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Ohio State 39, Penn State 38: Five quick observations

Five quick observations from Penn State's heartbreaking loss to Ohio State.

Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard, right, grabs the face mask of Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley during the first half of Penn State’s loss.
Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard, right, grabs the face mask of Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley during the first half of Penn State’s loss.Read moreJAY LAPRETE / AP

Big Man on Campus: Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is the man. The Buckeyes senior, who has a history of taking it to the Nittany Lions, passed for 328 yards and rushed for 95 while throwing the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:48 to play.

Heisman, not Superman: Saquon Barkley should win the Heisman Trophy but he can't do it all: Barkley stunned the crowd with a 97-yard touchdown return of the opening kickoff, and later scored on a 36-yard run where he showed nimble footwork against the sideline. But if you throw out his TD run, he rushed 20 times for eight yards, being tackled for loss time and again.

Tough Trace: Trace McSorley is as tough as they come. The Penn State quarterback got off the deck a few times and led a late drive to a key field goal with 50 yards in passes and 27 yards in rushes. But he was unable to do anything on the Lions' last two drives, when Penn State ran seven plays for minus-9 yards.

Poor secondary showing: The Penn State secondary might have played its worst game. Forget that Barrett only threw six incompletions in 39 attempts, the secondary, which was first in the nation in pass efficiency defense coming into the game, was sliced and diced by a talented Ohio State receiving corps.

Another bad kick: Special teams made a difference again. Last year, Penn State returned a blocked  field goal for a touchdown in its upset win over Ohio State. In this game, Denzel Ward's block of Blake Gillikin's punt turned the momentum in the Buckeyes' favor for good.