'It's good to get a gritty win': No. 5 Ohio State grinds out win against No. 17 Penn State
![Portrait of Bill Rabinowitz](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/presto/2021/05/03/NCOD/939e429f-ebc1-4181-b059-006d3f618fdd-Bill_Rabinowitz_01.jpg?crop=2400,2400,x180,y0&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Ohio State entered the game on a roll, and Penn State was in a funk.
Yet when the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions meet, it's seldom a blowout.
Saturday night's game was the four-quarter battle Ohio State coach Ryan Day expected, and the Buckeyes weren't assured of their 33-24 victory in front of 102,951 Scarlet-clad fans at Ohio Stadium until the final couple of minutes.
"It's good to get a gritty win," Day said. "This was a good team, a good defense."
No. 5 Ohio State (7-1) had scored at least 50 points in its last four games while No. 17 Penn State (5-3) had lost two straight, including an inexplicable nine-overtime loss to Illinois last week.
The Nittany Lions responded with an inspired effort as a 19-point underdog. Quarterback Sean Clifford, whose injury was instrumental in Penn State's losses, played as if fully recovered. He completed 35 of 52 passes for 361 yards and a touchdown.
Neither team ran the ball effectively for most of the game. Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson was held in check until he broke a 68-yard run to set up his 1-yard score that gave OSU a 27-17 lead late in the third quarter. That was the Buckeyes' only touchdown in six forays into the red zone.
Ohio State also hurt itself with penalties — 10 for 74 yards, seven on false starts — and allowed Penn State to convert 11 of its first 16 third-down chances.
But the Buckeyes prevailed anyway. Noah Ruggles' fourth field goal, a 26-yarder with 2:41 left, finally provided a comfortable nine-point cushion. Penn State's last hope died when Jordan Stout missed a 49-yard field goal with 1:19 left that would have made it a one-possession game.
The victory keeps Ohio State's College Football Playoff chances alive. The first CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night.
Looking ahead:Big Ten title runs through Michigan State and Ohio State - for now
Week 9 winners and losers:Florida sliding in wrong direction; Jim Harbaugh still can't get a signature win
Quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 22 of 34 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. Henderson finished with 152 yards on 28 carries.
From the start, Penn State made it obvious this would not be the cakewalk the Buckeyes have gotten used to the last month.
Penn State's run defense was shredded for 357 yards last week in its nine-overtime loss to Illinois. That seemed to portend a big day for Henderson. Instead, Henderson found little room behind an offensive line that was outplayed by Penn State's defensive front in the first half. At halftime, Henderson had only 6 yards on nine carries.
Stroud wasn't sharp early, either, as he got more pressure than he's been used to, but what success the Buckeyes had came through the air.
Clifford, whose health status was a question all week, looked healthy from the start. He completed some tough passes in leading the Nittany Lions on an 89-yard touchdown drive to open the scoring.
Ohio State didn't score until late in the first quarter. The Buckeyes stalled in the red zone — a strength of the Penn State defense — and Ruggles kicked a 35-yard field goal.
Then the Buckeyes' defense began to dominate. A three-and-out was followed by a fourth-down sack by freshman J.T. Tuimoloau and a third-down one by Lathan Ransom.
Ohio State's offense finally found the end zone when Stroud threw to Chris Olave for a 38-yard score with 3:48 left in the second quarter. Four plays later, defensive ends Tyreke Smith and Zach Harrison converged on Clifford in the pocket, forcing a fumble. Cage, a 305-pound defensive tackle, scooped up the ball and chugged 57 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-7.
Penn State got the game within a touchdown by driving for a 47-yard field goal to end the first half.
The Nittany Lions got the ball to start the second half, and the Buckeyes' penalty issues continued. Linebacker Steele Chambers was ejected for targeting on a hit on Clifford. Three plays later, Zach Harrison was called for a late hit. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson capped the drive with a 2-yard run to tie the game.
On the first play of Ohio State's ensuing drive, Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned a short completion into a 58-yard gain. But that drive ended frustratingly for the Buckeyes. On fourth-and-goal from inside the 1, Henderson committed a false-start penalty. Ohio State then kicked the field goal to take a 20-17 lead. Henderson made up for the mistake on OSU's next drive, breaking a 68-yard run and then scoring from the 1.
But again, Penn State didn't buckle, driving 75 yards for a score to make it 27-24 late in the third quarter.
That was as close as the Nittany Lions would get. Cam Brown intercepted a hurried Clifford pass that Ohio State converted into a field goal.
Contact Bill Rabinowtiz at brabinowitz@dispatch.com or on Twitter: @brdispatch