 yards out with 11:18 remaining in the second quarter for a 6-0 Penn State lead.
 
Ohio State's first points came off a Penn State fumble. Late in the second half, Tuf Borland was able to punch the ball loose from Miles Sanders and Dre'Mont Jones recovered it at the Penn State 25. On the Buckeyes' second play from scrimmage from the 26, Haskins dumped the ball off to Dobbins, and sprinted down the sideline for the touchdown with 1:50 remaining in the half, pulling the Buckeyes within six points, 13-7.
 
Step-by-Step
Penn State was first on the scoreboard, Pinegar kicked a 34-yard field goal with 4:58 remaining in the quarter. The drive was highlighted by a spectacular one-handed, leaping catch down the sideline by Juwan Johnson for 31 yards.
 
Pinegar had an opportunity for three more points from 46 yards out before the quarter ended, but it hooked left off the uprights. McSorley scrambled for a career-long 51-yard run to set up the opportunity.
 
The Penn State defense swarmed the Ohio State offense in the initial quarter, forcing three punts and two three-and-outs, allowing just 27 yards, of which 24 were through the air.
 
In the second quarter, Taylor's interception setup Pinegar's second field goal for a 6-0 lead, and the Nittany Lions went ahead 13-0 on Hamler's 93-yard touchdown reception with 5:59 remaining in the half.
 
However, the Buckeyes were able to score on their next two possessions to take the lead. The Penn State fumble and short field setup Haskins touchdown toss to Dobbins, and then Ohio State received the kickoff to open the second half and put together a 13-play, 75 yard touchdown drive for a 14-13 lead. Dobbins ran across the goal line from 4 yards out for the touchdown.
 
The Buckeyes were poised to go-ahead 17-13 on a 33-yard field goal with 6:17 remaining in the third quarter, but a facemask penalty nullified Sean Nuernberger's successful attempt. He then missed wide right from 48 yards with 6:12 with remaining in the third quarter.
 
Penn State then drove 38 yards to reach the Ohio State 24, but the Nittany Lions turned the ball over on downs. They went ahead though early in the fourth quarter on McSorley's touchdown toss to Freiermuth, giving the Lions a 20-14 lead with 12:22 remaining.
 
Penn State followed the touchdown with a fourth-down stop at the Penn State 48, and McSorley led another touchdown drive. He started the drive with a 21-yard completion to Mac Hippenhammer, and followed it with a 19-yard run to the Ohio State 13. After Sanders rushed for 2 yards, McSorley was ruled to have scored a touchdown with an 11-yard run, but it was reviewed and marked a half-yard short. Sanders punched it in the very next play for a 26-14 lead after a failed two-point conversion.
 
The Buckeyes were able to answer with a pair of touchdowns late though to earn a one-point win.
 
Up Next
Penn State next has a bye weekend, but will return to action Saturday, Oct. 13 for Homecoming in Beaver Stadium against Michigan State. Kickoff will be at 3:30 or 4 p.m., and television details will be announced at a later date.
 
A limited number of single game tickets for the 2018 season presented by PSECU are available for the Maryland game. Verified resale tickets are available for all seven home games via ticketmaster.com. With more than 6,300 new season tickets sold, the season ticket allotment for the 2018 season is exhausted. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.NittanyLionClub.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.