Well, it happened. Ohio State lost to Penn State.
There's plenty of blame to go around—and fans will no doubt dole it out over the next six days before OSU hosts Northwestern on Oct. 29th—but given the final stats, it's a result that will leave Urban Meyer sick and asking, "How didn't my team win the game?"
Sure, Penn State dominated both trenches, but a simple dive into the box score paints a confounding picture.
Consider this:
- Ohio State led 21-9 at the end of the third quarter. Urban Meyer last surrendered a double-digit second-half lead in 2008.
- Penn State only amassed 276 yards throughout the game; Ohio State gained 413.
- Penn State accumulated a total of 72 yards in the second half.
- The winning quarterback (Trace McSorley) went 8-23 in passing. He also had more rushing attempts than Saquon Barkley.
- Ohio State's offense didn't turn the ball over. It won the turnover battle. It also scored a safety.
- Penn State went 2-13 on third down.
- Ohio State won time of possession: 37 minutes to 23.
- Barkley finished with under 100 yards (99 on 12 carries).
Sure, there are stats against Ohio State (One that stands out: Penn State sacked J.T. Barrett six times; Ohio State sacked McSorley once), but add all the above stats together, and Urban Meyer and his staff would've gladly accepted all of them entering their second primetime game in two weeks against a historical Big Ten power coming off a bye.
Yet, Ohio State lost because football is a fickle game.
Still, we should all take a deep breath and realize the Buckeyes had a great shot at victory before we burn Columbus to the ground.
