Buckeye bummer: Penn St. drops OSU

Ohio State's offense struggled in the 17-10 defeat.
By ROB TODOR
VINDICATOR SPORTS EDITOR
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- In front of nearly 110,000 devoted witnesses, Joe Paterno was re-annointed as a living deity Saturday night.
Thanks to Penn State's 17-10 victory over Ohio State, Joe Pa is again a "Genius Coach" and not what his critics claim, a doddering old man who's been passed by his younger contemporaries.
The 16th-ranked Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0) today stand alone in first place in the Big Ten, a marked improvement over most of their previous five seasons that had even some of the most devout Penn State fans questioning Paterno.
The No. 6 Buckeyes (3-2, 1-1), their national championship hopes officially dashed, must settle for winning out and earning a BCS bowl bid.
Two dominating defenses
In reality, the teams were extremely well-matched. Ohio State outgained the Nittany Lions 230-195, performed better on third downs and led in time of possession.
The outcome-deciding difference, however, were two turnovers, both by the Buckeyes, including a second-quarter interception by Penn State safety Calvin Lowry, which resulted in the Nittany Lions starting a drive at the OSU 2.
Three plays later, Michael Robinson scored from the 1, giving Penn State a 14-3 lead with 7 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the first half.
"Our defense did a whale of a job," said Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, "and gave us some field position. We just did not go down and cash in."
The remainder of the game was a series of punches and counterpunches.
Round one belonged to the Buckeyes, who led 3-0 after one quarter, but Penn State's combination in the second period -- a 74-yard touchdown drive on nine consecutive running plans and the aforementioned 2-yard TD "drive" -- ultimately determined the outcome.
The remaining rounds -- the second half -- consisted of the two defenses, standing face-to-face like a pair of heavyweight title contenders, exchanging haymakers.
Defining moment
The final, telling punch came from Penn State defensive lineman Tamba Hali, who sacked Troy Smith and forced a fumble, which was recovered by teammate Scott Paxson at the Ohio State 48.
Troy Smith, who threw the interception, had an inconsistent game. He rushed for just 15 yards on 19 carries, was sacked six times, and completed only 13 of 25 passes for 139 yards and the interception.
On that play Smith looked to his third option, running back Antonio Pittman, along the left hashmark. But Smith's pass was behind Pittman and into the waiting arms of Lowry at the OSU 38, who nearly returned it all the way before being tackled at the 2.
Two plays gained just 1 yard before Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson knifed in.
"We talk about the things you need to do to win on the road against a good team," said Jim Tressel, "and one of them is you can't turn it over. We put them on the 3-yard line one time and that is tough duty [for the defense]."
Overall, Ohio State's defense played well enough to win. The Buckeyes allowed 117 yards rushing, almost three times what their average (41 per game) was coming into the night. But Robinson wasn't any more effective than Smith, completing 11 of 20 for just 78 yards.
Early lead
The first break of the game without Ohio State touching the ball. Following Penn State's initial possession, punter Jeremy Kapinos bobbled the snap and shanked the kick off the side of his foot. Kapinos' 11-yard punt went out of bounds at the Ohio State 43.
The Buckeyes drove to the Penn State 13 and Josh Huston's 30-yard field goal gave the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead.
After a 60-yard punt by A.J. Trapasso, Penn State took its first lead of the game with a nine-play, 74-yard drive, all on the ground. Robinson rushed four times for 25 yards, twice on scrambles, including a 16-yarder that gave the Nittany Lions a first down at the Ohio State 13. On the next play, Derrick Williams ran untouched into the end zone, giving the Nittany Lions a 7-3 lead with 10:28 remaining before halftime.
Needing an answer after the Nittany Lions made it 14-3, Ohio State moved from its 19 to a touchdown in 14 plays. Smith scooted in from 10 yards out, ending an impressive drive that consumed 7 minutes, 22 seconds.
todor@vindy.com