STATE COLLEGE, Pa. _ With a Beaver Stadium "whiteout" crowd of 107,280 screaming themselves hoarse for a Penn State rally Saturday night, the Nittany Lions came through with a couple of huge special-teams plays in the fourth quarter against No. 2 Ohio State.
The second one, a 45-yard field goal attempt that was blocked by safety Marcus Allen, resulted in Grant Haley's 60-yard return for a touchdown with 4 minutes, 27 seconds remaining that propelled the Lions to a 24-21 upset of the previously unbeaten Buckeyes.
Penn State (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) trailed, 21-7, after three quarters but drew to within a touchdown on a 2-yard run by quarterback Trace McSorley in the first two minutes of the final quarter. The Lions then forced the Buckeyes to punt, and linebacker Cam Brown blocked Cam Johnston's punt and Penn State took over at the Ohio State 28, leading to a 34-yard field goal by Tyler Davis.
From his own 13, quarterback J.T. Barrett then drove Ohio State (6-1, 3-1) methodically down the field on a time-killing drive that was highlighted by his 34-yard pass to Noah Brown. The Buckeyes moved the ball to the Penn State 28, but on fourth down, they appeared indecisive and rushed the field goal team on late.
Ohio State snapped quickly for Tyler Durbin's 45-yard attempt, but Allen broke through for the block. Haley scooped up the ball on the dead run and raced 60 yards for the touchdown that gave the Lions their first lead of the night.
The Buckeyes had one last drive and got as far as their own 42. But linebacker Jason Cabinda, playing for the first time since Penn State's season opener, sacked Barrett for a 13-yard loss to the 29 on third down, and linemen Kevin Givens and Evan Schwan sacked him again back at the 23, giving Penn State the ball with 1:02 to play as the crowd went crazy.
When the gun sounded, students in the crowd flooded on to the field, marking the first major upset of James Franklin's three seasons as head coach.
The Nittany Lions trailed, 12-0, in the second quarter but scored with 9 seconds left in the half on a 20-yard pass from McSorley to Chris Godwin. The Buckeyes extended their lead to 21-7 in the third quarter on Curtis Samuel's 74-yard touchdown run and a safety that resulted from a snap that sailed over the head of punter Blake Gillikin and into the end zone.
But the Lions, whose third-quarter offensive output was minus-7 yards, drew to within a touchdown on a 90-yard drive that was capped by McSorley's 2-yard run early in the fourth. They got 72 yards on back-to-back plays _ a 37-yard run by Saquon Barkley and a 35-yard pass from McSorley to Saeed Blacknall.
The Buckeyes, who had scored in every quarter of their first six games but failed to score in the opening quarter Saturday night, accounted for points on three possessions in the second quarter _ a 26-yard pass from Barrett to tight end Marcus Baugh and two field goals by Durbin _ to take a 12-0 lead.
But the Nittany Lions, who had gained just 29 yards and earned one first down in the first 14 minutes of the second quarter, drove 74 yards for their initial score of the game, a 20-yard TD pass from McSorley to Godwin late in the half. The big play of the drive was a 34-yard pass from McSorley to DaeSean Hamilton.
Penn State received the opening kickoff and marched downfield with the help of Barkley's 19-yard scamper and a 26-yard pass from McSorley to tight end Mike Gesicki. The Nittany Lions got as close as the Ohio State 17 but lost four yards in a two-play stretch, and Davis missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt.
Holder Chris Gulla failed to handle the snap cleanly and Davis, who had made the first 18 field-goal attempts of his career over two seasons, had his kick blocked by the Ohio State line. The Buckeyes were credited for a team block on the play.
Ohio State had trouble moving the ball in the first quarter, making only one first down and gaining 34 yards on its first three possessions. But the Buckeyes got a break when the Lions' John Reid muffed a punt and Terry McLaurin recovered at the Penn State 38.
Mike Weber began the new drive with a 23-yard run to set up Durbin's 33-yard field goal on the initial play of the second quarter, putting Ohio State on the scoreboard first.
The Buckeyes drove 78 yards later in the quarter, sparked by a 15-yard pass from Barrett to Curtis Samuel, Samuel's first touch of the game. Barrett later gained 10 yards on a fourth and 2 to move the ball to the Penn State 28.
Two plays later, Barrett found Baugh at the 10, and the 6-foot-5, 258-pound redshirt junior broke three tackles on his way to the end zone. Durbin missed the extra point, but Ohio State led, 9-0.
The legs and arm of Barrett led Ohio State to its next score, a 30-yard field goal by Durbin with 1:14 left in the half. He escaped a sack and ran for 19 yards, and hit Samuel and McLaurin for completions of 14 and 18 yards.
