Ohio State defeats Penn State, 24-7

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Most white-clad folks in the packed house at Beaver Stadium were charged up yesterday after learning that Iowa had lost, a development that considerably improved Penn State's chances of returning to the Rose Bowl.

But as this gorgeous November day turned to night, the Nittany Lions failed to get the signature win they needed to gain national attention because of poor play on special teams and the fact that Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor wasn't the least bit intimidated by his surroundings.

Pryor ran for one touchdown and threw for two, with Ray Small setting up two of the scores with long punt returns, to propel the 15th-ranked Buckeyes into the driver's seat for the Rose Bowl with a demoralizing 24-7 stomping of the No. 11 Nittany Lions in front of a season-high crowd of 110,033.

The loss left the Lions (8-2, 4-2 conference) out of the running for a return trip to Pasadena, Calif., and any other BCS bowl.

"It's tough to lose like that," linebacker Sean Lee said. "It wasn't what we expected. We've got two or three more games left, and we've got to put it behind us. But losing the way we did leaves a bad taste in our mouths."

The Buckeyes were the better team, thanks in large part to Pryor, the former Jeannette (Pa.) High School star who turned down the Nittany Lions in favor of Ohio State.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound sophomore scored on a 7-yard run, and with a 62-yard deep ball to DeVier Posey and a 6-yard flip to Brandon Saine. More important, he did not commit a turnover, and neither did his team.

"Throwing the ball, it was a little poor," Pryor said of his performance. "We had a couple of communications issues, but it's not a big deal. We came up with the win. Special teams is what wins games and championships. We didn't turn the ball over. We have a pretty good defense, too."

The Penn State offense, meanwhile, went nowhere, establishing season lows in points, first downs (nine), total yards (201), time of possession (25:58), and third-down conversions (four of 16).

Quarterback Daryll Clark played poorly in a big-time game for the second time this season, completing just 12 of 28 passes for 125 yards. He was sacked twice and hurried on more than a half-dozen occasions.

"We failed to develop a rhythm," Clark said. "They did a good job of getting into the backfield. When that happens, it's kind of tough to execute your offense. It was real spotty throughout the entire game."

Much of the Lions' difficulty had to do with field position. Their average starting point on 13 possessions - including seven three-and-outs - was their own 22. Only twice did they begin a drive outside their 30.

That's where the kicking game, an area in which Penn State has struggled all season, came in. Small averaged nearly 19 yards on seven punt returns, including a 41-yarder that set up his team on the Penn State 9 and led to Pryor's touchdown run, and a 45-yard scamper that set up the visitors' final score.

"I said prior to the game, I'm worried about the kicking game," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "That obviously was a big difference. We didn't have much field position until the ball game was out of hand. You've got to give Ohio State credit. They did a good job."

Ohio State punter Jon Thoma pinned the Nittany Lions inside their own 20 three times. Penn State's Jeremy Boone punted a career high 10 times, but he and the coverage teams allowed the two key returns by Small.

Small's return that put the ball on the Penn State 9 led to Pryor's rushing touchdown a little more than three minutes into the game.

That set a bad tone for the Lions. Even though they tied the game early in the second on Clark's 1-yard sneak on fourth down - a call so close it had to be reviewed - this was not going to be Penn State's day, particularly on offense.

"It's real frustrating," center Stefen Wisniewski said. "All those three-and-outs left us looking around wondering what the heck happened. It just felt like a lot of little things here and there."

With the Rose Bowl down to Ohio State and Iowa, who will meet Saturday, the Lions now have to regroup for their final games.

"We came in with the idea that we would have to play well, and we obviously didn't," Paterno said.