Drew Thurman (9:51 pm)

Losing brings the worst out of people, especially on the boards! Everyone seems to have opinion on why the loss happened, and many are very vocal with their criticisms. The problem is that many of these loud complaints come from frustration and not the statistics of the game. So let's actually get the facts straight, and see what caused the Buckeyes to lose to the Nittany Lions...

1) The Buckeyes lost the game in the trenches...

For whatever reason many have blamed this loss on play calling and the Buckeyes not airing it out enough. Neither one of these criticisms is warrented. The Buckeyes actually had Pryor throw the ball 25 times for 226 yards. That is over a hundred more yards that Penn State threw for! The Buckeyes opened it up more than they had all season, and this was not the reason for the loss. Actually it was the inabilty to run the ball that hurt them. Beanie Wells averaged 2.5 yards a carry in this game, which actually was the highest on the team. Penn State on the other hand, did not have a major rusher under four yards a carry. Penn State had the better offensive and defensive lines, and it showed in the statistics. Had the Buckeyes been able to establish the run, we would have seen touchdowns and not stalled out drives.

2) The Buckeyes lost the turnover battle...

Coming into this game we knew that the Buckeyes had to win the turnover battle. I am shocked that the Buckeyes did not force a turnover in this game, and they were very close on several occasions. In the end though, it was Terrelle Pryor's fumble that would be the difference in this game. Pryor played a very good game outside of this play, and it is unfortunate that this fumble would be the gamebreaker. Had the Buckeyes won or even tied in the turnover department, we would have seen a different outcome.

All in all...

The Buckeyes fought hard against a very tough Penn State team. Ohio State was equal with the Nittany Lions in so many areas, but these two things would end up being the difference. It is that simple, and we don't have to dig for all the extensive reasons why the Buckeyes lost. Even against a very talented Penn State defense, the Buckeyes would have a "W" in the win column had a few small things been different in this game! 

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