It didn't look promising to start for Ohio State, but in the end, the Buckeyes were able to limit the damage done by Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.
The Heisman candidate looked as though he was going to run away with the trophy early as he also ran away from Ohio State's kickoff unit to open the game, going untouched for a 97-yard score.
If you take away his 36-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, Barkley rushed 20 times for just seven yards.
"He had 21 carries for 44 yards, if I'm reading that right. Is that right?" Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said, almost in disbelief in his postgame comments. "Our defense was all over him. We had the bye week to prepare for them, too. But we still have incredible respect for him as a player."
This of course isn't the first time Ohio State has shut down a Heisman-caliber running back on a big stage. In 2014, the Buckeyes held Wisconsin running back and Heisman finalist Melvin Gordon to just 76 yards on 26 carries in a 59-0 stomping of the Badgers in the Big Ten title game.
The 44 rushing yards for Barkley are a career-worst when carrying 20 or more times in a game. His previous worst came against Indiana on Sept. 30, when he rushed 20 times for 56 yards in a 45-14 win.
Overall, the Buckeyes limited Penn State as a whole to just 91 yards rushing, its lowest output in nearly a year. Ohio State improved on its season average, as it entered the contest against the Nittany Lions allowing 109.57 yards per game on the ground.
Barkley, who entered the game as Penn State's leading receiver in terms of receptions, was also limited to just 23 yards receiving on four catches.
“They had a couple big plays that just kept giving them life," Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley said of Penn State's early success. "When you have a good team and you keep giving them life like that, they’re going to capitalize on it. We knew that, so we tried our best to keep on that and given any chance, we took care of business.”
