Instant Observations: Buckeyes Show Grit in Win at Penn State

Ohio State did all of the little things down the stretch that they have been unable to do in recent top five matchup failures and the Buckeyes were rewarded for it with a huge 20-13 win.

Instant Observations has plenty to talk about as the Buckeyes keep their hopes for a Big Ten championship alive.

1. My two keys to an Ohio State win coming into the game were to not let Tyler Warren win the game for Penn State and to re-establish the run game. While Warren made a couple of great plays late in the game, the Buckeyes limited him for large chunks of this contest and rushed for nearly 200 yards. It seemed obvious coming in that Ohio State would have the advantage on the outside as Penn State’s wide receivers don’t scare you so keeping Warren from going nuts like he did against USC was always going to be the key defensively. So check and check on those two keys.

2. You have to tip your cap to the Ohio State offensive line today, especially Carson Hinzman and Donovan Jackson who were thrown into a tough spot this week. Jackson held up well enough in pass protection and Hinzman added some much needed push and nasty to the interior of the line. This needs to be the combination moving forward along the O-Line.

3. I thought Chip Kelly, for the second time this season against a Top 5 opponent, called a wonderful game. Sometimes Ohio State just has superior athletes that make plays, but today Kelly was scheming guys open and using misdirection and tight formations to burn Penn State’s man-coverage.

I thought Kelly called a game that was worthy of a 35-40 point effort but some major missed opportunities didn’t get them there.

4. Defensively the Buckeyes took another step back in the right direction this week. From generating pressure to sure-tackling in the back seven and even rotating more up front, this is what I’ve wanted to see out of the unit. Penn State’s isn’t the toughest matchup in the world because it lacks true playmakers on the perimeter, but this was a really solid performance from the defensive staff down to the players.

5. It felt like all of the things that Ohio State hasn’t done in past big game losses were suddenly accomplished today. The defense came up with a couple of big momentum stops and even forced a turnover! The offense was able to grind out late game drives, including a picture perfect four-minute drill to end it.

At some point you have to stop worrying about unlucky breaks or things that have gone wrong and just go out there and take a game. This team took the game today in the second half in all three phases.

6. It was early, but I truly think that first touchdown drive was a potential season saver. 10-0, you’ve let the PSU crowd get into a frenzy after the pick-six. That could have gone sideways real fast. But the poise to go back out there and put together a tremendous drive says something about this team. For all of the things we could nitpick about this game, I think a ton of lessons were learned and confidence was built from how this team responded in various situations today.

7. Game Ball goes to Caleb Downs. I do not think people are fully appreciating how good he is because he doesn’t have a bunch of interceptions. He fills in run support as well as any safety I’ve ever seen play at Ohio State. There were so many plays today that were limited to 4-5 yards or less that could have been 10-yards or more just by Downs making a great open field tackle. He also continues to be lights out in coverage. There are just so many things he does over the course of a game and some of it doesn’t show up in the box score, he is absolutely the glue of that defense.

8. Getting his partner in crime back was big, too. Lathan Ransom was noticeable today as a tackler and in coverage. Having both of those guys out there, guys who do everything well and have so much intelligence and experience is such a luxury.

9. Jeremiah Smith’s touchdown streak came to an today. So I’m just going on the record now that he scores twice next week.

10. And just like that, everything is still in front of Ohio State. They have to avoid looking ahead with the upcoming two games and then have Indiana and Michigan at home where they will be significant favorites. As I said after the Oregon game, all of the big goals from the start of the season are within their control.