PSU-Ohio State highlights, lowlights
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Following are the highlights and lowlights from Penn State’s 63-14 loss to Ohio State on Saturday night at Ohio Stadium:
Play of the game: On third-and-4 from the Ohio State 12, and trailing 7-0, Christian Hackenberg was intercepted in the end zone by Buckeye safety Corey Brown. A score there, even a field goal, may have prolonged the inevitable.
Offensive player of the game: Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller completed 18-of-24 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 11 times for 68 yards and two more scores.
Defensive player of the game: Buckeye defensive end Noah Spence made four tackles, including two sacks, and forced a fumble.
Most telling statistic: Ohio State piled up 414 yards in the first half.
Hidden statistic: The 63 points PSU allowed was its most since 1899.
Best run: Allen Robinson zigzagged 65 yards late in the fourth quarter for the game’s final score.
Best pass: Tyler Ferguson came off the bench to hit Robinson in stride on a third-quarter slant for 36 yards.
Worst pass: Before the game got out of hand, Hackenberg missed an open Brandon Felder that would have been a big gain early.
Best catch: Ohio State safety C.J. Barnett made a nice adjustment to intercept a pass intended for Jesse James late in the first quarter.
Catch it, will ya: Didn’t see any obvious PSU drops.
Hold it, won’t ya: Zach Zwinak fumbled again, giving Ohio State a short field – as if it needed one – that the Buckeyes turned into a 49-7 lead in the third quarter.
Best block: Ohio State receiver Devin Smith sustained a downfield block on Malcolm Willis, escorting Miller’s 39-yard touchdown run that extended the Buckeye lead to 14-0.
Best tackle: Spence, a sophomore from Harrisburg, raced past Donovan Smith and sacked Hackenberg from the blind side, forcing a fumble that alertly recovered in the first quarter.
Best hit: OSU right guard Marcus Hall decked an unsuspecting Deion Barnes to help free Miller during a first-quarter scramble.
Best kick: Ohio State punter Cameron Johnston boomed a 55-yarder in the third quarter.
Best call(s): The Buckeyes, who had been getting off to slow starts, ran a hurry-up offense that scored on the first drive, and it set a tone.
Worst call: Penn State was forced to call timeout on the first play of the second half.
Best effort: Buckeye tailback Carlos Hyde rushed for 147 yards on 16 carries.
Unsung hero(es): The Ohio State offensive line.