The Ohio State offense regained the field with 5:13 to play and had to find a way to ice the game at its own 1-yard line against the Nittany Lions. While his offensive line had far exceeded expectations for more than three and a half quarters, with a diverse team on the No. 3 team on home turf in the country, now the Buckeyes needed let the football run.

And by God or Allah or Brahman or whatever deity you claim or not, they did.

Eleven plays – all runs – 58 yards and four first downs later, the clock stood at zero and a record crowd of 111,030 fans trooped out of Beaver Stadium, demoralized by a 20-13 Ohio State victory. At least the ones who wear blue or white.

“We get that stop and then when we get the ball back there are still over four minutes left and if we finish this attack the way we did – I think that will build our physicality and stamina as we go in the back half of the season,” said Ryan Day.

Over the last few weeks, a mountain of flickers has piled in the way and injuries have led to several altercations. Ohio State's offensive line came out on top, crushing Penn State when the moment mattered most to cap a great performance in a great game.

“I’m really excited to see these guys and how they handled adversity and new situations,” running back Quinshon Judkins said. “A lot of exercise and seeing how these guys performed today – I was super happy to see them take it and enjoy the win.”

The Buckeyes' final rushing yards were solid at 4.4 yards per carry (5.2 when sacks are removed) and 176 total rushing yards against the No. 8 run defense in the country. The Nittany Lions entered Saturday allowing just 93 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry this season.

More impressive than the pure rushing numbers, however, is Ohio State's success on the ground in key situations, obvious run downs that require the offensive line to win at the line of scrimmage to keep drives alive.

In 3rd and 4th or less, the Buckeyes were 4-for-4 against the Nittany Lions, with all four conversions leading the football. This included two Will Howard goalkeepers who kept the posts moving on the final pass. Left tackle Donovan Jackson also made a smart jump after Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter went offside on a 3rd-and-2 in the first half, scoring another first down that ultimately fell short in the third -Team down conversion table counts.

Last week, Ohio State went 0-for-6 and converted on 3rd-and-2 or less. It only allowed the ball to travel a paltry 2.1 yards per run.

“We knew short yards were our yards on the O-line,” left guard Carson Hinzman said. “I think that mentality was out there that we practiced rigorously to get those crucial yards. I think all of our preparation prepared us for this. And we knew exactly what we were going to do out there.”

Hinzman and Jackson were the two new additions to the starting front five at Ohio State University, where two starting left tackles were sidelined due to injuries in as many games. Jackson moved from left guard to left tackle while Hinzman took his place.

Both played phenomenal on Saturday. Jackson did allow two sacks to Carter, but that was to be expected given the speed at which the defensive end was going against Jackson's coverage body. He also pushed Carter 10 yards downfield on several runs and proved to be a wall on most downs.

“Donny performed spectacularly,” Hinzman said. “Donny is a freak of nature. This guy is absolutely – if I could be anyone else, it would be Donovan. The way he moves, the way he plays, the guy he is. He's working on all fronts. “He's doing the right things and I think he really showed it on the pitch today, although of course it's a big transition from a phone booth to an island. ”

“Donny is a freak of nature. … If I could do anyone else, it would be Donnie.”– Carson Hinzman on Donovan Jackson

Jackson praised the defense for helping him prepare, namely JT Tuimolau, Jack Sawyer, CJ Hicks and Arvell Reese.

“Outside of my position, it is what it is,” Jackson said. “When the situation came, I knew I might have had to play tackle. I haven't played it since high school, but I thought, 'You know what? Played it once, I can play it again.' … But it's great to win in environments like that. It wasn't easy, I had to get out of the mud a little bit, but at the end of the day it's a victory.

The achievement of Jackson's success after moving on is matched only by Hinzman on Ohio State's offensive line. Last year's starting center proved to be a road player in the run game and sturdy in the passing game in his first start of 2024.

“He played 11 games last year, so we knew he would be OK,” Jackson said. “It was nothing to worry about at all. We knew he would dominate. It's almost like having a second coach on the field, so it makes things a lot easier. He came into the game with great confidence and did a good job.”

The first year as a starter didn't go according to plan for sophomore Hinzman, raising questions about how he would perform if he took Jackson's spot at left guard. He was eliminated from the right guard competition last offseason, due in part to an illness that sidelined him for a few weeks after being benched in last year's Cotton Bowl.

It's a credit to Hinzman's character that he stayed the course and performed when his moment came.

“There was a lot of learning,” Hinzman said. “Obviously it's not about what you think about last year, but about deep conversations with myself, with God and asking why some things happened. Then it may be best to find out some of these things. I mean learning from Seth. He’s a…” He’s a great player. And then we talk about competitive excellence when it comes to being number one.

Jackson and Hinzman get most of the credit here for the difficult situations they found themselves in in front of one of the most hostile environments in college football, but right guard Tegra Tshabola also had a big comeback game, as center Seth McLaughlin and right tackle Josh Fryar followed her The best also played a role in the victory.

It's been not just a few weeks, but almost a few years of harsh criticism and uncertainty facing Ohio State's offensive line, the most maligned unit on last year's team. Saturday's win – and especially the final drive – must have felt like an unreal catharsis.

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“It’s just a big win for us, a big win for the program, a big win for O-Block,” Hinzman said. “The O-line is excited and ready for the next one.”