Ohio State and Penn State traded brutal red-zone turnovers in the second quarter of Saturday’s marquee college football game.
Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard‘s 13-yard touchdown run was erased after replay showed Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley punched the football out of Howard’s possession before he crossed the goal line.
The ball went out of bounds in the end zone for a Penn State touchback.
Near the end of the first half, the Nittany Lions drove to the Buckeyes’ 3-yard line when Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun made one of the best interceptions of the season.
Penn State wide receiver Harrison Wallace III bobbled a pass from quarterback Drew Allar on first-and-goal. Igbinosun possessed the deflected ball with a foot inbounds to record a touchback going the other way.
The turnovers kept the score 14-10 at the half. While they canceled each other out, the two negative plays didn’t make a right.
They highlighted the spotty play from Howard and Allar in the first half.
Howard also threw a pick-six, while Allar was 6-of-13 for 62 (4.8 yards per attempt).
Whichever quarterback cuts down on the miscues might be the one who leads his team to a massive Week 10 win.
No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) will have an uphill climb to make the Big Ten championship game with a loss, while No. 3 Penn State (7-0, 4-0 in Big Ten) is seeking to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Buckeyes.
