Ohio State Buckeyes

Penn State vs. Ohio State Position Grades

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

A program defining win for Penn State Saturday night in front of a raucous White Out crowd.

What a win!  Words can’t even describe how much the 24-21 victory over second ranked Ohio State means to this program.  This is a victory that will live in Nittany Lion lore for a long, long time.

Three weeks ago, this team and program were at a crossroads, coming off a 49-10 shellacking to Michigan.  At 2-2, the season could have spiraled out of control.  There was a ton of talk about James Franklin’s future.

More from Victory Bell Rings

At halftime of the Minnesota game, with the Nittany Lions down 13-3, the students were chanting “Fire Franklin”.  Penn State surged back in the second half to send it to overtime and Saquon Barkley’s 25-yard dash to the end zone in the extra frame sealed it.

Then came the best game the team had played all season to that point, a crushing of then-undefeated Maryland 38-14.

Which lead us to Saturday night.  The Nittany Lions were 20-point home underdogs and no one, myself included, gave them much of a chance.  This Nittany Lion squad proved everyone wrong.

This was a total team effort.  Not perfect by any means, but all three facets contributed to the win.

Let’s grade out each position and bask in the glory of sweet victory.

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley (9) runs with the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Far from having his best game, Trace McSorley made the plays when they were needed the most.

McSorley was 8-for-23 on the evening, throwing for 154 yards and a touchdown.  He added another touchdown on the ground in the fourth quarter that brought the Lions within seven points.  He finished with 63 yards on 19 carries.

It was not the stats that made McSorley impressive on Saturday night.  It was his will to win.  The kid just does not give up.  With Penn State staring down a 12-0 deficit at halftime, he led the team down the field that ended with his 20-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin just before the break.  With the team down 21-7 in the fourth quarter, he led consecutive drives that ended in 10 points and had the Lions within striking distance.

His arm isn’t the strongest and he is far from the biggest guy on the field.  But McSorley is a winner, and that’s what matters most.

Grade: B

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Like McSorley, Saquon Barkley didn’t have the best night on the stat sheet.  However, he did enough in the running game to keep the offense moving when they needed it.

A far cry from his 194-yard showing against Ohio State last season, Barkley finished the night with 12 carries and 99 yards for an average of 8.2 yards per carry, but he didn’t end up in the end zone.

His 37-yard scamper on the Lions fourth-quarter drive was his longest of the night and was a big part of that scoring drive.

Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead continues to use Barkley out on wheel routes and one such play nearly ended with six for Barkley if not for the timely pass breakup from an Ohio State defender.

Grade: B

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin (12) reacts following his touchdown catch against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Like the other offensive positions, the receivers did just enough and came up with the plays when needed.  Starting to sense a theme here.

Godwin’s touchdown stands out when the Lions needed a score before the halftime break.  His only other catch came on that same drive on a third and eight to keep the drive going.

DaeSean Hamilton’s only catch of the evening came on that same drive — a beautiful 3- yard catch.  Saeed Blacknall made his only catch on the drive where the Lions made it 21-14, a 35 yarder down to the two yard line.

The leading receiver of the night was tight end Mike Gesicki.  He had four catches for 46 yards and nearly had a touchdown if not for a poor throw by McSorley.  Both Gesicki and DeAndre Thompkins got hurt in the first half.  Gesicki returned with a heavily taped ankle, but Thompkins did not return.

Grade: B

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line

One of the surprises on the evening was the solid play of the offensive line.

Despite the loss of Andrew Nelson, the offensive line held it’s own against a great Buckeye front four.  McSorley was only sacked once on the evening, although he was chased from the pocket at times.

The line allowed a few tackles for losses, but also opened up several holes for both Barkley and McSorley to pick up big yards on the ground.

This unit has come a long way since 2014 and should continue to get better.  Ohio State was the best defensive unit the Lions offensive line will see the rest of the regular season and they passed the test.

Grade: A-

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Garrett Sickels (90) sacks Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line

We saw the maturation of the defensive line right before our eyes and the “Wild Dogs” had an amazing night.  This unit has come a long way from giving up a ton of rush yards against Pitt and Michigan.

Garrett Sickels sat out the first half due to a team violation, but what a night he had in only 30 minutes of play.  He was in the Buckeye backfield a ton and finished with nine tackles, 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Evan Schwan had three tackles and a sack.  The rotation of defensive linemen kept up the pressure all night.  Shareef Miller, Torrence Brown, Kevin Givens and Parker Cothren all contributed.

A great night by this defensive front four against a very good Buckeye offensive line.

Grade: A

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jason Cabinda (40) reacts to a play with teammate defensive tackle Curtis Cothran (52) against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Linebackers

Perhaps James Franklin was playing coy about the playing time returning linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell would get against Ohio State.  They played the majority of the game and did not look rusty at all.

For a unit that was so banged up for most of the season, this was an awesome game.  The top three tacklers on the night were linebackers, led by Bell who had 19 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup.   He was all over the field Saturday night.

Not to be outdone, Cabinda terrorized the Buckeyes all night.  He ended up with 12 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup.  Manny Bowen also had 11 tackles and a tackle for loss.

Ohio State was held to 168 yards on the ground and the linebackers were a big reason for that.

Grade: A+

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback John Reid (29) attempts to intercept a pass intended for Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Terry McLaurin (83) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Secondary

This was a good, solid game for the secondary and they made plays when they needed to do so.

J.T. Barrett did throw for 245 yards but his longest pass of the evening was 34 yards.  Most everything was kept to short passes.  The biggest mistake of the night was allowing tight end Marcus Baugh to get wide open and then not wrap tackling him, allowing the Buckeye to score.

The secondary came up big in the Buckeyes last drive, blanketing the receivers and giving the Nittany Lion front seven enough time to get to Barrett.

Grade: B

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Grant Haley (15) reacts against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams

From miscues that could have cost the Lions the game to complete redemption, the special teams had a little of everything Saturday night.

Let’s start with the bad.  After a good opening drive by the Lions stalled, Tyler Davis had his 39-yard field goal attempt blocked.  That’s his first miss in 19 attempts.  Later, John Reid fumbled a punt and Ohio State recovered, leading to their first points of the game.

Another disaster happened in the third quarter when normally reliable long snapper Tyler Yazujian sailed the ball over punter Blake Gillikin’s head.  Gillikin was fortunate enough to get back and jump on the ball in the endzone, netting the Buckeyes a safety when it could have been much worse.

Now the A+ plays of the evening.  With Penn State down 21-14 and the defense holding Ohio State to a three-and-out, Cameron Brown blocked the punt and it was recovered by the Lions inside the Buckeye 30.  That set up a field goal, cutting the Ohio State lead to four.

Of course, the play of the game was Marcus Allen’s blocked field goal and Grant Haley’s scoop and score to take the lead the Lions wouldn’t relinquish.

If not for the bad mistakes, this grade would have been an A+.

Grade: B-

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on from the sidelines against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Ohio State 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Coaching

It was clearly an emotional win for James Franklin and his staff.  Biggest win of Franklin’s head coaching career.

Who would have thought that Franklin and his staff would out-coach Urban Meyer and his?   Franklin had his team ready from the outset. Even when things looked bleak, the Lions had that never give up mentality flowing through them.

Huge shout outs go to defensive coordinator Brent Pry and defensive line coach Sean Spencer.   Pry was not afraid to go aggressive, and it paid dividends.  A more safe game plan probably loses it here.

No complaints and a job well done by all of the staff.

Grade: A+

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from Ohio State Buckeyes Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Ohio State Buckeyes

Penn State Nittany Lions