Analysis: Nittany Lions waste arguably the best defense in college football

COLUMBUS, Ohio — One by one, the Nittany Lions filed off the Ohio Stadium turf. Some heads were hung low. Some stared directly toward the visitor’s tunnel. Many — if not all — were wondering what could have been Saturday afternoon.

Penn State had its shot. The Nittany Lions had their opportunity to beat the Buckeyes, to ascend to college football’s elite, to pay off years of building and promise.

They had their shot, and they blew it. Well, Mike Yurcich and the offense did.

Because Penn State’s defense did its job. Billed as arguably the best in the country, it lived up to that. Manny Diaz’s unit showed up time and time again against Ohio State and gave James Franklin’s team countless chances to assert itself at The Horseshoe.

That’s what makes this loss to Ohio State sting more than others for some Nittany Lions fans. In 2017, the defense surrendered an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter. In 2018, it gave up a 12-point lead. Two crushing losses, each by one point, a byproduct of defensive collapses.

But, Saturday, that was far from the case. Marvin Harrison Jr. got his (11 catches, 162 yards, one touchdown), and that’s to be expected. But the Nittany Lions’ star-studded defense hassled and harassed quarterback Kyle McCord all day and made necessary stops.

Related:

• Penn State QB Drew Allar puts the blame on himself following emotional loss to Ohio State
• Harrison has TD catch, No. 3 Buckeyes defense steps up big in 20-12 win over No. 7 Penn State

For as bad as Penn State was on third down — 1 for 16 is inexcusable — the Buckeyes were only 6 of 16. And they failed on their lone fourth-down attempt thanks to an instinctive and aggressive goal-line stand by Zakee Wheatley and Jaylen Reed in the third quarter. There were commanding and clutch performances across the board.

Dani Dennis-Sutton showed why he was a five-star prospect, especially after Chop Robinson suffered a scary injury. Daequan Hardy had three pass breakups. Johnny Dixon was all over the field, challenging Harrison and logging a sack. Adisa Isaac continued to play at a high level with two tackles for loss. Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs each had nine tackles. Kalen King didn’t have his best stuff. But, on the whole, Penn State’s defense balled out.

Diaz’s group had nine tackles for loss. It limited Ohio State’s running backs to 84 yards on 33 carries (2.5 yards per carry). The unit had to be exhausted. But it left everything on the field and proved its high national rankings in several statistical categories are no fluke.

Penn State allowed 20 points at Ohio State. That should have been enough to win. It’s a shame for those players that it wasn’t, and it’s another window missed for Franklin’s Nittany Lions.

Final thoughts

• Dennis-Sutton was a problem for Ohio State’s offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 261-pound edge rusher drew a hold and got to McCord before Jacobs did on the erased scoop-and-score. The sophomore has a chance to be a first-round guy next year.

• It was telling Ohio State coach Ryan Day opted not to try for points at the end of the first half. With 42 seconds and three timeouts at his own 17-yard line, Day decided to kneel it out instead of pushing for a field goal. That was a sign of respect for Penn State’s defense.

• Yurcich’s play-calling from the second quarter on was an abject disaster. Specifically, what was up with the trick plays? KeAndre Lambert-Smith is the one wideout who can generate yards after the catch and break one … and you have him throwing the ball?

• Why go away from the ground game? Nick Singleton rushed three times for 42 yards on Penn State’s first field goal drive in the first quarter. He had six more carries the rest of the game.

• Penn State’s average distance to gain on third downs was 7.5 yards. Ohio State’s was 7.3. The difference? One team had Harrison. The other didn’t have a receiver who could separate.

• Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu and defensive end JT Tuimoloau, a pair of first-round talents, went head-to-head only 10 times. Fashanu won most of the reps. But Tuimoloau got him when it mattered most, pushing Fashanu into Drew Allar on the sophomore’s incomplete pass on fourth-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter.

• About that decision by Franklin: It didn’t work. The Nittany Lions were at their own 43-yard line with 7:33 left in regulation, down 13-6. Franklin said he was worried Penn State wouldn’t get the ball back. With the way Penn State’s defense was playing, it would have been better to trust the only thing that was working all day.