College Football

Big Noon Live: Ohio State batters Penn State in defensive fight

Updated Oct. 21, 2023 4:02 p.m. ET

No. 7 Penn State took on No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday in the biggest game of the Big Ten football season so far.

What was at stake? Quite a lot.

In the end, Ohio State held on for a 20-12 victory in a gritty defensive struggle. The loss doesn't necessarily eliminate the Nittany Lions from the national championship picture, but it makes the road much more difficult because even getting to the Big Ten championship game is a difficult task coming out of the Big Ten East. Both Penn State and Ohio State still have to play No. 2 Michigan, and if one of the three doesn’t win out, the division could come down to tie-breakers.

But that can all be examined later.

Scroll below for blow-by-blow analysis on every key moment in the game.

No. 3 Ohio State 20, No. 7 Penn State 12

POSTGAME NOTES

Well, the first of this Big Ten East round-robin didn’t exactly live up to the high billing in terms of excitement, but it did end with Ohio State once again showing how tough a football team it is after beating No. 7 Penn State 20-12 at the Horseshoe.

Some additional thoughts from Columbus:

— What more can you say about the best receiver in the country at this point? Marvin Harrison Jr. was the only consistent offensive threat for either side and played one of his best games of the year, recording a career-high 11 catches for 162 yards and a score that iced the end result. He was responsible for 44% of his team’s offensive yards and barely broke a sweat in hauling in catch after catch against a secondary that was billed as one of the best in the Big Ten.

— QB Kyle McCord didn’t have his best game — 22-of-35, 286 yards, one TD — but he did show enough flashes to encourage OSU fans that there’s more coming out of this group. His offensive line protected him better than it has at pretty much any point this season and helped balance out the banged-up running back corps rushing for just two yards per carry.

— Penn State trailed for the first time all year at halftime and never seemed to be in the game when it didn’t have a short field to work with. The offense failed to convert on third down (1-for-16) until 45 seconds left in the game and barely averaged 3.5 yards per play overall. QB Drew Allar didn’t rise to the occasion at all, looking lost at times going through his reads to finish under 45% passing on the day and throwing nothing down the field.

— James Franklin’s team didn’t really win a single phase of the game. There were special teams miscues like Daequan Hardy not fielding a punt at midfield that wound up going for 72 yards. The Lions had defensive lapses despite playing well enough to keep things close through the fourth quarter. And, of course, they couldn’t run the ball effectively (2 yards per carry, just two big runs of more than 10 yards) either. It was a rough outing all around despite the fact that PSU still isn’t out of the Big Ten East race completely with that Michigan game looking even more important in a few weeks.

0:29 4Q: TOUCHDOWN PENN STATE!

Penn State finally converted on fourth down and, what do you know, the Nittany Lions wound up finding the end zone. This game technically isn’t over yet with that score by Kaden Saunders, but Nittany Lions fans have to wonder where that 12-play, 73-yard drive was in the previous 58 minutes of action.

Penn State's Drew Allar finds Kaden Saunders for 8-yard TD

4:07 4Q: TOUCHDOWN BUCKEYES!

"Maserati" Marv just delivered the dagger. The only real offensive threat for Ohio State took a short crossing route all the way across the field and into the end zone for what might be an insurmountable lead by the Buckeyes. The future first-round receiver has 45% of the team’s offense on a career-high 11 catches.

Kyle McCord links up with Marvin Harrison Jr. for 18-yard TD

7:17 4Q: JT is unstoppable

That just might be the game after PSU was stopped on fourth down with Drew Allar’s pass batted away. JT Tuimoloau is simply a force to be reckoned with down the stretch of every game. An 0-13 mark on third or fourth down just isn’t going to cut it in a game against a top-five team on the road.

8:59 4Q: Buckeyes extend lead

After Kyle McCord was working on a string of eight straight completions, he couldn’t find a receiver on third down and Ohio State settled for yet another field goal. The Buckeyes are leading, sure, but 3-of-4 in the red zone with a single touchdown is not going to make Ryan Day happy watching this film back.

9:10 4Q: Joel and Gus going all Ted Lasso on us

13:39 4Q: Remember me???

If you could bottle up JT Tuimoloau playing Penn State, you might have a Heisman-worthy defensive lineman. His sack helped prevent the muffed punt from becoming too troublesome, and this remains a close game in the balance between a home side doing just enough, and a group of Nittany Lions who still haven’t converted a third down (0-of-11).

0:44 3Q: Big break for Penn State?

Wow, what a break for Penn State — is that what the Lions need to get back into this one? A muffed punt and great field position for an offense that hasn’t been able to take advantage yet but is primed to shift momentum in favor of the visitors after that mistake.

2:12 3Q: Huge stop!

Massive stop by PSU’s defense on fourth-and-goal to end yet another promising Ohio State drive. DC Manny Diaz has been calling a great game so far even with Chop Robinson out for most of it.

5:43 3Q: Where is the offense?

These two teams are averaging just five plays PER DRIVE. We’re approaching the end of the third quarter and Penn State still doesn’t have a third-down conversion, while OSU isn’t much better at 4-of-11. Good defense? Sure. But there’s not a lot to write home about in terms of offensive playmaking either.

7:17 3Q: Field position flip!

After Ohio State’s offense hit the reverse button and was backed up into its own end zone, Penn State tossed away the good defensive series as Dequan Hardy opted against fielding the punt to flip field position. Instead of getting the ball across the 50, the 72-yard punt put the Nittany Lions back in the loud end of the ’Shoe.

12:00 3Q: Same old story

Drew Allar picked up where he left off on that last drive before the half, but Nicholas Singleton was stonewalled behind the line. That PSU is still in this game despite going 0-of-8 on third down says a lot about the state of both offenses on the most critical down in football.

Halftime notes

— Ohio State averaged just 3.1 yards per carry in the first two quarters, but seemed to find a bit of a groove late in running the counter play with Miyan Williams (52 yards rushing, one TD). The offensive line has held up fairly well against that PSU defensive front, but they’ll need some more if they want to be effective at all in using any sort of play-action.

— Marvin Harrison Jr. — "Maserati Marv," as Gus Johnson has named him — is the lone source of big plays just as he has been all year. His five catches for 75 yards represent 40% of the Buckeyes offense, but it feels closer to 80%. Kyle McCord started out the game accurately but has since seen his footwork a little off. He finished just 11-of-21 for 125 yards through the air.

— Not much has happened on either side in terms of special teams beyond some field goals, but this series has been littered with big plays in that critical third phase. That could point to something happening for either side in terms of the return game.

— There were a few signs of life from PSU’s passing offense on the Nittany Lions' final drive of the first half, but Drew Allar will go into the break just 6-of-17 when dropping back. With Keandre Lambert-Smith a little banged up too, things have been rough going in terms of consistency. Still, if you told James Franklin his team would only be down four despite not converting a single third down, committing a pair of penalties in critical situations, and having just 14 rushing attempts, he’d probably take it.

4:16 2Q: Penn State held to field goal

After seemingly getting something going, another missed third down conversion (now 0-for-6) forces the Nittany Lions to kick a field goal to cut it to 10-6. It was a decent response to the earlier touchdown, but the playcalling has been a bit uneven, as Drew Allar is just 5-of-13 and dropping back too many times for a team averaging more than five yards per carry.

7:31 2Q: TOUCHDOWN BUCKEYES!

Talk about a swing. Ohio State went from nearly giving up a touchdown to scoring one, as Miyan Williams punched it in to cap off a 13-play, 61-yard drive that featured 10 runs. Sure the flags helped, but that’s one of those ‘sigh of relief’ scores for the home side as they get the crowd back into things.

Miyan Williams punches in TD to give Ohio State lead

9:20 2Q: A huge play, a huge flag

What a momentum shift both ways, as a flag brought back Curtis Jacobs’ long scoop-and-score for PSU. Instead of going up 10-3, now the Nittany Lions have to defend another red-zone opportunity against the Buckeyes. Mark that one down as Kyle McCord being a little rattled after seeing his fumble go the other way (even if it was called back).

12:48 2Q: Big loss for Penn State?

Chop Robinson’s day appears to be done as he walks off with trainers sans helmet. You hate to see that, and it would be a massive loss for the Penn State defense moving forward.

13:01 2Q: It's been a punt-o-rama!

Penn State has yet to convert a third down, and you can look closely at Drew Allar’s 3-of-10 passing as a chief reason why. He’s been all over the place despite entering as a really good intermediate passer this season. Both teams are averaging more than 6 yards needed to convert against stingy defenses, and it’s showing amid this punt-fest at the ’Shoe.

1:09 1Q: Defense ruling the day

On third-and-1, Penn State went shotgun with a quick pass despite having success in the run game. It looked like James Franklin was going to go for it on fourth down, but some confusion led to a quick timeout. Neither passing game has been able to muster much so far.

3:07 1Q: Is pressure getting to McCord?

After starting the game with five consecutive completions, Buckeyes QB Kyle McCord is now 1-of-7 with plenty of passes sailing high. His pocket is getting a little tight and that’s leading to some happy feet and a few air mails to his receivers. Instead of settling in, the young signal-caller is perhaps starting to feel the weight of this B1G East clash.

5:05 1Q: Another loss for Ohio State

Tough loss for OSU’s defense as Ja’Had Carter was carried off while putting no weight on his ankle. The Syracuse transfer was a nice depth option on the back end, so this loss hampers a unit that was already without Denzel Burke.

5:15 1Q: All tied up!

Nicholas Singleton had two big chunk plays on the ground for Penn State off either side of his two tackles, but much like their counterparts in scarlet and grey, things stalled out as they approached the red zone. Still, the Nittany Lions leveled it up at 3-3 with a 40-yard field goal from Alex Felkins amid signs of life from the visiting offense.

7:51 1Q: Sack attack!

The extra man got home for PSU’s defense, sacking Kyle McCord. Both defenses have asserted themselves early in this first quarter. Both teams are averaging around four yards per play, which, in the context of facing the top two defenses in FBS this season, is actually not bad at all despite four stalled drives after kickoff.

9:29 1Q: Allar struggling

It was back-to-back three-and-outs for Penn State’s offense as Drew Allar began just 1-of-5 to start the game. OSU’s defensive line has gotten some pressure without bringing an extra defender, and Allar just hasn’t had the time to throw.

10:49 1Q: Ohio State strikes first, leads 3-0

After a quick three-and-out by Penn State, an impressive opening drive by Ohio State set the tone early. Given the depth chart at running back, perhaps it wasn't a huge surprise that Ryan Day opted to go to the air early and often, with QB Kyle McCord going 5-of-8 for 49 yards and making several nice throws between the numbers. PSU can take solace in stiffing up defensively in the red zone, but it was the home side that struck first for a 3-0 lead.

Pregame injury update from FOX’s Bruce Feldman

Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson is not expected to play while CB Denzel Burke has been officially ruled out for the Buckeyes. WR Emeka Egbuka warmed up and is expected to be a game-time decision, but did not take reps with Marvin Harrison Jr. and company when the first team offense was on the field. Some big losses for the home team ahead of this Big Ten East clash against Penn State.

PREGAME SCENE

What might happen to Jim Harbaugh in wake of Michigan's latest scandal? Bruce Feldman broke it down …

Bruce Feldman gives an update on Jim Harbaugh and the sign-stealing allegations at Michigan

Violent hands? Urban Meyer explained what that means in his latest "Urban's Playbook," with some help from LaVar Harringon and Orlando Pace.

Urban Meyer, LaVar Arrington and Orlando Pace preview the game

Not sure how this guy got in …

Ohio State coach Ryan Day spoke with Jenny Taft about his depth at running back, and how his defense needs to "win the line of scrimmage" against Penn State.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day talks with Jenny Taft

Former Heisman Trophy winner and Ohio State QB Troy Smith had some very simple advice for his Buckeyes — and it involved a whole lot of Marvin Harrison, Jr.

Former Ohio State legend Troy Smith joins 'Big Noon Kickoff'

Speaking of Ohio State stars, Smith wasn't the only former Buckeyes star in the house.

James Franklin stopped by to talk about his team, which he believes is the deepest he has ever had.

James Franklin joins show to discuss his Nittany Lions

How many Tom Rinaldi's does it take to put together a fun pregame segment? How about two!

Tom Rinaldi sits down with Tom Rinaldi, DL coach of Southeastern Louisiana

Country star Walker Hayes took us on a tour behind the scenes at Alabama.

Alabama superfan Walker Hayes discusses his loves for the Tide

"The Bear" broke down the Big Ten East, which has a huge day today!

Matt Leinart proved to be a man of his word, dressing up for the show after losing a bet with Brady Quinn on last week's Notre Dame-USC game.

And of course, Urban Meyer is always a big deal in Columbus.

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.