OHIO STATE

Jon Spencer's Ohio State report card

Jon Spencer
Reporter

OFFENSIVE LINE

The protection for J.T. Barrett was pretty good right up until the Buckeyes' final drive of the first half. Barrett got away from pressure a couple of times, but they had to settle for a field goal and then Penn State drove 74 yards in the final minute to make it 12-7. Big momentum shift. The front five got good surge on Barrett's 10-yard run on fourth-and-two to set up the Buckeyes' first touchdown, but Penn State's relentless rush in the second half gave OSU major problems and its perfect season ended on back-to-back sacks. After giving up five sacks all season, the Buckeyes gave up five in the second half.

GRADE: F

RUNNING GAME

Curtis Samuel, apparently more running back than H-back, didn't have his first carry until 10:10 of the third quarter, and it went for a 74-yard touchdown. Paving the way was Mike Weber, reminding us of how spoiled we were by Zeke Elliott, not only as a dynamic runner but a devastating blocker. But take that play away and the Buckeyes had only 94 net rushing yards on 39 attempts (2.4 per carry). Weber finished with 71 yards on 21 carries and the Lions did a great job of containing Barrett, holding him to 26 on 17 attempts. That Samuel only ran the ball twice was criminal.

GRADE: D minus

PASSING GAME

The Buckeyes struggled for a third straight week putting together a vertical attack. Noah Brown didn't touch the ball until OSU's 28th snap and then only for a modest gain. J.T. Barrett missed Curtis Samuel on a rare shot downfield, but tight end Marcus Baugh showed a nifty spin move getting into the end zone on a 27-yard reception. Dontre Wilson had trouble hanging on to the ball as a receiver and return man. You know something's wrong when it takes the usually forgotten tight end to shake the passing game out of the doldrums. When the Buckeyes absolutely needed a big play at the end, James Clark had his arm grabbed on a deep ball. No interference flag. It was that kind of fourth quarter.

GRADE: D minus

DEFENSIVE LINE

The front four made life miserable for quarterback Trace McSorley for large stretches, especially when the Buckeyes were in their  "Rushmen" package with four ends — Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes and Nick Bosa. But after misfiring on 11 straight passes, McSorley came to life with three completions in four attempts as Penn State drove 74 yards in the final 1:04 of the half for a touchdown. McSorley also took them 90 yards on five plays in the fourth quarter, but that was overshadowed by the game-changing TD off a blocked field goal in the final minutes.

GRADE: C 

LINEBACKERS

OSU's run defense came into question after Wisconsin's Corey Clement rushed for 164 yards, including a 68-yard breakaway. The Buckeyes didn't stop Penn State's Saquan Barkley as much as his team. After racking up 202 yards two weeks ago against Nebraska, Barkley only had 12 carries against OSU, but he still averaged 8.3 yards after gouging OSU for 194 yards last year. Thirty-seven of his 99 yards Saturday night came on one carry to help trigger 17 unanswered points by the Lions.

GRADE: D

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The Lions didn't have a reception by a wide receiver until the final minute of the first half — when they had three. Freshman nickel back Damon Arnette made a late adjustment on a 34-yard grab by DaeSean Howard, sandwiched between catches of 19 and 20 yards by Chris Godwin. The latter went for a back shoulder touchdown on a tightly-covered jump ball with Gareon Conley. The pass was underthrown, enabling Godwin to come back for it. Another 50-50 ball went to the Lions in the fourth quarter, Saeed Blacknail's 35-yard grab in front of Marshon Lattimore set the Lions up at the 2 and led to a touchdown.Trace McSorley only completed eight passes, but they went for 154 yards. Ulimately, too many big plays.

GRADE: D plus

SPECIAL TEAMS

This facet of the game had a huge impact, negatively impacting both teams. The biggest mistake was the blocked 45-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Durbin (his first miss in 11 tries)  that was returned for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:27 left. Preceding that was a PSU field goal off a blocked punt off the foot of Cameron Johnston. Durbin also missed a PAT after Johnston mishandled the snap. PSU kicker Tyler Davis had his 39-yard attempt blocked on the Lions' first series, his first miss in 19 career tries. Their usually reliable long-snapper also sailed one over the head of his freshman punter, who had to fall on it for a safety. It could have been worse because Terry McLaurin was right there to grab it for a touchdown. Penn State also muffed a punt. It's a mystery why Dontre Wilson is still returning punts for OSU after he had a couple more misadventures, including a ball that went right through his hands. Fortunately, the Buckeyes recovered.

GRADE: F

COACHING

Apparent indecision on what to do on fourth down had the Buckeyes rushing the field goal unit on the field for a career-long 45-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Durbin. It was blocked and returned for a touchdown with 4:27 left. It's hard to extend a road winning streak to 21 when you have both a punt and field goal blocked in the fourth quarter, resulting in 10 points. And it's hard to have faith in the play-calling or inability to correct the continued passing game woes. For the second straight week, the Buckeyes were facing a host team that had an extra week to prepare. That probably factored into Penn State's performance as well as OSU letting its guard down after taking a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter. The 20-game road streak was remarkable, all things considered, but there was no surviving this "White Out" thanks to a blizzard of mistakes in the final period.

GRADE: D

— Jon Spencer

Ohio State's Mike Weber (25) takes off running against Penn State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday.
The band plays on the field before an  NCAA college football game between Ohio State and Penn State in State College, Pa., Saturday.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) passes the ball prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer leads his team on the field prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.
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.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Dontre Wilson (2) catches a pass in front of Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Jason Cabinda (40) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium.