2 weeks Ago
Ryan Day notched one of the most pivotal victories of his tenure at Ohio State on Saturday, steering the Buckeyes to a hard-fought 20-13 triumph over Penn State on the road. Despite early setbacks, Ohio State's offense amassed 358 yards and bullied Penn State in the trenches. The Buckeyes also overcame two significant first-half turnovers: an interception returned for a touchdown on their opening drive, and a goal-line fumble by quarterback Will Howard that went out of the end zone for a touchback.
After the game, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer praised Day, who took over for him in 2019. "That's one of the most impressive wins of the Ryan Day era. To come into this kind of environment and you get questioned about your toughness, the offensive line gets questioned," Meyer said .
"All you have to do is show a 59-yard drive and 11 straight runs against a Penn State team in this stadium to close out a game. That's called a four-minute drill to perfection. Their toughness is there, the offensive line won them this football game.
They controlled the line of scrimmage for 60 minutes." © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images After the win, Day's record at Ohio State is 63-9. However, he's often been criticized for being unable to win the big games.
Penn State's hopes of tying the game late were dashed as Ohio State's defense stood tall, delivering a goal-line stand that denied the Nittany Lions four attempts to reach the end zone from inside the 5-yard line. The Buckeyes took over at their 1-yard line and never game the ball back, milking nearly 5 minutes off the clock with a series of powerful runs. With the victory, Ohio State moves to 7-1.
Penn State's loss was its first of the season, and it will look to rebound next week against Washington. Related: Ohio State QB Will Howard Roasted for Quote, Play Against Penn State.
