Blocked field goal helps Penn State shock No. 2 Ohio State

The knock on James Franklin during his time at Penn State has been his teams coming up small in the biggest games.

Not anymore.

In front of a raucous whiteout crowd Saturday night at Beaver Stadium, the unranked Nittany Lions upset No. 2 Ohio State, 24-21. The Nittany Lions overcame a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit to complete the comeback.

The winning score came on a blocked field goal returned 60 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Grant Haley. Ohio State was looking to extend its lead to 24-17 with under five minutes to go, but safety Marcus Allen blocked the kick and Haley took it the distance for a highlight-reel touchdown.

From there, the Penn State defense put constant pressure on Buckeyes star quarterback J.T. Barrett, twice coming up with sacks as Barrett looked to lead a tying or winning drive in the final minutes.

Things looked bleak for the Nittany Lions entering the fourth quarter. PSU went three-and-out on its first three second-half drives, one of which ended in a safety when the long snap went over punter Blake Gillikin’s head for a safety.

But the Penn State defense, which had starting linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell back from injury after lengthy absences, was able to force an Ohio State punt after the safety gave the Buckeyes a 21-7 lead.

From there, Penn State finally got going offensively. Stud running back Saquon Barkley broke off a 37-yard run before quarterback Trace McSorley found Saeed Blacknall on a 35-yard gain to the two. Two plays later, McSorley dove for the pylon on a gutsy run to cut the lead to 21-14.

Penn State had pressure in the face of Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett all night. (AP Photo/Chris Knight)

With Beaver Stadium coming alive, the Nittany Lions forced another OSU punt, but this one was blocked by freshman Cameron Brown, setting up a Penn State field goal to cut the lead to 21-17.

From there it seemed like Ohio State would do what it always does. Barrett, a quarterback with a ton of experience, dinked and dunked his way down the field looking to take time off the clock and add to the lead. After 10 plays, the Buckeyes stalled inside the 30. Urban Meyer briefly considered going for it on fourth-and-7, but sent out his field goal unit at the last moment.

Kicker Tyler Durbin was rushed out onto the field. The whole play looked rushed, and Allen was able to sky above the Ohio State line to get his hand on the kick. From there, Haley did the rest, outrunning a slew of Buckeyes into the end zone, improbably giving PSU the lead.

Still, Ohio State had time, and was able to pick up a few first downs quickly. All the while, Barrett was under heavy pressure but continually evaded the PSU pass rush to move his team toward midfield. Barrett escaped the grasps of Penn State defenders all night, but on two final plays, the Nittany Lions finally brought the OSU redshirt junior to the turf.

Before back-to-back sacks sealed the upset, Penn State’s Jordan Smith appeared to get away with pass interference on a deep ball down the left sideline. Smith got a hold of an OSU receiver’s arm, but no penalty was called.

Ohio State lost this game on a half a dozen other plays, but it sure would have been nice to got this call. pic.twitter.com/01PMHtgkQZ

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 23, 2016

The loss is obviously a tough one for the Buckeyes, but it’s not one that puts an end to their College Football Playoff aspirations. To make it to the playoff, OSU likely had to defeat unbeaten Michigan in the regular season finale. Now, after Saturday night, that has gone from “likely” to “definitely.”

Ohio State, now 6-1 (3-1 Big Ten), will have the chance to regroup next Saturday at home against Northwestern.

The win is a big one for Penn State. The Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1) have been a significant step behind the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State (though MSU is obviously having a down year) in recent years. The Nittany Lions look like a massively improved team from the blowout 49-10 loss to Michigan last month. A win like this is something that can help vault a program that had been stagnant in the years following the sanctions that emerged from the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

PSU now has won three games in a row and are primed to enter the Top 25 for the first time since 2011.