Penn State's hope for future, why Ricky Slade didn't travel and more

COLUMBUS, OHIO — No. 8 Penn State came up a few plays short of No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

The reality is, the Nittany Lions are probably a few players short of matching the Buckeyes’ talent, too.

Coach James Franklin’s team always will battle though, and it did on this day. Instead of rolling over after digging a 21-0 hole in the first half, the defense started making key stops and the offense got rolling behind backup quarterback Will Levis.

“I’m proud of them. I love them. Give Ohio State credit, and we still have a chance to go 1-0 this week to have double-digit wins, and go into a bowl game and try and get that one, and go from there,” Franklin said.

Vegas oddsmakers suggested before kickoff the talent gap between Penn State and Ohio State was quite wide. The Lions were installed as an 18-point underdog early in the week, and that line ballooned to 20 by kickoff.

It’s true the yards disparity — 417 to 227 — suggests this game wasn’t as close as the final 11-point spread indicates, but the Lions were opportunistic and took advantage of some sloppy Ohio State ball security. Then, they turned turnovers into points.

The Buckeyes have NFL talent all over the field and arguably have at least one future pro at almost every position and some spots have multiple of them. Penn State does not, but it continues to improve its roster and is getting closer to having a starting 22 plus reserves who one day will fill out draft boards.

Are the Lions a year away from matching what OSU already has, though? Recruiting-wise, they’re closing the gap, but development is the second crucial part of having more consistent success.

Why didn’t Slade travel?

One notable admission from Penn State’s travel roster came in the backfield as running back Ricky Slade did not make the trip.

After the game, Franklin said Slade sat out because of a violation of team rules, and the coach did not elaborate further.

Wade has a breakout day

It seems like a long time ago junior safety Lamont Wade put his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Fast forward 10 months, and the Clairton native still is wearing blue and white and played perhaps his best game in the school’s uniform during the loss.

Wade finished with 10 tackles (eight solo), a sack, two tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He was the catalyst for the comeback as much as any player on the field was, and his effort should be recognized.

What is causing the offense to struggle?

Penn State played a good portion of this contest with its backup quarterback, and Ohio State leads the country in a number of statistical categories on defense for a reason.

That said, the offense was stagnant early and couldn’t match the Buckeyes output for much of the game. Tight end Pat Freiermuth had eight targets but just 40 yards receiving, and KJ Hamler, the team’s star receiver, had the ball thrown his way five times and finished with just three catches for 45 yards.

ESPN analyst and OSU alum Kirk Herbstreit said a few weeks ago the Lions’ biggest issue moving into the November portion of its schedule was the lack of a third option, and that again reared its ugly head Saturday.

Until someone else becomes more reliable, teams are going to take away the best threats and force someone else to beat them. Against Minnesota and now the Buckeyes, the supporting cast wasn’t strong enough.

Odds and ends

• Levis is a tough guy to bring down. The quarterback’s legs kept PSU in it, and while his interception was a bad one, he played fine considering the circumstances.

• Running back Journey Brown had some inspired carries in the loss. His touchdown run in the second half was a terrific effort play, and he finished with 64 yards on 11 carries.