It was loud. Deafeningly loud. If you were sitting in the south end zone of Ohio Stadium on October 28, 2017, you didn't just hear the noise; you felt it in your bone marrow. Most college football fans remember the 2017 Ohio State Penn State game as a "classic," but that word feels a bit too polished for what actually happened on that turf. It was a car crash in slow motion that somehow turned into a masterpiece.
Saquon Barkley took the opening kickoff 97 yards to the house. Boom. Just like that, the "Shoe" went silent, except for a pocket of blue and white screaming their lungs out. For the next three quarters, it looked like James Franklin was going to waltz out of Columbus with a win that would have fundamentally altered the trajectory of the Big Ten for a decade. Penn State led 21-3. Then 28-10. Then 35-20 in the fourth.
Then J.T. Barrett turned into a literal machine.
The night J.T. Barrett became a Columbus legend
People love to meme J.T. Barrett for how long he was in college. It felt like he’d been playing for the Buckeyes since the Jim Tressel era. But honestly? In the fourth quarter of the 2017 Ohio State Penn State clash, he played the most perfect stretch of quarterbacking I’ve ever seen in person. He went 13-of-13 in the final frame. Every single pass was on the money. He wasn't just throwing; he was dissecting a Penn State secondary that, up until that point, had looked like a brick wall.
The stats tell one story—Barrett finishing with 328 yards and four touchdowns—but the vibe told another. You could see the Penn State defenders getting heavy-legged. The pass rush, which had haunted Barrett early on, started to lose its twitch. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer was pacing the sidelines like a man who knew his season was on a knife's edge.
Breaking down the comeback sequence
It wasn't just one big play. It was a relentless, grinding momentum shift.
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- First, there was the blocked punt by Denzel Ward. That felt like the first time the crowd actually believed. The ball didn't just go out of bounds; it set up a short field that the Buckeyes cashed in immediately.
- Then, the Johnnie Dixon touchdowns. Dixon had been through injury hell—both knees were basically held together by grit and tape. Seeing him catch those two scores in the fourth quarter was the kind of "sports movie" moment that usually feels fake.
- Finally, the Marcus Baugh seam route.
That game-winning touchdown pass to Baugh with 1:48 left wasn't even a risky throw. It was just a perfectly executed read against a tired linebacker. When Baugh crossed the goal line to make it 39-38, the stadium didn't just roar. It shook. I've seen seismograph readings from big games before, and while I’m not saying this caused an earthquake, it definitely cracked some eardrums.
Why Saquon Barkley's Heisman run died in the Horseshoe
Before that Saturday, Saquon Barkley was the undisputed Heisman frontrunner. He was a human highlight reel. After that kickoff return and a 36-yard touchdown run later in the first half, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. He was going to New York, and he was taking the trophy home to State College.
But Ohio State's defensive line, led by Nick Bosa and Sam Hubbard, started doing something weird. They stopped chasing the flashy plays and started playing "gap sound" football. They squeezed the life out of the Penn State run game. Barkley finished the game with 44 rushing yards on 21 carries. Think about that. Aside from one big burst, the Buckeyes held the best player in the country to about two yards a carry.
It’s a brutal reminder of how one afternoon can dismantle a season-long narrative. Penn State was ranked No. 2 in the country. They had everything in front of them. One bad quarter—one singular, 15-minute collapse—and the College Football Playoff dreams started to evaporate.
The tactical chess match: Meyer vs. Franklin
Urban Meyer and James Franklin are two very different personalities, but in 2017, they were the twin suns the Big Ten orbited around. Franklin had won the 2016 matchup in State College thanks to a blocked field goal return (the Grant Haley game), so Meyer was coaching with a chip on his shoulder the size of a Buick.
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The adjustment Meyer and his then-offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson made was simple: stop trying to outrun Penn State and start out-executing them in the short-to-intermediate passing game. They used Penn State’s aggression against them. Every time a Nittany Lion linebacker bit on a play-action or a screen, Barrett made them pay.
A look at the key players who defined the 2017 Ohio State Penn State game
- J.T. Barrett (OSU): 33/39 passing. That’s an 84.6% completion rate. In a high-stakes rivalry game. Insane.
- Trace McSorley (PSU): He was the heart of that team. He threw for 192 and ran for another 49, but he couldn't find the big play when the lead started slipping.
- Denzel Ward (OSU): The block. The coverage. He proved that night why he was a top-tier NFL prospect.
- Jason Cabinda (PSU): He was everywhere for the Nittany Lions, racking up 13 tackles, but even he couldn't plug all the holes at the end.
The "What If" factor that haunts Penn State fans
If you talk to any Penn State fan today, they’ll tell you that the 2017 squad was actually better than the 2016 team that won the Big Ten. They were more complete. They had the experience. And they had a 15-point lead with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
If Penn State wins that game, they almost certainly go to the Playoff. Maybe they win a national title with Saquon and McSorley. Instead, they suffered a "hangover" loss to Michigan State the following week in a rain-delayed mess in East Lansing. Just like that, a generational roster was relegated to the Fiesta Bowl. It’s the thin margin of college football. One missed tackle on a seam route to a tight end can change the history of a program.
Why this game ranks among the greatest in Big Ten history
Usually, when two heavyweights meet, the game is either a defensive slog or a track meet. The 2017 Ohio State Penn State game was both. It started as a blowout, turned into a tactical battle, and ended as a shootout.
It also represented the peak of the "Big Three" era in the Big Ten East (Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan). Before NIL and the massive transfer portal waves we see now, these rosters were built through years of traditional recruiting and development. There was a continuity to the rivalry that felt personal. You knew the seniors. You knew their backstories.
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The game also silenced the critics who said Barrett couldn't win the "big one" with his arm. He’d always been a great runner, a great leader, but he’d struggled against elite secondaries in the past. On that night, he was flawless.
Lessons from the 2017 Ohio State Penn State thriller
If you’re a coach or a player looking back at this tape, there are a few objective takeaways that still apply to the modern game.
- Momentum is a physical force. You could actually see the body language shift on the Penn State sideline after the blocked punt. It wasn't just "unlucky"; it was demoralizing.
- Depth wins fourth quarters. Ohio State’s defensive line rotation kept guys like Bosa and Tyquan Lewis fresh enough to hunt McSorley in the closing minutes while Penn State's offensive line was gasping for air.
- The "Zero Blitz" is a gamble. Penn State tried to bring the house to rattle Barrett late, but he stood in the pocket, took the hit, and delivered.
What to watch next if you're a Buckeyes or Nittany Lions fan
Go back and watch the "all-22" film of the fourth quarter if you can find it. Focus on the offensive line play of Ohio State. They weren't just blocking; they were displacement specialists. They moved bodies.
For Penn State fans, it's a tougher watch, but look at Saquon Barkley's pass protection. Even when he wasn't getting the ball, he was playing a complete game. It’s a masterclass in why he became such a versatile pro.
To truly understand the Big Ten's current landscape, you have to study this game. It set the standard for what a "top-five" matchup should look like in the Midwest. It wasn't just about the playoff; it was about the sheer, unadulterated chaos of Saturday afternoon in October.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
- Rewatch the tape: Specifically, look for the 11:00 mark in the 4th quarter. Notice the alignment of the OSU defensive ends.
- Check the box score nuances: Don't just look at yards; look at "Success Rate" on third downs during the comeback.
- Study the recruiting classes: See how many players from this specific 2017 game ended up as starters in the NFL. The hit rate is staggering.
This wasn't just a game; it was a shift in the power dynamic of the conference. Ohio State proved they were never truly out of a fight, and Penn State proved they could go toe-to-toe with the giants, even if the ending was a heartbreak for the ages.