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Penn State

BWI Live Postgame Show: Penn State vs. Ohio State

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby: Thomas Frank Carr11/02/24ThomasFrankCarr
Drew Allar penn State football on3
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Penn State Nittany Lions once again fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes in a top-five battle for the inside track to the Big Ten Championship game. Join the BWI Live Postgame show to discuss the team’s efforts and what decided the game for the Nittany Lions. We’ll spend 60 minutes discussing the loss and what happened. Also, we’ll tell you what it means for the team’s postseason chances.

Penn State gets out to a hot start

The Penn State opening drive went well, as they have done for much of the season. The team held the ball for half of the first quarter and drove deep into Ohio State territory. Starting quarterback Drew Allar, a question coming into the game, kept plays alive with his feet, but ultimately, the team settled for a field goal.

That was the story for Penn State’s offense. When it did put together a drive, the effort stalled out for a field goal. Coming out of halftime, the Nittany Lions put together an adjustment drive that led to eight plays and 49 yards but ultimately ended in another Ryan Barker field goal.

Overall, the offense struggled to get players open against the physical Ohio State cornerbacks. The officials left the flag in their pockets on several occasions in the first half but the Nittany Lions also struggled to get open against zone. Penn State chose to leave players into chip against the aggressive Ohio State defensive line, giving Allar fewer options in the passing game.

Defense struggles to keep athletes under control

The Penn State defense played a gutsy game, keeping the explosive Ohio State offense in check for most of the game. The defensive secondary struggled to find receivers early in the game, giving up some big plays on play-action and long-developing routes. Ohio State also pivoted and ran quarterback Will Howard more than they have all season, putting Penn State’s big, physical defensive ends into conflict.

However, Ohio State struggled to run between the tackles and Howard missed several wide-open touchdowns to his receivers on deep passes. Ultimately, the Penn State offense couldn’t mount a counter-punch, even with a chunk of the scoring coming from the defense on a pick-six in the first quarter. The Penn State offense got the ball down to the one-yard line but failed to punch the ball in on fourth down. Ohio State then salted the game away with four minutes left.

Join the live show to share your thoughts about the game! We’ll be taking your questions throughout the show!

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