What a devastating loss! This entire game was an emotional roller coaster. The first half felt like there were some missed opportunities and the defense dominated the Buckeyes. And yet, I think most fans knew OSU would come out and be a completely different team. Next thing you know, Ohio State was ahead and PSU looked like they could not stop them.
Things flipped from there and the Nittany Lions scored two touchdowns. With eight minutes left in the game, PSU was up 26-14. The defense just needed to make a stop. Or slow the Buckeyes way down. The offense just needed to eat some clock. And what happened? None of that stuff. Next thing you know, Penn State is losing 27-26. And then it was over. Heartbreak.
Before fans freak out though, this was a good loss. I mean, a win would have been better obviously. However, Ohio State was a top five team and Penn State almost beat them. I saw that we dropped two spots in the rankings. I disagree with that, I think Penn State should have stayed at #9 and honestly, Ohio State should have went to #2. Playoff hopes (while very slim) are still alive. Just need to keep winning. How many undefeated teams will there be at the end of the year? If the past few years is any indication, not many.
Here are a few of my stray thoughts on the game:
-I will not complain about play calling. The final call was bad (I know, I say I will not complain and then start off by complaining). They should not have taken the ball out of Trace McSorely’s hands in that instance. I can totally understand why they did it: the figured Ohio State would never think Miles Sanders would get the ball there. How many times did OSU bite on the fake to Sanders where Trace kept it and ran? I swear each time it happened you could see a Buckeye linebacker tackling Sanders with a look on his face that said “shit, he does not have the ball.”
I have heard a bunch of people complaining about the play calling early in the game. I kept seeing people post stuff like “ugh, why are we doing trick plays? Just run the damn ball. Give it to Sanders!” The big one was the lateral to Tommy Stevens, which failed miserably. However, if he catches that and then tosses a touchdown to an open Sanders or back to Trace…those same fans would be calling Franklin a genius. I try not to second guess the calls, I am not an offensive coordinator.
-That ridiculous catch from Johnson! And yet it was overshadowed by the fact that he dropped some of the easiest throws possible. In fact, the entire team continues to suck at catching balls.
-The touchdown for Ohio State (sorry, I am not looking up names). It was a crazy catch from the receiver and the DB looked like he was going to strip the ball as they were running. The receiver just muscled the ball away from it. I thought it was an impressive play and no one seemed to notice it. I have heard a few fans complaining about Penn State’s missed tackle on that play, but I honestly think the Nittany Lion DB thought it was going to be stripped as well, I feel like he slowed up to see if he could get the ball.
-If I were an Ohio State fan, I would have been pretty annoyed with the play calling in the first half. Every time they ran the ball, they gained positive yardage and yet they just gave up on it and wanted to let Haskins throw it.
-Trace McSorely…I am going to miss him. Has there been a more fun Penn State QB? He runs the ball with zero fear. He slams into linebackers or safeties like he is a 220 pound running back.
-I know everyone hates Kirk Herbstreit and probably thinks he is a total Ohio State homer. However, I think he calls a fairly even game. Hell, he loves Trace McSorely and I feel like he was rooting for Penn State at times. Also, has he ever thought about being a coach? Obviously he has a pretty good gig right now, but I wonder if he ever thinks about it. Maybe if he reads this, he can let me know.
The season is not over. The Nittany Lions defense proved that they are much better than it felt in those first few games. Ohio State has an insanely good offense, and the defense almost shut them down.
