Blue White Illustrated

way toward the end zone. Outmanned, overmatched and hobbled by injuries, the Nittany Lions (4-3 over- all, 1-3 Big Ten) had given one of the na- tion's best programs all it could handle. And the fans, emboldened by the effort, showed their support – regardless of the game's outcome. "We had an unbelievable environment tonight," head coach James Franklin said. "We created a really, really tough envi- ronment for a very good football team to come in and deal with." Maybe more difficult than the Buckeyes could have imagined. Coming off a span of four games in which they averaged 56 points, the Buck- eyes (6-1, 3-0) needed a pair of bizarre officiating blunders to notch their first 10 on this night. Beginning with a Hacken- berg ball inexplicably deemed an inter- ception by Ohio State's Bell Vonn, an official review did nothing to overturn what had been shown clearly to be an in- complete pass on the video boards inside the stadium. According to head referee John O'Neill, a malfunction of the replay feeds kept the play from ever technically being "thoroughly reviewed." Said O'Neill, "The feeds that the replay team looks at are the feeds you get at home. We can't create our own rules. The replay rules are clear that we have to use the equipment provided. So Tom [Fiedler] and the team reviewed what they had." Leaving the Buckeyes with the ball at the Penn State 39-yard line, only seven plays passed before running back Ezekiel Elliott dived to the pylon to give Ohio State a 7-0 lead just 5 minutes into the game. Handicapped by an inconsistent Nit- tany Lion offense, short possessions and even worse punting, the defense stood tall through the course of the game. Even when the Buckeyes put together a 14- play drive into the Nittany Lions' red zone to start the second quarter, a series of Ohio State penalties and a clutch Deion Barnes sack pushed the ball back to the Penn State 32-yard line for a fourth-and-25. Even then, the set of offi- cials completely missed the expiration of the play clock – for roughly 3 seconds – before kicker Sean Nuernberger con- verted a 49-yard attempt. Asked what he'd been told by the offi- cials about the calls, Franklin refrained from giving a complete answer. "All of that equals 10 points, right? I think you guys are starting to get to know me a little better. I would love to come in here on a weekly basis and tell you exactly what I think and it goes against everything that I am," he told reporters. "I tell people the truth, but I'm not able to do that." Instead, Franklin and the Lions had no choice but to fight from behind. Down 17-0 at intermission aBer a 1-yard touchdown reception by Jeff Heuerman, the defense would be called on to make up for an offense that produced just 78 yards and five first downs in the first half. It did exactly that. Just three plays into the second half, Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett was in- tercepted by Anthony Zettel, the Nittany Lions' outstanding defensive tackle, who went 40 yards the other way to cut the deficit to 17-7. Trading fruitless offensive possessions, the Nittany Lions finally found their offensive footing in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on a Mike Hull interception with an eight-play, 45- yard touchdown drive capped by a Hack- enberg-to-Saeed Blacknall score. With Ohio State stymied for another two possessions through the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions' offense had one more chance to thrill. Beginning with the ball at their own 9- yard line, Hackenberg and the Lions con- verted three third downs to march 77 yards and set up Sam Ficken's tying field goal to send it to overtime. Starting with the ball in overtime, Penn State forced the Buckeyes' hand with a 7- play, 25-yard touchdown drive capped by a Bill Belton 1-yard thrust past the goal line. Ohio State matched the score with its own 3-play touchdown drive, then benefitted from a controversial personal foul penalty called against Hull on the PAT. The call gave the Buckeyes posses- sion at Penn State's 12-yard line to start their next overtime frame. Notching another touchdown, the Buckeyes kept Penn State out of the end zone, capping the game with their fiBh and final sack on Hackenberg on fourth down. Admittedly emotional in his postgame comments to his team and the media, Franklin said the Nittany Lions would concentrate only on the areas within their control rather than dwell on con- troversial calls or what could have been. Said Franklin, "We're going to come out on Sunday and we're going to work harder than we've ever worked to do that. That's what I can control. I can't control all of those other things. That's what we're going to focus on." SCORING SUMMARY 1ST 10:15 OSU Elliott, E. 10-yard run (Nuernberger, S. kick) 7 plays, 39 yards, TOP 2:52........................................................................ 7-0 2ND 11:07 OSU Nuernberger, S. 49-yard field goal 14 plays, 59 yards, TOP 7:31.................................................................... 10-0 03:58 OSU Heuerman, Jeff 1-yard pass from Barrett, J.T. (Nuernberger, S. kick) 6 plays, 39 yards, TOP 2:20...................................................................... 17-0 3RD 13:37 PSU Zettel, Anthony 40-yard interception return (Ficken, Sam kick)................. 17-7 4TH 11:08 PSU Blacknall, S. 24-yard pass from Hackenberg, C. (Ficken, Sam kick) 8 plays, 45 yards, TOP 2:16.................................................................... 17-14 0:09 PSU Ficken, Sam 31-yard field goal 19 plays, 77 yards, TOP 2:49..................................................................17-17 OT 15:00 PSU Belton, Bill 1-yard run (Ficken, Sam kick) 7 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00.................................................................... 24-17 15:00 OSU Barrett, J.T. 5-yard run (Nuernberger, S. kick) 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00.................................................................... 24-24 15:00 OSU Barrett, J.T. 4-yard run (Nuernberger, S. kick) 3 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00.................................................................... 31-24 O c T O B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O m 2

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