In a striped-out sea of blue and white, the Buckeyes found their footing and stormed out of State College victorious over the Nittany Lions.
No. 2 Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) overcame a fourth-quarter deficit and defeated No. 13 Penn State 44-31 at Beaver Stadium Saturday. Second-year defensive tackle J.T. Tuimoloau brought down two interceptions, including a pick-six with less than three minutes to go, and both forced and recovered a fumble.
Second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed 41 yards to score and give the Buckeyes a 21-16 lead with 8:51 remaining.
Penn State (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) took over on the ensuing drive, and two plays later, Tuimoloau forced Nittany Lions redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford to fumble.
Ohio State allowed 133 yards of offense on three thereafter.
Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 354 yards, including a stretch of eight-consecutive completions between the third and fourth quarters. His lone touchdown went to fourth-year tight end Cade Stover for 24 yards in the fourth quarter, and his completion percentage ended at 79.
Nittany Lions freshman running back Kaytron Allen scored a 1-yard touchdown on fourth and goal with 9:26 to go, giving Penn State a 21-16 lead.
The touchdown capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive during which Penn State set up for a field goal attempt with 11:47 to go. After a false start penalty against the Nittany Lions and illegal formation against the Buckeyes, Clifford led the offense back onto the field.
Clifford connected with sophomore tight end Tyler Warren for four yards, setting up the goal-line touchdown for Allen.
Penn State junior cornerback Johnny Dixon Stroud to fumble on fourth down with 6 seconds left in the first half. It marked the first time Ohio State failed to score in the red zone this season, snapping their 36-for-36 — including 31 touchdowns — scoring streak inside opponents’ 20-yard line.
Ohio State finished the first quarter ahead 10-0. Graduate kicker Noah Ruggles made his first of three field goals from 38 yards to begin scoring less than six minutes into the game before third-year running back Miyan Williams ran in a 4-yard score with 2:48 to go.
Sophomore wide receiver Parker Washington began the Nittany Lions’ run of 14 unanswered points on a 58-yard touchdown reception with 11:13 left in the second quarter.
Clifford threw a 23-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith on the next drive with 6:50 left in the second quarter, giving the Nittany Lions a 14-10 advantage.
Second-year defensive tackle Tyleik Williams forced turnover on downs on the opening drive of the second half. He tackled Nittany Lions freshman running back Nicholas Singleton for no gain two plays after sacking Clifford as 9:46 remained in the third quarter.
Clifford finished with 371 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Washington led Penn State with 179 receiving yards across 11 receptions.
Halftime game planning
Penn State led 14-13 at halftime and outgained Ohio State 225 yards to 209 in the first half.
Washington caught a 58-yard touchdown thrown by Clifford with 11:13 to go in the second quarter, giving Penn State its first lead of the game. It marked the first time the Buckeyes trailed in the second quarter or later this season since Week 1.
Tuimoloau turns it up
On Clifford’s fourth pass attempt of the game, Tuimoloau batted the throw, and it rolled in the air above fourth-year defensive end Zach Harrison, who hauled in the ball for the first interception of his Buckeye career.
Tuimoloau made a diving interception on the Nittany Lions’ ensuing drive. He began at the line of scrimmage before dropping back to cover Allen, then completed the first interception of his career at Ohio State.
Tuimoloau finished with six tackles, three for loss, two interceptions, a pass break-up, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
Miyan Williams exits
Miyan Williams exited with less than one minute remaining in the first quarter. Ohio State trainers tended to his right hand.
Miyan Williams finished with nine rushing yards across two carries.
Up next
The Buckeyes travel to Northwestern Nov. 5 for their first meeting against the Wildcats since the 2020 Big Ten Championship game. Kickoff will be at noon.
