Ohio State had one of its most exciting wins of the season so far with a 20-12 victory over Penn State who came in ranked as a top-ten team in the country.
The win gives the Buckeyes their seventh straight victory over the Nittany Lions and wins in 11 of the last 12 matchups between the two.
The Ohio State offense struggled to move the ball at points in this game against a ferocious Penn State defense, but executed well enough to come away with the win.
The game ball on offense undoubtedly goes to Marvin Harrison Jr. who torched the Nittany Lions secondary for 162 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches.
In this article we’ll break down Harrison Jr. and the rest of the offense’s performance by position group using Pro Football Focus grades.
Quarterbacks
Starter: Kyle McCord
PFF Grade | 61.8 (77 snaps)
Stats | 22-of-35 (62.9%), 285 Yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Other: Devin Brown
PFF Grade | 70.9 (2 snaps)
Stats | 2 attempts for 6 Yards
What It Means
This was an iffy performance from McCord as he missed some very makeable throws in the first half. However, he eventually settled in and executed well in the second half finishing with 285 passing yards and a key, key touchdown in the victory.
Running Backs
Starter: Chip Trayanum
PFF Grade | 64.1 (27 snaps)
Stats | 9 attempts for 22 Yards (3.1 avg.), 0 TD, 1 reception, 19 yards
Other: Miyan Williams
PFF Grade | 61.0 (54 snaps)
Stats | 24 attempts for 62 Yards (2.6 avg.), 1 TD, 1 reception, -1 yards
What It Means
With Treveyon Henderson out for the third straight week, Miyan Williams stepped into the feature back role rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Wide Receivers
Starter: Marvin Harrison Jr.
PFF Grade | 85.0 (70 snaps)
Stats | 16 targets, 11 receptions, 161 Yards, 1 TD
Starter: Julian Fleming
PFF Grade | 68.4 (38 snaps)
Stats | 5 targets, 1 reception, 9 Yards, 0 TD
Starter: Xavier Johnson
PFF Grade | 51.7 (32 snaps)
Stats | 2 targets, 1 reception, 6 Yards, 0 TD, 2 attempts for 4 Yards
Other: Carnell Tate
PFF Grade | 56.0 (36 snaps)
Stats | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 21 Yards, 0 TD
What It Means
Marvin Harrison Jr. showed why he’s one of the best players in college football with this performance. He came up big time and time again when the Buckeyes needed a big play finishing with 11 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Tight Ends
Starter: Cade Stover
PFF Grade | 69.5 (77 snaps)
Stats | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 70 Yards, 0 TD
Other: Gee Scott Jr.
PFF Grade | 46.9 (19 snaps)
Stats | 1 targets, 0 receptions
Other: Caden Curry
PFF Grade | 59.6 (2 snaps)
Stats | 0 targets
What It Means
Cade Stover showed the college football world why he’s one of the best tight ends in the country with this performance. He came up with multiple big catches including an incredible snag pictured above.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle: Josh Simmons
PFF Grade | 66.5 (79 snaps)
Stats | 67.7 run block grade, 56.3 pass block grade, 0 Sacks Allowed, 2 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Left Guard: Donovan Jackson
PFF Grade | 61.6 (79 snaps)
Stats | 55.7 run block grade, 87.3 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 0 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Center: Carson Hinzman
PFF Grade | 45.3 (79 snaps)
Stats | 54.4 run block grade, 67.4 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 2 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Right Guard: Matthew Jones
PFF Grade | 59.0 (79 snaps)
Stats | 52.3 run block grade, 87.3 pass block grade, 0 sacks allowed, 0 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Right Tackle: Josh Fryar
PFF Grade | 62.8 (79 snaps)
Stats | 61.6 run block grade, 61.0 pass block grade, 1 sack allowed, 2 pressures allowed on 39 pass block snaps
Other: Luke Montgomery
PFF Grade | 60.0 (2 snaps)
Stats | 59.2 run block grade
What It Means
The grades for Ohio State’s offensive line weren’t great this week. The Buckeyes struggled to find consistency in the run game. In pass protection, Jackson and Jones each gave up zero pressures while Fryar, Simmons, and Hinzman each gave up two. However, we have to remember that the Buckeye O-line was going up against one of the best defenses in the country.
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