Ohio State’s New-Look Offensive Line Carries Buckeyes to Victory at Penn State

Stopping Penn State four times at the goal line in the fourth quarter was only half the battle.

Retaking the field with 5:13 to play, Ohio State's offense had to find a way to ice the game starting at its own 1-yard line against the Nittany Lions. While its offensive line had vastly outperformed expectations through more than three and a half quarters with a shuffled crew at the No. 3 team in the land's home field, now the Buckeyes needed to run the football.

And by God or Allah or Brahman or whatever deity you may or may not claim, they did.

Eleven plays – all runs – 58 yards and four first downs later, the clock hit zeroes and a record crowd of 111,030 fans trudged out of Beaver Stadium demoralized by a 20-13 Ohio State victory. Those wearing blue or white, anyway.

"We get that stop and then when we get the ball back there, we're over four minutes to go, and to finish that drive the way we did – I think it's gonna springboard our physicality and toughness as we head into the back half of the season," Ryan Day said.

With a mountain of flack pushed their way and injuries causing multiple shuffles in the last few weeks, Ohio State's offensive line went out and mauled Penn State when the moment mattered most to cap a big-time performance in a big-time game.

"I'm super excited to see those guys and how they handled adversity and being in new situations," running back Quinshon Judkins said. "A lot of moving around and to see those guys execute like they did today – I was super happy to see how they took it and enjoyed the win."

The Buckeyes' final stats rushing the ball were solid, with 4.4 yards per carry (5.2 if sacks are removed) and 176 total rushing yards against the nation's No. 8 run defense. The Nittany Lions entered Saturday allowing just 93 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry this season.

But more impressive than the raw rushing numbers is Ohio State's success on the ground in key situations, obvious run downs where it is on the offensive line to win at the line of scrimmage to keep drives alive.

In 3rd-and-4 or less, the Buckeyes were 4-for-4 against the Nittany Lions, and all four conversions came running the football. That included two Will Howard keepers to keep the sticks moving on the final drive. Left tackle Donovan Jackson also astutely jumped after Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter went offsides on a first-half 3rd-and-2 to get another first down that doesn't ultimately count in the team's third-down conversion chart.

Last week, Ohio State went 0-for-6 converting 3rd-and-2 or less. It ran the ball for a meager 2.1 yards per carry.

"We knew that short yards are our yards on the O-line," left guard Carson Hinzman said. "I think that mentality going out there, that we practiced that rigorously of getting those crucial yards coming out. I think that all of our preparation prepared us for that. And we knew exactly what we were going to do going out there."

Hinzman and Jackson were the two new arrangements in Ohio State's starting front five, which has seen two starting left tackles go down with injuries in as many games. Jackson slid outside from left guard to left tackle as Hinzman took his place.

Both played phenomenally on Saturday. Jackson did let up two sacks to Carter, but with the defensive end's pure speed against Jackson's guard body, that's to be expected. He also pile-drove Carter 10 yards downfield on multiple running plays and proved a wall on most downs.

"Donny did spectacular," Hinzman said. "Donny is a freak of nature. That guy is absolutely – like, if I could be anyone else, it would be Donovan. the way he moves, the way he plays, the kind of guy he is. On all fronts, he works hard. He does the right things. And I think today, he really showed it on the field. That even though, obviously, it's a big transition to go from a phone booth to an island, I think he did a really great job."

"Donny is a freak of nature. ... If I could be anyone else, it would be Donovan."– Carson Hinzman on Donovan Jackson

Jackson credited the defense for helping him get prepared, namely JT Tuimolau, Jack Sawyer, C.J. Hicks and Arvell Reese.

"Outside of my position, it is what it is," Jackson said. "I knew once the situation arose I may have had to play tackle. I haven't played it since high school, but I was like, 'You know what? Played it once, I can play it again.' ... But it's great to win in these types of environments. It wasn't easy, I had to get out the mud a little bit. But at the end of the day, it's a win."

The feat of Jackson's success after switching spots is only matched along Ohio State's offensive line by Hinzman. Last year's starting center proved a road grader in the run game and sturdy in the passing game in his first start of 2024.

"He played 11 games last year, so we knew he was going to be fine," Jackson said. "It was no concern whatsoever. We knew he was going to dominate. It's almost like having a second coach on the field with him on the field, so it makes things a lot easier. He came in with great confidence and he did a good job."

Year one as a starter didn't go to plan for the then second-year Hinzman, prompting questions as to how he'd perform taking Jackson's place at left guard. He faded from this past offseason's right guard competition due in part to an illness that sidelined him for a couple of weeks, and that was after being bench ahead of last year's Cotton Bowl.

It's a credit to Hinzman's character that he stayed the course and performed when his moment came.

"It's been a lot of learning," Hinzman said. "Obviously it's not what you think coming off of last year, but deep conversations with myself, with God, asking why some things happened. Then figuring out some of these things can be the best things. I mean, learning from Seth. He's an amazing player. He's an amazing guy. Learning how to play the position. And then we talk about competitive excellence, bringing it when you're number is called."

Jackson and Hinzman get the most praise here because of the tough situations they were thrust into before one of the most hostile environments in college football, but right guard Tegra Tshabola also had a big bounceback game as center Seth McLaughlin and right tackle Josh Fryar played their roles in the victory too.

It's been not just a couple of weeks but almost a couple of years of harsh criticism and uncertainty the Ohio State offensive line, the most maligned unit on last year's team, has faced. Saturday's victory – and especially its final drive – must have felt like an unreal catharsis.

"It's just a big win for us, a big win for the program, a big win for O-Block," Hinzman said. "The O-Line is stoked, ready to go after the next one."