Entering Saturday's game, the Penn State Nittany Lions were no doubt fired up. Even without talking to the coaches and players, it's safe for anyone to assume that the team was eager to end their losing streak to Ohio State…a streak that dates back to 2017. However, things would not go their way. After 60 minutes of play, the jampacked crowd at Beaver Stadium left in frustration as the Buckeyes wound up taking home a 20-13 victory.
Making things more sour for Penn State was the fact that Saturday's loss was their first of the season. Before the in-conference clash, the Nittany Lions were victorious during their first seven outings, including four straight wins against fellow Big Ten opponents. That all came to a halt, with the loss putting a dent on Penn State's CFP and Big 10 championship aspirations.
So what went wrong with James Franklin's squad this past weekend? Here are the main culprits.
Red zone offense
The offense struggled throughout the game. In fact, the only time Penn State was able to reach the endzone was when their defense took the field. During the first quarter, cornerback Zion Tracy was able to pick off Ohio State QB Will Howard, leading to a 31-yard pick-six. Other than that, the rest of the Nittany Lions' points came from field goals.
Penn State punted the ball four times and were just 3-of-11 on third-down conversions. Furthermore, two particular moments in the red zone highlighted the Nittany Lions' struggles. The first was toward the end of the first half, when the team had a 1st-and-goal at the Ohio State 3-yard line. Drew Allar fired a pass to Harrison Wallace III, but both he and Buckeyes CB Davidon Igbinosum had their hands on the ball while falling out of bounds. During review, the replay showed that Igbinosum was able to snatch the ball after Wallace couldn't properly corral it, resulting in an interception (clip via Fox College Football).
The second happened with over six minutes remaining in the final period. Penn State — down by seven points — had a chance to tie as they found themselves back at the Ohio State 3. In the first three downs, running back Kaytron Allen repeatedly tried to power through the middle. However, he was stopped by the Ohio State defense each time. An incomplete pass from Allar marred the fourth down, giving the Nittany Lions a turnover on downs.
The Buckeyes then milked the clock in the game's final drive to seal the deal once and for all.
Run defense
Two big reasons why Ohio State continuously advanced the ball were running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Judkins ran for 95 yards on 6.8 yards per carry. This includes his contribution of 33 yards on just two carries during the opening-quarter drive that gave Ohio State their first TD. Henderson, on the other hand, finished the game with 54 yards in 10 carries.
In the final drive of the game, the Buckeyes ran the ball 11 straight times, epitomizing how much things went their way on the ground. Along with contributions from Howard and Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State tallied 179 rushing yards all in all.
Allowing such a performance isn't the norm for Penn State, who usually give up around a hundred rushing yards from opponents each game.
Regardless, one loss isn't the end of the world. The Nittany Lions have four more games, which can be seen as four more opportunities to re-strengthen their case for the CFP. It all starts this weekend, as Penn State faces another fellow Big Ten school in Washington.
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