STATE COLLEGE — Legions of tailgaters beginning their pregame rituals before the sun even rose was one indicator of a massive afternoon in Happy Valley.
Thoroughfares increasingly clogging up for miles as the morning hours ticked away, as 111,030 fans descended on Beaver Stadium was another.
With a wide array of implications, from College Football Playoff positioning and the Big Ten Conference title game race, to program pride and simple bragging rights, the magnitude of Saturday’s showdown between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State was evident.
Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they were unable to preserve an early 10-point lead, instead falling to Ohio State for the eighth straight year, 20-13, while failing to score an offensive touchdown.
Down 20-13 with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Penn State (7-1, 4-1) drove to Ohio State’s 3-yard line in search of an elusive seven points manufactured by the offense.
The Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1) then came up with a titanic defensive stand, as Drew Allar’s pass over the middle on fourth and 1 from the 1-yard line fell incomplete.
Ohio State survived two turnovers and held the Nittany Lions to a season-low 270 yards.
Allar was 12 of 20 through the air with 146 yards and an interception.
A last-ditch attempt at a game-tying touchdown never materialized for the Nittany Lions, as Ohio State maintained possession until the game’s end after driving from its own 1-yard line.
After Penn State capped its opening possession with a short field goal, Nittany Lions cornerback Zion Tracy sent the crowd into a frenzy, picking off Ohio State’s Will Howard on his first pass attempt for a 31-yard pick-six.
That put the Nittany Lions ahead 10-0 early, but the Buckeyes quickly responded with an efficient 74-yard scoring drive.
With 1 minute, 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Howard found Emeka Egbuka for 25-yard touchdown strike, making the score 10-7.
Following a fast three-and-out by Penn State, the Buckeyes got the ball back and scored another touchdown to go ahead 14-7.
Their drive appeared to stall when Penn State corner Elliot Washinton tackled Carnell Lake comfortably short of the sticks on third down, but Washington was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after stepping over the downed Lake.
That set up Ohio State with a fresh set of downs near midfield and, five plays later, Howard hit Brandon Inniss from 21 yards out for his second touchdown pass, putting the Buckeyes ahead by four with just under 12 minutes left in the first half.
Penn State’s ensuing drive fell as flat as its predecessor, gaining zero yards in three plays. Riley Thompson’s punt traveled only 33 yards, setting up the Buckeyes at their 42-yard line.
Ohio State proceeded to convert a fourth and 1 near midfield, with Howard shaking good pressure by Abdul Carter to hit Jelani Thurman for a 19-yard gain.
After advancing to Penn State’s 13-yard line, Howard rushed around the edge and into the end zone, with Ohio State appearing to go ahead 21-10.
But upon review, Howard was revealed to have fumbled at the 1-yard line, with the ball bouncing off of him and out of the end zone, resulting in a touchback and break for Penn State.
Zakee Wheatley was credited with the forced fumble.
However, the Nittany Lions were unable to turn Howard’s second turnover of the afternoon into any points, as they failed to penetrate past midfield before punting with a bit under four minutes left in the second quarter.
With 1:51 left in the half, another opportunity to score some points before halftime presented itself when Carter sacked Howard, forcing an Ohio State punt that gave Penn State great starting field position.
As the clock winded down, Allar connected with Harrison Wallace for a contested catch down the sideline, putting the Nittany Lions at the 3-yard line.
Allar then tried for Wallace again in the corner of the end zone, but after a review, it was determined that Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun came down with an interception while falling out of bounds in tight coverage, wrestling the ball from Wallace’s chest.
To begin the second half, Ohio State converted a 46-yard field goal try to go up 17-10, with 10:40 left in the third quarter.
On their ensuing drive, the Nittany Lions answered with a 44-yard field goal, making the score 17-13 at the 5:03 mark.
A few minutes into the fourth quarter, another consequential review went in Ohio State’s favor when a Nittany Lions’ fumble recovery was reversed to an incomplete pass.
Howard found Lake for a short gain, with Cam Miller quickly hitting him and forcing a fumble that the Nittany Lions recovered.
But the call on the field was reversed to an incomplete pass, with the Buckeyes going ahead 20-13 shortly thereafter courtesy of Jayden Fielding’s second field goal.
Getting the ball back with 10:13 to play and in need of a touchdown to tie things up, Tyler Warren made two impressive plays for a combined 64 yards, setting up Penn State inside the 5-yard line before Ohio State came up with its crucial stand.
Ohio State took over at its own 1-yard line with 5:13 on the clock and Penn State possessing all three timeouts.
From there, the Buckeyes ran the ball with impunity, as Penn State was unable to get a needed stop for one last shot at tying the game.