On October 22, the second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes went to State College, Pennsylvania to face the then unranked Penn State Nittany Lions. It was the annual “whiteout” game in Beaver Stadium, in which all 107 thousand fans go to the game clad in white to create one of the most difficult environments in all of college football for visiting teams. The Nittany Lions used the home field advantage, along with opportunistic plays, to come back from a 14 point fourth quarter deficit and get its most important win in recent history.

The game started out favorably for the Nittany Lions, as they marched down deep into Ohio State territory on their first drive of the game. However, the Ohio State defense riddled with 4 and 5 star recruits, were able to keep the offense out of the end zone and force a field goal attempt. The Buckeyes used their extreme athleticism to their advantage to block the kick and keep the game scoreless.

The game remained tied at zero for the remainder of the quarter, the first time all year Ohio State has gone a full quarter without scoring. This didn’t last much longer, as they used a short field from a muffed punt to put 3 points on the board with a Tyler Durbin field goal.

A couple drives later, the Buckeyes, led by playmaking quarterback J.T. Barrett, scored a touchdown on a long drive capped off by a touchdown pass caught by tight end Marcus Baugh, who broke several tackles en route to the end zone. Durbin missed the extra point however, keeping the lead in single digits at 9 points.

Meanwhile, the Penn State offense was still struggling to get anything going since their first drive of the game, as the Ohio State defense appeared to have settled in after getting gashed in the game’s opening minutes. This continued as another punt gave Ohio State the ball back with just over 5 minutes left in the half.

Barrett methodically moved his team downfield and into Penn State territory once again. This time, the Nittany Lion defense and emotional leaders Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell, who were back from injuries suffered in weeks 1 and 2 respectively, were able to force a field goal try. Durbin connected, and the score was now 12-0.

After an average kick return and with only a minute left in the first half, it seemed as if Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley was going to kneel down to end the half. Instead, offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead decided to be aggressive. After completions to Chris Godwin and DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State was within striking distance of the endzone with 12 seconds left in the half. Two plays later, McSorley found Godwin in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting into the lead to make the score 12-7 in favor of Ohio State. This score proved to be crucial, as it kept Penn State in the game just before the break.

The Nittany Lions started the second half much like the first, with a promising, productive drive the didn’t result in points. Following a few punts, Ohio State was facing a 3rd and 2 deep in their own territory. The next play was a Durbin extra point, as Buckeye running back Curtis Samuel blazed his way to a 74 yard touchdown run.

Down 19-7 midway through the 3rd quarter, Penn State had a chance for another long drive to put them back in the game. Instead, they faced a three and out, and on the punt the snap flew over punter Blake Gillikin head, and he wisely fell on top of it in the end zone to prevent an Ohio State touchdown. Nevertheless, it was now 21-7 Buckeyes.

The free kick gave Ohio State to close the door on any hopes of a Penn  State comeback, but they failed to take advantage of this and punted the ball away, pinning the Nittany Lions deep in their own territory.

By this time, the 4th quarter had begun, and doubt was starting to settle in over the Beaver Stadium crowd for the first time all night. This doubt quickly evaporated, as Penn State used chunk plays of 16, 37, and 35 yards respectively to get all the way down to the Ohio State 2 yard line. McSorley ran into the endzone for a touchdown two plays later. Penn State now had life, only down 21-14.

After forcing a three and out, Penn State true freshman Cam Brown blocked the punt, giving the Nittany Lions great field position and a chance to tie the game. Although it felt that they were going to score a touchdown for certain, Penn State settled for a Tyler Davis field goal, making the score 21-17.

Ohio State got the ball back with around 8 minutes, had a long drive to the Penn State 22 yard line, and set up for a field goal try with just over 4 minutes left in the game. The next play will go down as one of the greatest in Penn State history.

Junior safety Marcus Allen stormed through the offensive line to block Durbin’s kick, and the ball fell into the hands of fellow junior Grant Haley. Haley took the ball 78 yards down the sideline, barely outracing Ohio State holder Tyler Johnston, to score the game winning touchdown. Beaver Stadium was in pandemonium.

After converting a few first downs, the Buckeyes were facing a 3rd and 10 at their own 40 on what everyone knew was going to be their last drive of the game, regardless of the outcome. The Penn State defense rose up to get two consecutive sacks, one from Cabinda and another from defensive end Evan Schwan.

McSorley took a few kneels, and then the clock ran out. Penn State did it. They defeated the second ranked team in the country as 20.5 point underdogs in a game where they were losing by 14 at the start of the fourth quarter. The field was quickly enveloped by a sea of white, as fans and students alike stormed the field to celebrate.

“With an environment such as the whiteout at Penn State, you can never count them out of the game, regardless of the odds stacked against them”, West Morris senior Connor Noto said when asked about Penn State’s comeback victory.

Penn State used the momentum from this game to propel themselves to a 62-24 win at Purdue and a number 12 ranking in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State rebounded from their first road loss in 21 road games since Urban Meyer joined as head coach with a 24-20 home win against Northwestern. They currently rank 6th in the College Football Playoff rankings, and their playoff hopes remain very much alive.