A second half surge and a pair of key turnovers propelled the Buckeyes past the Nittany Lions in Columbus on Saturday. Ohio State scored 35 unanswered points after halftime to improve to 9-1 on the season. The scarlet and gray held Joe Paterno at 400 victories and his visiting Happy Valley squad scoreless in the second half to remain in the Big 10 title chase. The Buckeyes erased an 11 point deficit and outscored the Lions 21-0 in the final quarter to win decidedly, 38-14. Penn State remains winless at the Horseshoe under Paterno, despite scoring two touchdowns in Columbus for the first time in the legendary coach’s tenure.
Eighth-ranked OSU tallied the game’s first points with a first quarter 26 yard field goal by Devin Barclay. Lions’ quarterback Matt McGloin looked like a seasoned pro against the Buckeyes’ defense in the first half. The Scranton sensation passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while completing half of his 30 passes. McGloin tossed two picks in the second half that proved costly in preserving Penn State’s three game winning streak. Justin Brown hauled in a 23 yard sling from McGloin to make it 7-3 with just over four minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Derek Moye added a six yard touchdown catch three minutes into the second quarter to lift the Lions to a 14-3 edge. The 6-4 Lions made their lead stand as Paterno’s defense forced the Buckeyes to punt time and time again. Penn State sparkled in stringing together long drives with their aggressive receivers. OSU signal caller, Terrelle Pryor, finished with 139 yards passing and a pair of scores, but moving up the field in the first half proved problematic for perfectionist Pryor.
The Buckeyes came out of the locker room and entered the third quarter trailing by eleven. The hole was soon erased via a tremendous rushing effort. OSU accumulated 314 yards on the ground to Penn State’s 113. Dan “Boom” Herron ran for a career high 190 yards on 21 carries, including the first touchdown run of the third quarter. Herron amassed yardage with amazement during the 96 yard drive that set up the Buckeyes’ only rushing touchdown. Defensive back, Devon Torrence, was tormented by Penn State’s offense all day. Torrence got his revenge with a third quarter interception return for a touchdown to give the Bucks their first lead of the game. Ohio State continued to execute and run the ball well, while the defense cracked down against the roller coaster State offense with the brash quarterback. There wouldn’t be another score for the white-and-blue on this day.
Pryor found leg room to run in one of his best rushing games since last year’s Rose Bowl victory over the Oregon Ducks. He finished with 49 yards to match the Lions’ leading rusher, Evan Royster. The Buckeyes threatened to score early in the fourth quarter, but Pryor aired out an errant pass that was picked off by Malcom Williams at the two yard line. McGloin completed just 2 of his 12 passes in the second half and the Lions had little success getting first downs. Ohio State got the ball back following Pryor’s only miscue. After a penalty pushed them back to their own 42 yards line, the home team promptly found the end zone again. Dane Sanzenbacher pulled down a 58 yard bomb from Pryor to give the Buckeyes a 24-14 advantage with less than ten minutes in regulation. The pass was tipped by a Penn State defender but laned in the hands of the talented Bucks’ wideout. Penn State’s hopes of a comeback disappeared when Travis Howard intercepted McGloin and ran it 30 yards for the score. Pryor passed to Jake Stoneburner from three yards out to finish the Buckeyes’ scoring and a 7 play drive. DeVier Posey led the Buckeyes with three receptions for 63 yards, but it was Herron who keyed the second half surge.
Parting Points: The Cowboys are 14 point underdogs against the Giants today. Holy smoke…
Wisconsin whipping...enough said.
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