Justin Fields threw four touchdowns and 318 yards as the Ohio State Buckeyes grabbed a not as close as the score indicated 38-25 triumph over the Penn State Nittany Lions in State College.
Master Teague rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown while Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson each finished the evening with over 100 yards receiving with Olave catching two of Fields four touchdown passes in the win.
Tommy Togai sacked Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford three times in the win as Ohio State moved to 2-0 in the shortened season.
Ohio State is scheduled to host Rutgers next Saturday at the Horseshoe...
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1) I still cannot get past the play at the end of the half that gave Penn State three points.
Give Jordan Stout full credit for nailing a fifty yarder, but should he have had the opportunity?
Justin Fields had to kill two seconds and by replay, he killed nearly four.
The blame has to go to the Penn State clock keeper, who either fell asleep at the switch or didn't bother to start the clock on time.
Fortunately, those three points didn't make a difference.
2) Justin Fields continued his excellent play and the difference in his poise in the pocket in one year is staggering.
Fields is reading defenses so much better than last season and he is getting the ball out faster as well.
I don't watch very many Clemson games, but I cannot imagine Trevor Lawrence is vastly better than Justin Fields, should Fields maintain this level of play.
Should that occur, I would not be surprised to see Justin Fields push Trevor Lawrence as the top pick in the 2021 draft.
That is an assumption that either would want to play for the New York Jets, which is far from a sure thing when you consider what a dumpster fire that the Jets organization is, but that's a story for another day.
3) Some of the credit for the improvement for Fields has to go to the offensive line.
Penn State did sack Fields twice and the second hit was a tremendous shot that I winced (and so did Ryan Day) when Fields took the blow, but usually, Fields had plenty of time in the pocket and when you see an offensive line playing well early in the season- it's an excellent sign.
4) I wondered about the running game last week against Nebraska, but Master Teague stepped up and reminded me a little of a smaller Carlos Hyde.
Low to the ground and difficult to grab, Teague may not be what J.K. Dobbins was as a breakaway threat, but Teague is still a physical back that is able to get the tough yards.
5) The defensive line was dominant in this game, giving Sean Clifford little time in the pocket and forcing Clifford to be on the move for whatever Penn State could get in the passing game.
Clifford threw for three scores (two in garbage time), but he took a beating for them.
Tommy Togai's three sacks are the flashiest numbers, but Jonathan Cooper and Haskell Garrett had excellent games also with Togai and Garrett punishing the interior of the Penn State line.
6) Give Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson credit for an excellent evening with back-to-back spectacular catches including a touchdown.
Considering Dotson was being covered by All-American candidate Shaun Wade on both plays and most of the evening, Dotson's play was the highlight of the Nittany Lions evening.
Dotson is a junior out of Nazareth Pa. and he can go ahead and declare for the 2021 draft if this is an indication of his play for 2020.
7) As good as Dotson's game was, Ohio State controlled Penn State's All-American tight end Pat Freiermith and didn't allow him to be the main target of Sean Clifford.
Tuf Borland drew the assignment of shadowing Friermuth and allowed him three catches with a long of nineteen yards.
Excellent job by Borland and the Buckeyes to take away Penn State's most dependable threat.
8) Ohio State did miss two field goals, but the first from Blake Haubeil seems to have been from a groin injury suffered in pre-game warmups.
Walk-on Dominic DiMaccio finished the game with a field goal and three extra points, but also missed a short field goal attempt.
No word on the long-term status of Haubeil, which is certainly something to watch.
9) Beautiful pass with touch from Justin Fields to Chris Olave in the third quarter to match a Penn State touchdown drive to start the second half.
Fields looked hard to the right and then turned on the opposite side of the field for Olave, who grabbed the pass and tumbled into the end zone.
10) Chris Olave may be the highlight receiver and the deep threat, but in the two wins, this offense has flowed through Garrett Wilson.
Wilson finished with eleven catches for one hundred eleven yards and it is clear that Justin Fields looks at Wilson as his most reliable target.
Wilson is a matchup nightmare since moving inside, where his catch total will be higher than on the outside at the cost of yards.
Wilson will have his chance to return outside next year when Chris Olave leaves, but he is adding to his versatility when his draft year rolls around.
11) While I am still concerned about the cornerbacks as they gain experience, Marcus Hooker broke out with a game that seemed to have him around the football constantly.
Hooker grabbed an interception in fourth quarter action, but Hooker had a tremendous game and I remember his older brother Malik suddenly had the lights turn on in a similar manner in his Ohio State tenure.
Perhaps it's about to happen for a second time from the Hooker family.
12) So with Rutgers next week and then at Maryland the following, Ohio State has likely faced their toughest test for a while against Penn State.
Indiana will be the opponent after Rutgers and Maryland and that might be a challenge after their one-point win over these Nittany Lions.
I take games very lightly in these crazy days and I don't fully believe that games are going to play until I see the teams take the field, but that's the next few opponents.
13) I have to admit- I missed the Whiteout a little.
Only a little, but the spirit that makes college football so great is evident on nights like Penn State's Whiteout.
Hopefully, it'll be a full house when the Buckeyes return in 2022 to Happy Valley.
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