UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sean Clifford’s four turnovers turned into three Ohio State touchdowns as the Buckeyes came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Penn State 44-31 at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Clifford finished the day 32 of 47 passing for 371 yards with three touchdowns through the air, but he also had a trio of interceptions and a lost fumble.
“I thought he played gutsy and made some big time plays,” James Franklin said of Clifford postgame. “But, obviously, you can't have the turnovers.”
Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) struck first on its opening series with a 38-yard field goal by Noah Ruggles. Clifford then threw a pair of interceptions on back-to-back drives in his fourth start against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes didn’t turn Clifford’s first turnover into points, but they capitalized on his second interception. Ohio State took advantage of great field position, and running back Miyan Williams found the end zone from four yards out to put Ohio State ahead 10-0, though the scoring gap could have been wider.
“First half, we were able to overcome the turnovers and stay in the game and battle,” Franklin said.
Wide receiver Parker Washington got Penn State (6-2, 3-2) back in the game in the second quarter, catching a pass from Clifford and then shedding a few would-be tacklers for a 58-yard touchdown that trimmed the Nittany Lions’ deficit to three.
“He’s a contested catch guy; he’s got the ability to make you miss,” Franklin said of Washington. “He’s a really good route runner.”
Penn State took a 14-10 lead on its next drive when Clifford connected with wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith over the middle for a 23-yard score. The Buckeyes responded with a long drive on the ensuing series, but Penn State’s defense tightened and forced Ruggles to make a 37-yard field goal that cut the Nittany Lions’ advantage to 14-13, which was the tally at halftime.
Just before the end of a mostly quiet third quarter, Ruggles got another field goal on a 40-yard attempt that put Ohio State back in front 16-14.
The Nittany Lions proceeded to go on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive aided by a pass interference call against Ohio State and two fourth-down conversions, the latter of which was a 4th-and-goal scoring run by running back Kaytron Allen. Penn State took a 21-16 lead with under 10 minutes to go after Allen’s rushing touchdown. On the day, the Nittany Lions were 3 of 4 on fourth down.
“Coming into this game, felt like we were gonna have to score touchdowns to win the game,” Franklin said. “Obviously, the focus is on the one we missed, but I think people liked the three that we made.”
That lead didn’t last for long, though, as Ohio State’s offense found its rhythm on a touchdown drive that lasted just 35 seconds. Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson scampered into the end zone untouched on a 41-yard run and Ohio State went on top for good, 23-21.
The Buckeyes’ defense got its third turnover of the game on the next drive when defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau strip-sacked Clifford and recovered his fumble. Ohio State got another touchdown on the next play when quarterback C.J. Stroud connected with tight end Cade Stover for a 24-yard catch-and-run that pushed Ohio State’s lead to 30-21.
Penn State’s kicker Jake Pinegar converted a 44-yard field goal on the Nittany Lions’ next drive, but Ohio State iced the game when Henderson scored his second touchdown of the day with less than three minutes to go. Tuimoloau put the finishing touches on his tremendous day on the Nittany Lions’ next drive with a pick-six of Clifford.
“You can’t turn the ball over that many times against that type of opponent and think you’re going to be successful,” Franklin said.
Saturday’s result is the sixth straight time Ohio State has topped Penn State.
Washington wows
Washington could not find the end zone for the life of him in the first six games of the season. He broke out with his first scoring snag of the year last Saturday against Minnesota, then proceeded to reach the end zone again Saturday against the Buckeyes.
After combining for 10 touchdown catches over his first two seasons with the Nittany Lions, the departure of current Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson allowed defenses to key in more on Washington in Year 3. But for the second season in a row, Washington recorded at least 100 receiving yards against Ohio State as he got the better of the Buckeyes’ secondary.
Clifford said he told Washington before the game he was going to “give him his shots”.
“I thought that he did a really good job of stepping up in the moment and making those plays,” Clifford said of Washington. “I’m proud of him.”
Washington also set a couple of new career-highs in catches with 11 and receiving yards with 179 to go along with his touchdown catch. In total, Clifford targeted Washington 14 times, good for a 79% success rate.
Not-so-junior
It was a battle of top wide receivers, and while Washington had a career day, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. was just as impressive. The sophomore wideout set a new career-high in receiving yards, topping the 184 he had earlier in the year in a win against Arkansas State by a single yard.
Harrison was targeted 12 times and caught 10 passes while frequently lining up against Penn State cornerback Kalen King. Though he didn’t enter the endzone on Saturday, Harrison seemed to be open in the middle of the field all day long.
“The one guy we struggled with is Marvin Harrison,” Franklin said. “He's obviously a really good player and [Stroud] went to him time and time again.”
Up next
Penn State travels to Bloomington, Ind., next Saturday for a road matchup with Indiana. The Hoosiers are fresh off a bye week, which was a sorely needed one considering they had lost their last five games after a 3-0 start to the season.
Indiana has been a competitive team at home, with an impressive win against No. 17 Illinois in the Hoosiers’ season opener to their credit. When it comes to Penn State and Indiana, though, it’s been a wildly one-sided series.
The Nittany Lions have won 23 of 25 against the Hoosiers, yet one of their two defeats came in a heartbreaker for Penn State to kick off the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign. Penn State lost 36-35 after a controversial goal line call went Indiana’s way for a successful game-winning two-point conversion.
Penn State will seek to leave Indiana’s Memorial Stadium with a better result this time around and get back on track after Saturday’s defeat.
“Losses are hard; they're hard around here at a place like Penn State where we have really high expectations and standards,” Franklin said. “But, that's our job as coaches and that's their job as players to rebound as quickly as we possibly can, get the corrections made and move on to our next opponent.”
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1.
First Published: October 29, 2022, 7:48 p.m.
Updated: October 29, 2022, 10:16 p.m.
