Game Grades: Penn State vs. Ohio State
After five consecutive wins over lackluster opponents, the Nittany Lions were given a harsh dose of reality Saturday night. The Lions fell 38-10 to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on a “Dark Night” at the Horseshoe. Ohio State improved to 7-0 (3-0 Big Ten) and is finally starting to look like the nation’s top team, while the Nittany Lions lost their second game of the season and first in conference play to fall to 5-2 (2-1 Big Ten).
Quarterback: C
After somewhat of a breakout performance in the win against Indiana last week, Christian Hackenberg had a chance to silence the critics for good and lead his team to a monumental upset. Instead, we saw a typical 2015 Christian Hackenberg performance which showed flashes of promise, but overall was disappointing. Hackenberg completed 7 of 13 attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown. He was simply unable to convert when the team needed him, missing a wide open man in the flat on third down in the third quarter that would have given Penn State a first down and taking a critical sack in the red zone early in the fourth quarter on fourth down with Saquon Barkley wide open on the right side that essentially ended the game. He was pressured by the Ohio State defensive line all night and couldn’t step up and make the critical plays to get the job done.
Running Backs: A
Welcome back, Saquon Barkley. The stud freshman running back was the lone bright spot in this game torching a solid Buckeye defense for 194 yards (7.5 yards per carry), including a 56-yard scamper to put his team in the red zone. Every time he got the ball it seemed as if he could fit through the smallest of holes to pick up nine or 10 yards and keep the Penn State offense moving. He arguably outplayed Ohio State running back and Heisman contender Ezekiel Elliott (153 yards, 1 TD) in this game, and gave his team a legitimate chance to win. He potentially could have had an even better night had a 44-yard touchdown run not been negated by a holding call. Akeel Lynch also returned in this game, but had a quiet night with only four carries for 12 yards.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B-
Anytime an offense only throws the ball 13 times, not much can be expected from a receiving corps. That being said, Chris Godwin had a nice night with three catches for 103 yards including a couple of broken tackles en route to a 56-yard reception. DaeSean Hamilton also delivered a highlight with Penn State’s lone touchdown, an 8-yard reception featuring a stiff-arm and Hamilton’s ability to stay in-bounds and dive for the pylon. The tight ends had no impact on this game, as Mike Gesicki dropped a very catchable pass that would have set up Penn State inside the Ohio State 15-yard line early in the game.
Offensive Line: C
We appeared to see two different Penn State offensive lines in this game. One helped Saquon Barkley and the running game have a breakout performance in his return while the other struggled with the likes of Joey Bosa and the Buckeye pass rush on third downs. They were simply not able to provide Hackenberg any time in the pocket and it showed on the field with five sacks given up and several errant passes caused by the pressure. Brian Gaia also was called for a holding penalty that had little impact on the play, nullifying a 44-yard touchdown.
Defense: B
The defense showed flashes of success early, but simply couldn’t keep up with the option tandem of J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott in the second half of this game. They limited the Buckeyes to 114 yards passing, mostly while Cardale Jones was in the game, but once Barrett entered, it was over. Penn State was gashed for 315 rush yards (Elliott 153, Barrett 102) and three touchdowns on the ground. Although the field position disadvantage was partly to blame for putting pressure on the Penn State defense, Ohio State scored on all six of its red zone visits, which can’t happen if Penn State is going to win these types of games.
Special Teams: C-
The punting game continues to be a weakness for the Nittany Lions. It doesn’t matter whether Chris Gulla or Daniel Pasquierello is back there, it has not been pretty. Penn State’s seven punts only averaged 35.9 yards per kick, while three of those kicks did not make it past the 50 yard line, giving Ohio State great chances to score. The return game wasn’t great either, averaging only 16.7 yards per return, really shifting the field position battle in Ohio State’s favor. On a side note, Joey Julius fans can rejoice as he converted both a field goal and an extra point after a dismal game against Indiana.
Coaching: D
The coaching staff seemed to forget who is lining up under center. This team has been gifted with one of the best quarterbacks in college football, a consensus NFL-caliber quarterback. Use him. Thirteen pass attempts is unacceptable with this deep threat-capable offense especially against this Ohio State defense that prides itself in the line. Going 2 for 11 on third down can’t happen either, and the third down runs between the tackles have got to stop if this team wants to be successful. It’ll be interesting to see if John Donovan and this coaching staff continue to “stay positive” in the coming weeks as this team prepares for Maryland next Saturday.
Tom Shively is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism.You can contact him at shivelyt97@gmail.com
