[Photo Story] Penn State vs. Ohio State

Hailey Stutzman | Onward State

Heartbreak in Happy Valley.

Penn State football lost to Ohio State 20-13 on Saturday. For eight years in a row, the Nittany Lions haven’t come up with a win against the Buckeyes. Still, a Beaver Stadium record of 111,030 blue and white faithful showed up to support the team.

As always, our photographers were on the field early to capture the game.

Folks started their morning (or night, for some students) off with a visit from ESPN’s College GameDay. The crowd that came to watch the show was massive.

A few other fans went to FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff show.

The team buses arrived and the team went into Beaver Stadium surrounded by thousands of anxious fans.

As Penn State warmed up, the stadium filled fast.

College GameDay set up in the northeast end zone. Guest picker Keegan Michael-Key joined the crew, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that he chose the Nittany Lions.

Nick Saban brought the hoodie that the Nittany Lion gifted him earlier in the day as a birthday surprise. It looked good on you, coach.

Soon enough, it was game time. Beaver Stadium was dressed in a helmet stripe pattern, but it’s noteworthy that there was a lot of red in the crowd.

The clock hit noon and the teams took the gridiron.

Zion Tracy started the action early with a pick-six to give Penn State a 10-0 lead with 5:37 left in the opening quarter. Beaver Stadium erupted with hopeful cheers.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty allowed the Buckeyes to set up a scoring drive on the next possession. The Nittany Lion defense tried to keep pushing.

The offense couldn’t find the momentum it needed. Drew Allar went 12-for-16 with 146 passing yards and one interception in the end zone. Despite being on the three-yard line in the second half, Penn State still couldn’t tally another seven points to tie the game.

Still, the Nittany Lions were hungry for the win.

Fans were not happy with the loss. Yet again, James Franklin couldn’t beat Ohio State.

The game clock winded down and the game ended.

Fans threw trash on the field, chanted “Fire Franklin,” and booed the team as it sang the Alma Mater.

With the 12-team playoff format in effect this year, this loss to Ohio State isn’t necessarily as serious as in previous years. Penn State is still likely to make the playoffs, and it could even be a home game.