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Lions pull off major upset of Buckeyes

Blocked field goal return sets off jubilation

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Penn State’s Marcus Allen (2) blocks an attempted field goal by Ohio State’s Tyler Durbin late in the fourth quarter on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.

UNIVERSITY PARK — Soak it all in. Enjoy it. That’s what James Franklin wanted his players to do following Penn State’s historic win Saturday night over No. 2 Ohio State.

“Awesome. Just awesome,” Franklin said.

“I just want to soak this all in. I just want to enjoy tonight,” he added.

The coach also told his players, “Before you leave this locker room, nights like this don’t happen very often. Savor it.”

The Nittany Lions stunned the Buckeyes, 24-21, before a raucous whiteout crowd of 107,280 fans at Beaver Stadium. Penn State rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the fourth quarter, getting enormous plays from all three phases of the game to stun Ohio State and end its 20-game road winning streak.

“This is a special night,” Franklin said.

The kind of night all Penn State fans everywhere will remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the program picked up the signature win so many people have been looking for following a tumultuous five years in Happy Valley.

“This is for everybody,” Franklin said. “This community has been through so much in the last five years, and this is a big step in terms of healing.

“A win like tonight … I believe football has the ability to bring a community together like nothing else.”

Ohio State led, 21-17, when it lined up for a 45-yard field-goal try by Tyler Durbin with 4 ¢ minutes remaining. Safety Marcus Allen ran up to the line of scrimmage and leaped high, blocking the ball and sending it squirting backwards.

Cornerback Grant Haley sprinted to the ball, scooped it up and had a lot of green in front of him. As he raced down the left sideline, the only thing potentially stopping Haley from reaching the end zone was holder Cameron Johnston, a punter.

Johnston caught up to Haley at the 10-yard line, but Haley slipped away and finished off the highlight-reel play by falling into the end zone for a 24-21 lead with 4:27 left to play.

“The whole thing’s a blur to me right now, to be honest with you,” Franklin said.

Ohio State, which came in averaging 49 points and more than 500 yards of offense per game, still had plenty of time left to try and come back behind star quarterback J.T. Barrett.

The Buckeyes didn’t get off to a good start in their final series as they returned the kickoff to just the 11-yard line. Barrett helped them pick up a couple of first downs out to the 42, but that’s when the PSU defense stepped up big time.

On second-and-10, Barrett went for a home run ball down the left sideline to James Clark, but backup cornerback Jordan Smith was there in solid coverage to break it up.

On third down, Barrett was sacked by Brandon Bell for a 13-yard loss.

Down to its last chance on fourth-and-23 from the 29, Ohio State couldn’t protect Barrett, and he was sacked by Kevin Givens and Evan Schwan to turn the ball over on downs and seal the win with only a minute remaining.

With the victory, Penn State (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) now almost certainly will be ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since before the scandal in 2011. The Lions also, with a favorable remaining schedule, are looking at the possibility of a 10-2 regular season, which no one would have thought possible a short time ago.

Following a 49-10 loss at Michigan, some were wondering about Franklin’s job security. Athletic director Sandy Barbour gave him a vote of confidence a few days later, and following Saturday’s upset, the thought now of Franklin being on any hot seat seems laughable.

Franklin thanked Barbour, PSU President Eric Barron and deputy AD Phil Esten for the support they’ve shown.

“A couple weeks ago those guys came out strong for me and this program, and this doesn’t happen tonight without that as well,” Franklin said.

Ohio State (6-1, 4-1) jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first half, despite Penn State playing solid defense. The Lions came up with a big TD drive late in the half to make it 12-7, with Trace McSorley hitting Chris Godwin for a 20-yard TD with 9 seconds left.

Curtis Samuel gave the Buckeyes a 19-7 lead with a 74-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Penn State’s special teams then made a mistake on a high punt snap that went into the end zone for a safety, making it 21-7 with 8:312 to go in the third.

Ohio State’s high-powered offense didn’t score the rest of the night.

The game served as a signature moment in the career of Altoona native Brent Pry, PSU’s defensive coordinator who has dealt with all sorts of injuries on his unit this season and put together a tremendous game plan Saturday.

“I’ve been telling you guys for three years that this Brent Pry guy is pretty good,” Franklin said. “I am so happy for that guy.”

Penn State pulled within 21-14 on a 2-yard TD run by McSorley with 13:32 left to play. Cam Brown then blocked a punt on Ohio State’s next possession, giving the Lions the ball at the Buckeyes’ 28.

Penn State managed only a field goal out of that opportunity, but it cut the margin to only four. At that point, what seemed like an impossibility for a team that came into the game as a 20-point underdog suddenly started to appear more and more realistic.

Haley returned the blocked punt for a TD a few minutes later, and as the final seconds ticked off the clock, thousands of fans ran onto the stadium turf to celebrate the memorable victory with the players.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Franklin said. “I’ve worked in every major conference as well as the NFL, I can’t imagine there was a better environment than that.”

The celebration continued once the players made it into the locker room.

“I’ve been to some pretty good parties before,” Franklin said, “but there’s no party like that locker room right now.”

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