Newly installed play produces winning TD
Contrary to popular belief, football games do at times come down to one play, and when it mattered Saturday, Ohio State went with one it had put in just last week. It produced the touchdown that gave the Buckeyes a 39-38 win over Penn State and likely made Marcus Baugh a household name for OSU fans.
“It was 8-17, Y seam, look back,” coach Urban Meyer said.
In layman’s terms, the Buckeyes spread the field, with the tight end — the “Y” — Baugh to the right in the near slot inside two wide receivers.
“It’s a check play; if they’re not in the right defense we check out,” Baugh said. “But they were in the defense that we wanted.”
All Baugh had to do was bend in on a post cut as the linebacker charged with checking him, Manny Bowen, played in front of him. Quarterback J.T. Barrett noted the safety in the middle of the field didn’t move that way so he knew Baugh would break open behind the linebacker.
Baugh did, and looked back to see Barrett’s 16-yard pass thrown right on the money.
“Once I got behind the linebacker I knew it was coming to me, so all I had to do was catch it,” Baugh said. He added his thoughts when he saw it coming were “catch the ball, catch security, and win the game.”
Next hybrid up:
Hill steps in
When Parris Campbell had to leave early after suffering a head bump for the second straight game, the hybrid back duties fell almost exclusively into the lap of K.J. Hill. He responded with his top performance as a collegian, leading the team with 12 catches for 102 yards, returning five kickoffs for 120 yards, and three punts for 23.
“That’s what we work on in practice, if somebody goes down, it’s next man up,” Hill said. “Parris went down and I had to step up.”
Tough calls go against defense
Ohio Stadium’s north end zone was ultimately the scene of the Buckeyes’ celebration after Barrett’s touchdown pass to Baugh. But before that, it was the site of a couple of calls that would have been critical if Ohio State had lost.
In the second quarter, safety Damon Webb intercepted a Trace McSorley pass intended for Brandon Polk in the end zone. But defensive pass interference was called on the Buckeyes. Though cornerback Damon Arnette was tugging at Polk, the referee announced that the penalty was on Webb, who ranged over to make the pickoff. Penn State scored on the next play to make it 28-10.
In the third quarter, Denzel Ward and DeAndre Thompkins fought for a pass in the end zone. Ward was initially awarded an interception, but the call was changed to a touchdown after replay review.
“The offensive receiver had full possession of the ball, brought the ball down and completed the process of a catch,” referee John O’Neill said after the game. “He then rolled over and at that point, the Ohio State defender came on him. By rule, joint possession belongs to the offense. The Penn State receiver had the ball first. He brought the ball down, completed the process of a catch, rolled over at which point the Ohio State defender came down on him.”
Special teams still a problem
The Buckeyes had extra time to prepare because of their off week, and they vowed to fix their shaky kickoff coverage.
Well, it’s back to the drawing board.
Not only did Saquon Barkley return the opening kickoff for a touchdown — on a Sean Nuernberger kick that was on target toward the left corner — but an offsides penalty on freshman Baron Browning and overpursuit on the resulting repeated kick allowed another long kick return to set up a score.
The Buckeyes switched to pooch kicks after the Barkley touchdown, but it didn’t matter.
“I’m not even going to take questions on that,” Meyer said. “We’re just going to have to make serious changes on personnel and everything else. That was a comedy — comical.”
Franklin: Blocked punt was huge
Penn State coach James Franklin thought a field goal that gave his team a 38- 27 lead with 5: 42 remaining in the game was important, but he could see that Ohio State was coming on strong.
“They were gaining momentum offensively and we had a hard time slowing them down,” Franklin said. “They’ve got a bunch of players who can make plays in space, and you can’t cover those types of athletes that long. You’ve got to get to the quarterback.”
Franklin said a blocked punt by Ward that set up an Ohio State touchdown that cut the deficit to 35- 27 was a game- changer.
“The margin of error is very small when you play these type games. I thought the blocked punt was a huge play in the game,” he said.
Gesicki: OSU changed front
Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki said Ohio State shifting to four defensive ends shackled the offense, especially when the Nittany Lions got the ball at their 15- yard line with 4: 14 remaining in the game.
“The four- minute offense, we get a first down and the game is over,” he said. “We weren’t able to do that. It was a physical defense — a great front seven — and they showed why they are one of the best in the country in that fourminute situation.”
Barkley salutes
Ohio State’s Schiano
Penn State’s Barkley, who was held 44 yards on 21 carries, credited Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano with effective play calls.
“They blitzed a lot more than they usually do to stop the run,” he said. “Their defensive coordinator over there called a great game.”