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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The stands began to pour out onto the field at the Horseshoe. Not the most common sight after a victory by a three-score favorite.
Then again, Ohio State’s 28-17 win over Penn State on Saturday was the closest thing the Buckeyes have had to a challenge all year.
Compared to their first 10 victories of the season — all by 24 points or more — this was downright heart-racing.
Maybe this one didn’t manage to top the wild endings of the previous three matchups in the series, but it found new ways to surprise as the Buckeyes clinched the Big Ten East title and knocked the Nittany Lions out of the College Football Playoff race.
The Lions (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) trailed 21-0 and watched quarterback Sean Clifford leave the game with a lower body injury.
That was with five minutes gone in the third quarter. With 4:22 left in the frame, it was 21-17.
Backup Will Levis and an aggressive defense managed to give the Lions life against a No. 2 Buckeyes squad that looks to be the most complete team in the country.
The surge, which included touchdown runs by Journey Brown and Levis along with two Lions fumble recoveries, wasn’t enough.
“You always think about it. You never know what play it’s going to be (that you’re called on),” said Levis, who threw for 57 yards and ran for 34. “When Sean went down, I knew, ‘All right, it’s my time to go.’ I threw a couple balls and I was ready to go.
“I was a little nervous the first couple plays, but it all went away. I started having fun. I went out and did my thing.”
With a limited playbook, Levis ran the ball 19 times and the redshirt freshman from Connecticut threw an ill-advised pass into traffic for an interception, halting a promising drive in the fourth quarter and ending the Lions’ shot at a comeback.
“It’s completely on me,” said Levis, who was looking for tight end Pat Freiermuth over the middle. “I was reading the guy. I thought I made the right read. I didn’t see the whole picture.”
Clifford’s injury — he appeared to jam his left knee on a hit by linebacker Malik Harrison — was not serious.
Lions coach James Franklin was quick to say that Clifford could have returned to the game if needed, but that he was already banged up, and his mobility wasn’t where it needed to be to run the offense effectively.
When Penn State finished off the drive with a touchdown shortly after Clifford went out, Levis stayed in.
“Sean has not been healthy the last couple of weeks and it takes an aspect out of our offense,” and then when we got Will involved, it opened up another element of our offense, and we were able to get back in the game,” Franklin said.
“I thought Will did some good things, gave us a spark. He’s a big, physical runner. Overall, I thought Will did some good things, but not having Sean 100 percent was a factor.”
Clifford managed to walk off the field gingerly but without assistance, going straight to the bike to try and stay loose. At one point, he resumed throwing on the sideline but didn’t get back in the game.
He donned a coat for the fourth quarter but stayed vocal in the sideline huddle and talked through things with Levis. Clifford was not available for interviews afterward.
“He was a leader like he always is,” Levis said. “He’s gone through situations like this before. He knew what my thought process was on certain plays. Why I’m seeing certain things and why I’m making certain calls. It was nice to have him in my ear and guiding me through. He was great support to me.
“It was a lot of learning experiences. I’ll go right to the tape, watch it and learn from it. It’ll make me a much better player and a person. It’s going to help me for my future.”
Levis is on Penn State’s roster because the quarterback the Lions originally recruited in the 2018 signing class was starting for Ohio State on Saturday.
Justin Fields, who originally committed to Penn State before signing with Georgia and transferring to Ohio State, was the difference in the game.
Fields finished 16-for-22 passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including a leaping grab by Chris Olave for a score that put the Bucks back up by two scores at 28-17.
More important was his 68 yards rushing — 96 before sacks factor in — that consistently moved the sticks in big spots.
“We did not play well enough to win,” Franklin said. “We did not have enough explosive plays, and early on the (Fields’) legs were significant. We battled. That’s who we are. We’ll fight and we’ll battle, but again, you have to give Ohio State credit.”
Fields’ mistakes came in the form of two fumbles, including one right on the goal line that turned a touchdown into a touchback.
Despite surrendering a season-high 229 yards on the ground, Penn State held Ohio State to season-lows in points and total yards (431).
“To win a game like that, that was not clean, shows the toughness that we have,” said first-year Buckeyes coach Ryan Day. “Because you walk out of that game thinking, ‘Oh, we probably could have won by a lot bigger than that.’ But Penn State’s a great team. They did a really good job. That was hard.”
Ohio State heads on to the Big Ten title game after next week’s annual grudge match with Michigan.
Penn State will close out the regular season at home against Rutgers and hope to finish ranked high enough to land a berth in the Rose Bowl if Ohio State goes to the Playoff.
“We got a strong locker room, a bunch of really good guys, and everybody in there is totally invested and had a lot of confidence that we could come here and win,” Franklin said. “Going down 21-0 to the No. 2 team in the country is not ideal, but we battled.
“You’ve gotta give them credit. They’ve done a really good job, they’re well-coached, they’re talented. But we have a pretty good team as well.”
