Penn State falls to No. 13 Ohio State in OT, 31
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sam Ficken's 31-yard field goal with nine seconds left gave the Beaver Stadium crowd hope. In a game Penn State trailed by as many as 17 points at the half, the Penn State offense came to life in the fourth quarter and forced overtime, but ultimately J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State Buckeyes outlasted any overtime heroics to pull off the 31-24, double-overtime win against Penn State.
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg and the Nittany Lions (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) weren't sharp offensively for most of the game, compiling just nine rushes for 11 yards at the half. Hackenberg threw two interceptions and running back Zach Zwinak was carted off the field after the opening kickoff with a lower leg injury and didn't return.
The Nittany Lions defense slowed down an Ohio State (6-1, 3-0) offense that entered the game posting 50-plus points in their past four games. The Buckeyes averaged 46.5 points per game, but it was a pair of interceptions by the Penn State defense that kept the Nittany Lions in it.
Penn State dropped three consecutive games for the first time since the 2004 season and crossed into Ohio State territory just once in the first half.
Penn State defensive tackle Anthony Zettel gave the crowd life early in the third when he picked off quarterback Barrett and chugged along the Ohio State sideline 40 yards for a touchdown. Zettel's pick-6 was the first for the Nittany Lions since linebacker NaVorro Bowman did so in 2009 against Indiana.
Zettel, a redshirt junior, continues to be a bright spot for a defense that did its part, limiting Ohio State to 171 yards at the half.
The Lions added a second interception in the fourth when middle linebacker Mike Hull picked off Barrett and set up the Penn State offense for its first scoring drive. Hull had a career-high 18 tackles by the end of regulation.
After Hull's interception, the second of his career, Hackenberg and the offense went 45 yards and capped the drive with a 26-yard touchdown catch by freshman wide receiver Saeed Blacknall. Blacknall made a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone, hauling in a 24-yard touchdown that was the first of his career.
The touchdown put Penn State within three with 11:08 remaining, but the unit lost tackle Donovan Smith on the touchdown.
The Nittany Lions plugged away with a 19 play, 77-yard drive to set Ficken up for the field goal to send the game to overtime.
Hackenberg entered with one touchdown pass in the past four games and added a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to that total. It was also Hackenberg's third multi-interception game of the season.
But his first interception of the game wasn't without some mixed reaction.
In Penn State's opening drive Hackenberg fired a pass intended for receiver Matt Zanellato that was intercepted by Vonn Bell. The play was reviewed and despite looking like the ball moved as Bell hit the ground at the Penn State 39, the call stood and set up the Buckeyes' first touchdown drive.
Ohio State added to the lead in the second quarter when kicker Sean Nuernberger converted on a 49-yard field goal to put the Buckeyes up, 10-0. Nuernberger's kick came off nearly three seconds after the play clock appeared to expire, drawing boos from the crowd.
Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4.
First Published October 26, 2014 12:20 AM
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