COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Ohio State plays its first road game of the season on Saturday night at Penn State in a meeting of Top 25 teams. Follow along for updates from the NBC4 sports team.
It’s an Ohio State win! Find out postgame coverage here: https://digital-release.nbc4i.com/sports/buckeyes-handle-penn-state-38-25-in-halloween-special-at-happy-valley/
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Ohio State is leading 38-19 with 9:14 left. The Buckeyes’ last drive was filled with great moments: converting third-and-8, converting fourth-and-1, and then on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Justin Fields found Jeremy Ruckert in the end zone for the touchdown. The drive covered 75 yards over 12 yards and took 5:16 off the clock.
Plus, these stats
ONE QUARTER TO GO
Ohio State back up 28-13
After gaining 75 yards in the first half, Penn State opened the second half with a 75-yard drive that ended with Jahan Dotson catching a 14-yard pass from Sean Clifford for a touchdown. Combined with their 50-yard field goal that ended the first half, the Nittany Lions have closed their deficit to 21-13 with 11:14 remaining in the third quarter.
Just when it appeared halftime had arrived, it hadn’t. When Justin Fields kneeled on fourth down, he did so with a second on the clock. Penn State lined up for a 50-yard field-goal attempt, and was successful. Here are halftime stats updated after the field goal
Penn State had just 75 yards of offense in the first half. Check out the halftime stats
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Our NBC4 Sports team likes Jonathon Cooper and the Ohio State defense
Ohio State’s Blake Haubeil missed a 20-yard field-goal attempt with 13:25 left in the first half. He is pretty reliable, going 1-for-1 last week against Nebraska, 10-for-13 in the 2018 season, and 13-for-15 in the 2019 season.
First quarter stats
Penn State scored on a 31-yard field goal by Jake Pinegar with 2:57 left in the first quarter. The drive covered 61 yards in 11 plays and took 5:42. Key in the sequence was a roughing the passer penalty against the Buckeyes that gave the Nittany Lions a first down.
Ohio State took three plays to move 80 yards and score its first touchdown. Garrett Wilson gained 62 yards to establish a Buckeyes running game that was lacking at times last week against Nebraska. Then Master Teague III had carries of 9 and 4 yards to reach the end zone. The Buckeyes go up 7-0 with 13:43 left in the first quarter without even attempting a pass.
There are multiple reports that Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard will not play against Penn State because of a false-positive COVID-19 test earlier in the week. Hilliard also did not play last week in the opener against Nebraska, but for undisclosed reasons. In 2019, he appeared in 10 games, made a total of 13 tackles and had one interception.
No. 3 Ohio State is gearing up for its first, and arguably most important, road game of the 2020 season.
The Buckeyes and their upcoming opponent, No. 18 Penn State, are coming off very different week one games. OSU thrashed Nebraska 52-17 at the Horseshoe while the Nittany Lions were upset 36-35 in overtime by Indiana.
Click here for our full preview story on tonight’s game.