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McSorley made big plays at QB for PSU

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett scrambles out of the pocket against Penn State during the first half in State College on Saturday.

STATE COLLEGE – Highlights, lowlights, and in-betweens of Penn State’s game Saturday at Beaver Stadium:

PLAY OF THE GAME: Grant Haley’s 60-yard return of Marcus Allen’s field goal block gave the Nittany Lions a 24-21 lead with 4:27 to go.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brandon Bell had 19 tackles in his first game back from an injury,

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Trace McSorley made the big plays at quarterback, but his stats were a little off. He was 8 for 23 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown. He ran 19 times for 63 yards and a score, leading the comeback.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Haley’s a defensive back, but his big score was a special teams play.

OPPOSING PLAYER OF THE GAME: J.T. Barrett was 28 of 43 for 245 yards and a touchdown. He ran 17 times for 26 yards, which includes six sacks.

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN: Von Walker played special teams and made a fourth-quarter tackles on kickoff returns.

LEWISBURG: Brandon Smith gave way to Manny Bowen at middle linebacker as Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell returned outside. Smith finished with three tackles.

JULIUS: Joe Julius didn’t appear until a kickoff in the final seconds of the first half, a short one to the Buckeye 27 and where he was cleanly blocked by Craig Fada. He also combined on the tackle on the opening tackle of the second half.

BEST RUN: Curtis Samuel’s 74-yard touchdown run on a third-and-2 gave the Buckeyes a 19-7 lead early in the third quarter and silenced a crowd revved up from a score to end the first half and top to start the second half.

WORST RUN: Miles Sanders gave back much of Barkley’s gain when he was caught for a 10-yard loss on a sweep on the next play. The Lions punted two plays later.

BEST PASS: McSorley threaded a 34-yard sideline completion to DaeSean Hamilton into Ohio State territory with less than a minute to go in the first half.

BAD HANDS: John Reid fumbled a first-quarter punt that Ohio State’s Terry McLaurin recovered at the PSU 38 late in the first quarter.

WORST KICK: Tyler Davis was due for an appearance here, as his 39-yard try on the first drive was blocked. Tyler Durbin’s PAT miss wide left in the second quarter lacked the momentum kill, but he also entered the game perfect on field goals this season.

WORST PENALTY: Ten yards horse collar tackle on Ohio State’s Tyquan Lewis tackling Saquon Barkley gave PSU first and goal at the 10 in the fourth quarter.

BEST MOMENT: The on-field celebration was peaceful after the game.

TELLING STAT: Penn State’s big plays on offense and negative plays on defense kept it close in overall efficiency, as Ohio State only held a 5.0-4.6 yards per play advantage despite outgaining the Nittany Lions 413-276 and holding a 15-minute edge in time of possession.

HIDDEN STAT: The Lions were penalized just once for five yards.

HEADS-UP: Trace McSorley’s lateral to Chris Godwin in traffic picked up 13 yards along the sideline for a first down on the Lions’ second drive.

BEST EFFORT: Ohio State’s Gareon Conley recovered Dontre Wilson’s fumbled fair catch at the Buckeye 10 late in the first quarter.

WORST TACKLE: Curtis Cothran couldn’t wrap up J.T. Barrett in the backfield near midfield in the second quarter, allowing an escape that gained 19 yards and a first down. Replays did not show Barrett touching the ground for a sack.

PERSONNEL: Tight end Mike Gesicki left for the trainer’s room after a first-quarter drop where he hobbled off the field. He returned in the second half …. Garrett Sickels, reported suspended for the first half by ABC, sacked Barrett to end the Buckeyes’ first drive of the second half. He finished with 9 tackles, 3 ½ for a loss.

MILESTONES: Ohio State’s first quarter was its first scoreless quarter this season… PSU defensive tackle Curtis Cothran made his first career start.

BEST QUOTE: Franklin said he wasn’t big on celebrating in public saying he’d go home and spend time with his family after the win. “I’ve never been to the Phyrst,” said Franklin, referring to a longtime downtown bar. “I’ve been to, like, four places here.”

NEXT WEEK: Penn State at Purdue, noon on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2. Northwestern at Ohio State, 3:30, ESPN or ESPN.

 

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