It was a game that was way over-hyped.

During the week, Penn State students camped out in tents outside of Beaver Stadium to get the best seats, which was nicknamed “Paternoville,” and they all wore white shirts, a ploy I am still trying to figure out what that’s suppose to do.

Penn State web sites, blogs, and message boards were filled with entries about how great their team was, as if the Nittany Lions still had players like Kerry Collins, KiJana Carter, and LaVar Arrington.

But in reality, the No. 1 team in the land added another easy win.

Chris Wells ran for 133 yards while quarterback Todd Boeckman threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns as the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes handily defeated No. 24 Penn State 37-17, Saturday night.

The tough Buckeye defense held the Nittany Lions to just 14 first downs and 263 yards of total offense.

Penn State actually held a 7-3 lead with 8:25 left in the first quarter after the Nittany Lions drove 78 yards in nine plays capped off on a 2-yard run by Rodney Kinlaw.

It took just six offensive plays, though, for Ohio State to claim the lead for good as Boeckman hit wide receiver Brian Robiskie on a 9-yard TD strike with 4:59 remaining in the opening period.

The biggest play during that drive and the longest of the game was when Boeckman connected on a 60-yard bomb to Ray Small.

Ohio State took a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter when Boeckman floated a pass to Brian Hartline on a jailbreak screen, who than ran untouched the rest of the way on a 16-yard scoring play.

Probably the turning point of the game came later in the second quarter after Penn State linebacker Dan Connor intercepted a Boeckman pass as the PSU 41.

The Nittany Lions drove 21 yards in five plays and faced a fourth-and-2 and the OSU 38. But Penn State head coach Joe Paterno elected to punt instead of going for it on fourth down and the kick sailed into the end zone for a touchback.

Ohio State ran out the clock in the first half and the Buckeyes led 17-7 at intermission.

After seven plays, the Ohio State defense forced Penn State to punt, and the Buckeyes went the distance on their longest scoring drive of the night, going 87 yards in 13 plays capped off on a 15-yard pass from Boeckman to tight end Jake Ballard.

Both teams traded field goals, and with 9:52 left in the game, Ohio State led 27-10.

It took just 16 seconds for Ohio State to put another touchdown on the board when Malcolm Jenkins intercepted a wounded duck thrown by Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli and returned it 24 yards for a score.

Later, Ryan Pretorius added this third field goal of the game, and Penn State’s A.J. Wallace had a 97-yard kickoff return for TD, but it was too little, too late.

The stat of the game:

Possession Time - OSU 37:52, PSU 22:08.

Up next, Ohio State hosts the Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday. Game time and which network will carry it has yet to be determined.

Tags: Buckeye Football //