There’s nothing like some Tuesday night gloominess, reminiscing about this year’s Ohio State White Out game and what might have been…
Actually, the game itself – minus the last five minutes – was truly amazing. For most of the game, the Nittany Lions looked good: the Penn State defense played tough and was able to stop Ohio State’s defense, while the Penn State offense was connecting and scoring points. Like everyone else in the record-setting PSU-fan-packed stadium, I really thought our Nittany Lions were going to beat those Buckeyes, the third-ranked football team in the nation. And how exciting to be in the middle of the PSU student section in the end zone to witness it! Well, unfortunately, my dream didn’t come true – we didn’t win. And all because of that terrible call to run the ball on 4th down and 5 in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. My dream turned into a nightmare!
Fig. 1. “2018 White Out Opponent Announced.” Happy Valley, 17 Apr. 2018, happyvalley.com/psu/2018-white-out-opponent-announced.
There are a number of things that Penn State did not do well in this game that we really need to do better next time.
Fig. 2. Bauer, Alex. “On This Day: Trace McSorley Named Penn State’s Starting Quarterback.” Onward State, Onward State, 24 Aug. 2018, onwardstate.com/2018/08/24/on-this-day-trace-mcsorley-named-penn-states-starting-quarterback/.
For one, I think Trace should have stayed in for the entire game. Every time we get some momentum going and some gains in yardage, we switch out quarterbacks and then go negative in yardage. This is not intended as a knock on any quarterback. Obviously, these are all talented athletes who have incredible skills and perform way better than most in pressure situations like these. But, Trace, the ultimate fully-experienced quarterback, who has led teams to countless championships and come-from-behind victories, knows this environment. He isn’t flustered by the high-stakes pressure, and he knows exactly how his Lions offensive line, receivers, and back field can perform in those situations.
The one play that may have cost us the game is going for a two-point conversion, rather than just kicking the extra point after scoring a touchdown. Since we end up losing the game by one point, you have to wonder what might have happened if we hadn’t gotten greedy and tried for the two points. We might have at least tied, giving us a chance to play in overtime.
Fig. 3. Thamel, Pete, et al. “Penn State Stuns Ohio State, Shakes up CFP Race.” SI.com, www.si.com/college-football/2016/10/22/penn-state-beats-ohio-state-blocked-field-goal.
The final play that ultimately cost us the game is a decision by Penn State to go for it on fourth down, with five yards to go. The play that the team has used all night, giving the ball to Miles Sanders, ends in failure. With no first down, Ohio State gets the ball back, and Penn State loses the game. Is this is a bad play? Not at all. If we tried it against any other defense, it probably would have worked. But against an elite defense like Ohio State, it is a high risk play. I would have preferred a different play in that situation. Of course, it’s always easy to second-guess those decisions in hindsight.
Fig. 4. Leap, Marty. “Penn State vs. Ohio State: Players of the Game.” Victory Bell Rings, FanSided, 23 Oct. 2016, victorybellrings.com/2016/10/23/penn-state-vs-ohio-state-players-game/.
Generally speaking, Penn State plays beautifully throughout most of the game. The defense looks great, the offense plays well, and Trace at quarterback is incredible as always. Playing an elite team, as Franklin put it, and almost beating an elite team shows Penn State’s potential to be a national contender. Win or lose, I love supporting my Nittany Lions! Attending every game as a Penn State student is an incredible experience and the Ohio State White Out game this year is one that I will never forget. I am proud to be a Nittany Lion and will continue to “roar” just as loud as ever! WE ARE!
Here is Coach Franklin’s post game press conference. A hard loss, and a hard press conference.
I actually loved being in the stadium for the white out… except for the last like ten minutes. But other than the loss we took, the atmosphere was amazing! The all-white was genuinely an impressive sight, and everyone was so excited the whole time. I don’t think I have ever been around that much positive energy at one time. While I am very disappointed in the loss, I still consider my first whiteout game a success.