The 39-38 final score from Ohio Stadium demonstrates that the Buckeyes were pushed to their absolute limits by Penn State on Saturday.
The total yardage from Saturday’s game, however, would have suggested that they dominated.
In part because kickoff statistics don’t count toward a team’s total yardage, Ohio State outgained Penn State by nearly 250 yards on Saturday, putting up better numbers than any other team had against the Nittany Lions all the while continuing to hit the impressive marks that the Buckeyes have hit in most of their games this season.
Ohio State’s ability to control the yardage battle doesn’t tell the whole story of Saturday’s game – after an epic fourth-quarter comeback, no numbers can do that – but its ability to do that on both sides of the ball, as well as a key special teams improvement from last year’s Ohio State loss at Penn State, make up our Three Key Stats from Saturday’s game.
Ohio State offense gains 529 yards
As it has done in all seven of its victories this season, Ohio State topped the 500-yard mark on Saturday.
Ohio State’s 529 yards on Saturday were actually less than the Buckeyes had gained in each of their previous six games, yet Saturday’s performance still might have been the Buckeyes’ most impressive offensive performance of the season, as it came against a defense that had allowed an average of less than 283 yards per game – and never more than 352 yards in any of its first seven games – entering Saturday’s game.
Against a team that had allowed no more than 19 points in its first seven games of the season, Ohio State more than doubled that (and more than quadrupled Penn State’s average of allowing only 9.6 points per game) by scoring 39.
Ohio State’s sixth straight game with more than 500 yards of offense extended what was already a record for most consecutive 500-yard games in school history, and should keep the Buckeyes – who were ranked No. 3 in total offense entering Saturday’s game – right around the top of the national leaderboard.
Penn State offense gains 283 yards
While Penn State’s defense allowed more yards than it did in its first seven games of the season, its offense gained less, as the Nittany Lions were held to less than 300 yards – 312 yards, to be exact – for the first time this season.
Penn State’s offense came very close to reaching the 300-yard mark before its final two offensive possessions of the game, but lost a cumulative nine yards between those two series.
Ohio State, which held Penn State to just 4.4 yards per play, has now held its opponent to less than 300 yards in five of its last six games, with 393 yards allowed to Nebraska being the only exception.
Sean Nuernberger makes 2-of-2 field goals, 3-of-3 extra points
It might not seem like a big deal that Ohio State kicker Sean Nuernberger made all of his field goal attempts and extra point attempts in Saturday’s game, but it is when compared to what happened to the Buckeyes in State College last year.
Tyler Durbin, Ohio State’s kicker last season, missed an extra point but more significantly, had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown, in Ohio State’s 24-21 loss at Penn State in 2016.
Nuernberger had no such issues on Saturday, making both of his field goal attempts (from 38 and 36 yards) and all three of his extra point attempts, and in a game that was decided by one point, every point proved to be crucial.
While kickoffs were an issue for Nuernberger on Saturday, the only question with Nuernberger from a place kicking standpoint was whether the Buckeyes should have trusted him more. The Buckeyes went for it on a 4th-and-8 in the first quarter, forgoing a 42-yard field goal attempt that could have given them three points they could have used later, and attempted two-point conversions – neither of which were successful – instead of sending Nuernberger on to kick extra points on their last two touchdowns.
After missing his last two field goal attempts going into Saturday’s game, both against Maryland, Nuernberger is now 7-of-9 on field goals and a perfect 42-of-42 on extra points for the season.
