STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Will Howard showed up, victory in hand and the homecoming the Ohio State quarterback craved was complete.

The Pennsylvania native, who had long felt Penn State wasn't good enough to play there, signaled the first down with his hand.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Howard might as well have continued to eight, the number of consecutive wins the fourth-place Buckeyes have about the third-place Nittany Lions after a 20-13 win Saturday that ended with a late defensive stand at the goal line, followed by Howard and the Ohio State offense eating up the clock with a performance that made up for a lack of precision with physicality.

“We set out to win this game,” said Howard, who grew up in suburban Philadelphia waiting for a scholarship offer from Penn State that never came.

Revenge was sweet, if a little sloppy. Howard threw a pick-6 On his first pass, he put Ohio State in an early 10-point hole and later fumbled before crossing the goal line, giving the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) another point loss.

The Kansas State transfer made up for it by throwing for 182 yards and touchdowns to Emeka Egbuka and Brandon Inniss. Howard added another 24 on the floor, with the final seven crucial points coming on a game-sealing option that led a not insignificant portion of the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history (111,030) for Penn State coach James Franklin to send a chorus of boos into the tunnel under a blanket, but not before a tense exchange of blows with a fan.

“I own everything,” Franklin said after falling to 1-10 against a program that treated Penn State more like a little brother than a rival.

The Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) saw their hopes of reaching the Big Ten Championship suffer a major setback. And while Penn State remains on relatively solid ground heading into the 12-team College Football Playoff, it missed a chance to add some much-needed polish to its CFP resume.

“We did some things well enough to win, some things we didn’t,” Franklin said. “You can’t have the ball inside the 5-yard line twice and come out with no points.”

No, you can't do that.

Penn State had the ball deep in Ohio State territory late in the first half when Buckeyes defensive back Davison Igbinosun tackled defeated Nittany Lions wide receiver Harrison Wallace III for a pass from Drew Allar that ended a scoring drive.

The Nittany Lions – led by tight end Tyler Warren – drove to the Ohio State 3 midway through the fourth quarter. Three runs up the middle by Kaytron Allen gained him a whopping 2 yards. On fourth down, Allar, who struggled valiantly while playing with a bad left knee, threw incomplete to tight end Khalil Dinkins.

Penn State never got the ball back. Ohio State made it 11 straight, an offensive line hurting after a dismal performance in a lethargic win over Nebraska last week and pushing the Nittany Lions backwards with every snap.

“That was fun,” Ohio State tackle Donovan Jackson said. “As an offensive lineman, those are the drives you dream about: just running the ball and just winning the game for your team.”

The ending looked a lot like so many meetings between the Big Ten superpowers over the last three decades. The players on the sidelines for the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions change. Also the coordinators.

When the ten superpowers meet, there is not much at stake.

Neither do the results.

Divisions or no divisions. Columbus or Happy Valley. Ohio State finds out in the end, while Penn State comes away with more questions than answers.

Allar threw for 146 yards and ran for another 31 yards, but Penn State's revamped offense under first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki repeatedly caused drives to stall in Ohio State territory. Warren totaled 94 yards (47 rushing and 47 receiving yards), but for some inexplicable reason didn't get any contact with the ball in the final moments, even on those four missed throws from close range.

Allar tried to go to Warren on fourth down, but the Buckeyes took Warren out of the game, emblematic of a program that always seems to be one step ahead of the rest.

While Penn State players believe their CFP chances remain strong, another chance to change history during Franklin's successful, if not spectacular, tenure disappeared in the early November sunshine.

Howard, who believes he played his worst game of the season, and the Buckeyes are barely getting above themselves. Still, it's three weeks away from hard work One-point loss at Oregon When Howard slipped too late for the Buckeyes to score a last-minute field goal, the mood leaving the field was much different this time.

“To win a game like that in my home state,” Howard said, “that’s unbelievable.”

Take away

Ohio State: This version of the Buckeyes may not be an offensive juggernaut like some of their predecessors, but Ohio State still has Penn State's number and their physical style of football could well prevail in the postseason.

Penn State: Warren needs some help from the Nittany Lions' other skill position players. Penn State's wide receivers caught three passes for 49 yards.

Impact on the survey

Expect Ohio State to move up to No. 3 in a worst-case scenario on Sunday. Penn State will likely remain on the fringes of the top 10.

Next

Ohio State: welcomes Purdue to Ohio Stadium next Saturday.

Penn State: hosts Washington next Saturday.

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