A punt-filled first quarter Saturday served as two heavyweight fighters feeling out their vaunted opponents, and the lessons learned were pretty evident to the viewing public: Penn State and Ohio State are remarkably similar ball clubs.
Both teams leaned heavily on their stingy defenses — when's the last time you've seen Ohio State kneel into the locker room with three timeouts — and worked through the growing pains inherent with a young, inexperienced quarterback. However, while struggling PSU quarterback Drew Allar found no respite in his unproven receiving corps, Ohio State gunslinger Kyle McCord got to pull away from the Nittany Lions in a Maserati.
Marvin Harrison Jr. cemented his first-round draft pick candidacy Saturday, hauling in 11 receptions for 162 yards and a late touchdown grab that wrapped up Ohio State's 20-12 victory Saturday.
During OSU's opening drive, McCord appeared completely unfazed staring out at the very best defense in college football early Saturday, slicing through the blue-and-white secondary and completing all five of his opening passes. A dump down to Chip Trayanum stretched for 19 yards inside the red zone, but with the goal line breathing down its neck Penn State's defense finally began to match its pedigree. McCord would promptly fire three consecutive incompletions, stalling the Buckeye drive and forcing a field goal.
Both defenses continued to perform at an elite level, forcing nine first-half punts, and it appeared the Penn State front delivered a momentum-shifting blow as linebacker Curtis Jacobs punched the ball away from a scrambling Kyle McCord and scooped up a perfect bounce for a 56-yard fumble recovery touchdown in the second quarter.
Completely unbeknownst to a jubilant Jacobs reeling up the sideline in celebration, however, the Penn State secondary was whistled for a defensive holding, giving the Ohio State offense new life and new set of downs. McCord took full advantage, rifling a throw into Harrison Jr. at the four-yard line and later handing the ball off to Miyan Williams, who battled through initial contact and stretched across the goal line for six.
Penn State sandwiched the Williams score with a pair of field goals, trimming the Ohio State lead to 10-6 heading into the locker room.
The same stingy defense consumed the entire third quarter, with seven combined possessions amounting to five punts, a turnover on downs and a fumble. But as Ohio State opened the fourth quarter looking to extend a four-point lead, McCord turned to ol' reliables Harrison Jr. and Cade Stover — the duo combined for 81 percent of OSU's receiving yardage Saturday — for a pair of 30-yard grabs to push the Buckeyes inside opposing territory.
Ohio State knocked through a crucial field goal from 40-yards out, and a massive fourth down stop in front of midfield for the Buckeye defense set up a short field that Harrison Jr. ultimately conquered with a 13-yard TD score. Penn State managed a consolation touchdown inside the final minute, but the Buckeyes secured the on-side kick and improved to 7-0 on the season.
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