Buckeyes back in Big Ten driver’s seat
Their confidence did not disappear, even when it seemed everything was conspiring against them — Penn State, the officials and, most of all, themselves.
Ohio State made headshaking mistakes, continued with its kickoff coverage follies and got the wrong end of a couple of calls. The No. 6 Buckeyes played from behind all game against the No. 2 Nittany Lions, twice trailing by 18 points. They were down nine with just over 5 minutes left.
Then, playing with the desperation needed to save their season, the Buckeyes came up with the rally for the ages.
J.T. Barrett threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Marcus Baugh with 1:48 left to lift Ohio State to an improbable 39-38 victory in front of 109,302 pleasantly stunned fans at Ohio Stadium.
“That was one of the best fourth quarters I’ve ever witnessed in my career,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. “In 31 years of coaching, I can’t ever recall any one quite like this one.”
Barrett completed his final 16 pass attempts to lead the Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0). He finished 33 of 39 for 328 yards and four touchdowns.
“I’ve never had a kid play perfect, but damn, he was close tonight,” Meyer said.
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley entered the game as the Heisman Trophy front-runner, and he started the game with a 97-yard kickoff touchdown return and added a 36-yard touchdown that put the Nittany Lions ahead 21-3 in the second quarter.
But the Buckeyes held Barkley to 8 yards in his other 20 carries. Barrett’s performance will surely raise his Heisman profile.
“I think that the H-word is appropriate after today’s game,” Meyer said.
The Buckeyes’ final comeback began, oddly enough, after a Barrett fumble on an exchange with J.K. Dobbins with 13 minutes left and Ohio State down 35-20.
Ohio State, which outgained Penn State 529-283, forced a three-and-out, and Denzel Ward blocked the ensuing punt. Barrett then hit Johnnie Dixon over the middle for a 38-yard touchdown to make it 35-27. After a Penn State field goal, the Buckeyes again scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Barrett to Dixon to make it 38-33 with 4:20 left.
Ohio State’s defense forced another three-and-out, and the Buckeyes’ took over at its 42. Barrett threw to Terry McLaurin and K.J. Hill for first downs to set up the pass to Baugh for the go-ahead score.
After the two-point conversion failed, Penn State had one final chance. But like Ohio State’s final possession in last year’s stunning loss to the Nittany Lions, Penn State (7-1, 4-1) went nowhere.
An incompletion, sack by Jalyn Holmes and two more incompletions under duress clinched the Buckeyes’ win.
“We never lose faith,” senior linebacker Chris Worley said. “We’re too battled-tested for that."
The victory was essential for the Buckeyes keeping their Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive. Their loss to Oklahoma gave them virtually no margin for error.
But from the start, it was an uphill battle. After the Barkley kickoff return, Parris Campbell fumbled after making a catch and Penn State recovered and returned it to the OSU 23.
On third-and-goal from the 13, Trace McSorley lobbed a pass to DaeSean Hamilton, who caught the ball over Damon Arnette in the back corner of the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
After Ohio State’s deficit grew to 21-3, Barrett hit McLaurin for a 14-yard touchdown pass for the 91st career touchdown pass career, breaking Drew Brees’ Big Ten record.
But it would get worse before it got better. A blown kickoff coverage after an offsides penalty was followed by a controversial pass-interference penalty that negated a Damon Webb interception in the end zone. McSorley scored on a 6-yard run on the next play to make it 28-10.
Thanks to Barrett and a defense that ultimately rose to the occasion, Ohio State kept chipping away.
“That’s what we train for,” senior center Billy Price said. “In the wintertime, it’s not easy. It’s not comfortable. It’s to get into moments like this when you’ve got to grind and trust your brothers, find that brotherhood and really lean on each other.”