COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 8 Penn State scored 17 points in less than four minutes in the third quarter, but it was not enough as No. 2 Ohio State hung on for a 28-17 victory Saturday afternoon in Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) led 21-0 early in the third quarter, but Penn State (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) scored the next 17 points. Journey Brown (Meadville, Pa.) started the rally with a touchdown run that was followed by a pair of Penn State fumble recoveries, which led to a Will Levis (Madison, Conn.) touchdown run and a 42-yard field goal by Jake Pinegar (Ankeny, Iowa).
The Buckeyes managed to halt the Nittany Lions' momentum though with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave with 13:18 remaining and an interception at the Ohio State 20 with 10:16 remaining.
Levis entered the game at quarterback in the third quarter and rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown while completing 6-of-11 passes for 57 yards.
On defense, safety Lamont Wade (Clairton, Pa.) forced a trio of fumbles, tying a Big Ten record, and recovered another, while linebacker Micah Parsons (Harrisburg, Pa.) forced and recovered a fumble and Cam Brown (Burtonsville, Md.) recovered one loss ball in the end zone. Safety Garrett Taylor (Richmond, Va.) recorded a career-high 13 tackles and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (Spotsylvania, Pa.) tallied two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.
J.K. Dobbins led the Ohio State offense with 36 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Justin Fields threw for two touchdowns and 188 yards on 16-of-22 passing and ran for 68 yards. Defensive end Chase Young tallied three sacks and four tackles for loss.
How It Happened
Dobbins put Ohio State ahead on a 4-yard rush midway through the first quarter. The Buckeyes nearly went ahead by two touchdowns later in the frame, Wade punched the ball loose from Fields and Brown recovered it in the end zone for a touchback. Dobbins was able to score again before the halftime break though to give Ohio State a 14-0 lead at the midway point.
Fields connected with K.J. Hill on a 24-yard touchdown pass to open the third quarter for a 21-0 advantage before Penn State scored the next 17 points.
Brown broke free for an 18-yard touchdown run for Penn State's first score with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter, and then Parsons forced a fumble on Ohio State's next offensive play that Wade recovered on the Ohio State 12. Levis connected with Pat Freiermuth (Merrimac, Mass.) to move the Nittany Lions to the 1-yard line, and then Levis rushed for a score to pull within a touchdown with 7:54 remaining in the quarter. Wade forced another fumble on the Buckeyes' next possession, which was recovered by Parsons, and Pinegar converted a 42-yard field goal attempt to make it a 21-17 game with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter.
Ohio State added another touchdown and kept Penn State from scoring again in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Up Next
Penn State hosts Rutgers Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium to conclude the regular season. The game will be televised on BTN. Tickets are available by visiting www.PSUnrivaled.com, calling 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The 2019 Penn State Football season is presented by PSECU.
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