Different slide…Will Howard slides for a first down with 1:07 left to kill Penn State’s chances for a comeback. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Scott Stuart)
No. 4 Ohio State grinds and grinds to overcome first-half mistakes with a fourth-quarter goal-line stand and a final clock-killing drive of 11 running plays to stick No. 3 Penn State with its first loss.
State College, PA – The last time Will Howard slid on the turf with the clock winding down, he had no time left to do anything about his team’s one-point deficit. And the Buckeyes lost at Oregon.
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On Saturday in front of the largest crowd (111,030) in the history of Beaver Stadium – on the field the Pennsylvania native grew up wanting to play home games on – Howard slid emphatically for a first down with 1:07 left.
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Then he stood up, twirled his arms, signaled first down and knew what it all meant. Then he took a knee. And this time the clock ticked away harmlessly in his favor.
The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) had come to Happy Valley with a rebuilt and under-performing offensive line, a defensive front that faced its own questions and a head coach in desperate need of muting his critics. And for one perfectly blue-skied fall afternoon, in the shadow of Mount Nittany, enough went right for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes didn’t play a perfect game. Two Howard turnovers hurt them. But the offensive and defensive lines made winning plays in the fourth quarter and celebrated a 20-13 victory over No. 3 Penn State (7-1, 4-1).
TreVeyon Henderson runs for positive yardage during Saturday’s 20-13 win over Penn State.
“There’s no feeling like it,” Howard said. “It wasn’t pretty. I probably played my worst game of the year … just right now, the feeling walking off the field, we willed that game. We talked about it early in the week and said we’re going to have to will ourselves to win this game. And that was the way we played.”
The Buckeyes had to dig deep for the will and the crucial plays to beat Penn State and head coach James Franklin for the eighth straight season and keep their goals alive. They remain in the hunt to play in the Big Ten championship game, earn a first-round playoff bye and eventually play for a national championship.
The importance of the result – more than just getting a win – was obvious to Day. He, his players, his coaches, and his family have heard the recent criticisms that question him and his players. That’s not unusual at Ohio State, but the cacophony of doubts that followed the loss to Oregon and an uninspiring performance against Nebraska last week tested this team’s resolve.
Plus, there is natural adversity to playing in one of the country’s most difficult environments against a good team. But the Buckeyes didn’t buckle and found their way through this season’s crossroads moment.
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“It’s fair to say we were at a crossroads,” Day said. “This was a big game for us. We didn’t really want to publicly say that, but we said that behind closed doors. For our guys to get this win, is going to go a long way. Guys came back on this team for a reason, to win the rivalry game, win the Big 10 championship and win the national championship.”
For the those opportunities to live on, a salvation moment seemed unavoidable in a game and series known for big moments, crazy moments and clutch moments. THE moment came in the fourth quarter after Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, the highly acclaimed playmaker who didn’t do a lot, took a direct snap, ran around the left end and down the sideline for 33 yards before Denzel Burke pushed him out of bounds at the three.
Ohio State’s Emuka Egbuka steps through the tackle attempt of a Penn State defender during Saturday’s win over the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions were ready to tie the score at 20, but the Buckeyes said not so fast. And the Penn State play callers obliged.
Kaytron Allen plowed into the line three straight times. The first time he got nothing when he ran into Cody Simon and Lathan Ransom. The next time he got one yard before Jack Sawyer and Ty Hamilton stopped him. Then Hamilton and Hero Kanu stopped Allen at the one.
Drew Allar tried to throw a touchdown pass on fourth down, but the receivers were covered, the pass landed harmlessly in the end zone and the Buckeyes had a key goal-line stand for the second straight week. The Buckeyes had made their second stop of the Lions inside the five on the day, a fact Penn State may never get over.
“It shows you that there’s a grit, there’s a toughness, there’s a never give up, a give-me-an-inch-I’m-going-to-defend-it type of mentality,” Day said.
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The offensive line, with Donovan Jackson moving to left tackle and Carson Hinzman taking Jackson’s place at left guard, had 5:13 left to win the game. This unit, even at full strength earlier this season with Josh Simmons at left tackle and Jackson at guard, had not imposed its will the way it did Saturday. Day said Hinzman, last year’s starting center, got the starting call because of his experience.
The clinching drive began with Howard sneaking from the one to the five. Quinshon Judkins gained nine, six and 15 yards on the next three plays. TreVeyon Henderson gained another seven on first down to get to the two-minute timeout. Then Henderson for two more, Henderson for zero and Howard on a keeper around the left end for seven, the final first down and the moment victory was assured.
Ohio State’s Tyliek Williams pressures Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
“To finish that drive the way we did, it’s just going to springboard our physicality and our toughness as we head into the back half of the season,” said Day, whose team rushed for 176 yards.
The ensuing celebration carried over into the locker room.
“Probably the most animated locker room I’ve been in in a long time,” Day said. “Now what are we going to do with it moving forward? But we are going to enjoy this tonight.”
Before the Buckeyes could get to the second-half winning plays, they had to endure a first half with as many twists and turns as the roads leading into Happy Valley. Ohio State led 14-10 at the end of it. But they could have led 21-3 or 28-3. Or they could have trailed 17-14. Or led 14-13.
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Howard made the first mistake when his interception was returned 31 yards for a touchdown by Zion Tracy for an early 10-0 Lions lead. Tracy jumped a slant route to Jeremiah Smith on third-and-five and could have jogged to the end zone.
“The mindset can’t change,” Howard said. “If you let that play affect the next play, that’s going to become a problem.”
The Buckeyes responded with one of their most important drives of the season. Howard kept the ball away from the Lions and hit a wide-open Emeka Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown. Egbuka lined up tight on the left side, fought through traffic to the right side like a tight end often does, and scored easily.
Penn State’s mental errors helped Ohio State’s next drive. An offsides on third-and-2 and an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for taunting after a third-and-10 came up short kept the ball away from the Lions.
The Buckeyes then broke tendency with three second-team receivers – Brandon Inniss, Bryson Rodgers and Jayden Ballard – on the field. On the first play they ran. The next play looked like a run to the right, but Inniss broke free coming underneath the secondary to the left side and scored easily on a 21-yard play for a 14-10 lead three minutes into the second quarter.
Quarterback Will Howard connects with Buckeyes’ tight end Gee Scott.
The Buckeyes drove again, and Howard appeared to score a touchdown on a 13-yard run. But replay overturned the score when it showed Zakee Wheatley knocked the ball out of Howard’s hands at the two. The ball bounced off Howard’s leg, over the pylon and out of the end zone to turn the ball over to the Lions on a touchback.
“You take away the pick and the turnover in the end zone, it’s probably 28-3 going into half,” Howard said. “But we willed ourselves to win that game. I can’t give enough credit to my teammates. They bailed me out.”
Penn State got a short field late in the half courtesy of a third-down sack. But on a fade route to Harrison Wallace from the three, cornerback Davison Igbinosun made a stunning interception with 11 seconds left in the half. After Wallace put his hand in Igbinosun’s face, the ball bounced off Wallace into Igbinosun’s arms. He got one foot down and snuffed out the Lions’ chance to take the lead or least kick a field goal.
Buckeyes’ TJ Tuimoloau celebrates a sack of Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
“I was just trying to play his hands, and the ball popped up into me,” Igbinosun said. “It was God who put the ball in my hands. I really didn’t do much to be honest.”
Howard is thankful Day put the ball in his hands this season after transferring from Kansas State. He came to Ohio State for games like this one.
After the Nebraska game, Howard said playing at Penn State would mean a lot to him because Franklin didn’t offer him a scholarship. Howard’s final words that day: “They didn’t think I was good enough, but I guess we’ll see next week if I was.”
So when the Buckeyes took the field with 5:13 left at their 1-yard line, Howard knew the time was now to prove he and his teammates were good enough. He challenged his team with the same message Day often repeats about the goal of the fourth quarter.
“Let’s go win this game,” Howard said when asked what he said in the huddle as he walked out of the interview room. “We did.”
Then as Day sat down to answer questions, he let everyone inside just a little.
“That was the G version of it.”
And it helped will a version of victory that will always mean to Howard that he – and most importantly his team – had enough will to be more than good enough.
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