No. 3 Ohio State's defense demands attention after smothering Penn State in a top-10 Big Ten game

Published Oct. 22, 2023 2:19 p.m. ET

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jim Knowles heard all the pre-game chatter about Penn State's nation-leading defense.

Ohio State's second-year defensive coordinator challenged his players to be meaner and more violent than the visitors from Happy Valley.

“I don’t look at stats, but I guess Penn State had a pretty good defense,” said Knowles, who was hired away from Oklahoma State before last season. “So we talked to (players) before the game about, ‘Hey, you’re not just playing Penn State’s offense, you’re playing Penn State’s defense. If they make one play, we got to make two. If they make two, we got to make three.’”

He continued: “So it’s a sense of maturity, leadership, yeah, maybe a little chip on your shoulder. We’ve done a lot of work to have everyone have faith in us for sure.”

The Buckeyes defense responded, making big stops the whole game, including eight tackles for a loss and four sacks of Drew Allar, who was held to under 200 yards passing in Ohio State's 20-12 win Saturday.

No. 3 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) recorded six pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. Penn State finished with just 49 yards rushing in losing to the Buckeyes for the seventh consecutive time.

Penn State (6-1, 3-1) was a stunning 1 for 16 on third down. That's the worst third-down conversion rate by any AP-ranked team with a minimum of 15 third-down attempts in a game over the past 10 seasons, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

“Our defense won the game,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “They kept playing and they kept grinding. They did an unbelievable job.”

The Buckeyes are surrendering an average of just over 260 yards per game, which puts them fourth in the national rankings, behind Penn State, Air Force and Michigan, and 3.93 yards per play, second only to Penn State — still.

“I think it’s a statement, but I think our biggest thing was being consistent and staying consistent," said defensive end JT Tuimoloau, who had a sack and was frequently disruptive. “Not just showing up against big matchups. Showing up in every game.”

Day's offense needed the assist.

The Buckeyes are still struggling to establish a run game, managing just 79 yards on the ground against Penn State and fewer than 2 per carry. No. 1 back TreVeyon Henderson was held out of the game with an unspecified injury. Miyan Williams got his first significant playing time this season and had 70 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown.

The difference was the passing of quarterback Kyle McCord (22-for-35, 286 yards and a touchdown) to All-America receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (11 catches, 162 yards and a TD).

After 100-yard receiving games in five of Ohio State's seven games, Harrison is working his way into Heisman Trophy consideration.

“There’s going to be ups and downs throughout the whole year," Harrison said. “You really can’t get too low, and even with a game like this, you can’t get too high afterwards.”

Ohio State's win over Penn State and Michigan's blowout of Michigan State Saturday leaves the Big Ten East rivals unbeaten and on a collision course for the Nov. 25 showdown at the Big House.

The Buckeyes play at Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday.

INJURY NEWS

Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown, who was injured on a red-zone run late in the third quarter, was seen after the game on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his right ankle.

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