Ohio State vs. Penn State: Score and Twitter Reaction

In the midst of a whiteout in Beaver Stadium, the Penn State Nittany Lions showed a great deal of resilience through a full 60 minutes and then some against the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes.

However, the home team came up just short and fell in double overtime to the Buckeyes by a score of 31-24 in Saturday's Big Ten clash.

The game started in rather ominous fashion for Penn State. Quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed a pair of quick passes on an opening drive that started deep in his own territory. However, all momentum was quickly halted, as Vonn Bell came up with an interception at the Nittany Lions' 39-yard line—or did he?

There appeared to be an issue with the replay system, as the ball clearly struck the ground, but the call was upheld. Officiating guru Mike Pereira tweeted his confusion over the situation:

After the game, the referee was asked about the situation via Ben Jones of statecollege.com:

Regardless, the play stood, and it didn't take long for the Buckeyes to capitalize.

The ensuing seven-play, 39-yard drive was almost all running back Ezekiel Elliott, as he gained 21 of those yards and capped off the short drive with a 10-yard touchdown scamper. Eye on College Football tweeted its take on the running back's score:

With Ohio State leading 7-0, both defenses began to clamp down. Neither team manufactured a drive lasting more than seven plays or 37 yards, as the teams traded punts until time expired in the first quarter.

The Buckeyes found some momentum near the end of the first quarter and into the beginning of the second, chipping away at the Penn State defense on a long, methodical drive that featured plenty of scrambling from quarterback J.T. Barrett.

After 14 plays and 59 yards, all the Buckeyes could manage was a Sean Nuernberger 49-yard field goal. The Buckeyes' official Twitter account relayed its jubilation as a result of the long field-goal attempt:

Two drives later, Penn State was forced to punt once again. However, punter Chris Gulla had to kick from the back of his end zone and didn't quite catch the ball cleanly. The kick traveled just 35 yards, so Ohio State was given great field position at the Nittany Lions' 39-yard line. This was the Buckeyes' second drive of the day, beginning at that spot on the field, and for the second time, they capitalized.

After a solid ground game between Barrett and Elliott moved Ohio State to the Penn State 1-yard line, a touchdown pass to Jeff Heuerman gave the Buckeyes a 17-point lead and seemingly blew the game wide open.

Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch tweeted the play's design:

Following another Penn State punt, the first half came to a close with Ohio State leading by a clear margin. Richard Scarcella of the Reading Eagle tweeted the home team's unfavorable stat line in this defensive struggle:

Speaking of a defensive struggle, Penn State defensive lineman Anthony Zettel took matters into his own hands. He dropped into coverage and picked off Barrett's pass just three plays into the third quarter. The big man showed some nice speed down the sideline and beat the quarterback to the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

ESPN's Desmond Howard had something to say about that play:

The game's defensive trend continued the remainder of the quarter. Ohio State did march into field-goal range, but this time a Nuernberger 41-yard attempt sailed wide. On the following possession, Penn State entered Buckeyes territory, but an ill-advised throw by Hackenberg was picked off by Tyvis Powell.

The quarter ended with Ohio State in control and the score at 17-7.

The Nittany Lions showed a great deal of resilience in the fourth quarter. Hackenberg continued to chip away at the Ohio State defense, moving his team down the field with short completions. Facing a 3rd-and-6 at the Buckeyes' 24-yard line, the quarterback finally let one rip and hit Saeed Blacknall in the end zone to get Penn State within three.

Beaver Stadium simply erupted following the huge score, via Penn State Football:

The offenses traded punts on the following drives, giving Hackenberg and the Penn State offense one last chance. The game's final drive started at the Nittany Lions' own 9-yard line with just 2:58 remaining.

Hackenberg was pressured frequently on the drive, but he circumvented the Buckeyes' pass rush with some short, high-percentage passes. The offense wore the Ohio State defense down, converting three pivotal third downs along the way.

The Nittany Lions caught a big break once the drive reached the 50-yard line, as Curtis Grant was called for roughing the passer after Hackenberg completed a seven-yard pass to DaeSean Hamilton. Four plays later, Sam Ficken was called upon to attempt a game-tying 31-yard field goal.

The kicker's attempt was true and capped off an astounding 19-play, 77-yard drive to force overtime. Bleacher Report tweeted the news of free football:

Penn State elected to begin overtime on offense in an effort to continue its late-game momentum. Two big-time Hackenberg completions to Hamilton quickly saw the Nittany Lions move to the 2-yard line. The receptions earned the wide receiver a new school record, according to Frank Bodani of the York Daily Record:

Bill Belton took advantage thereafter, plunging into the end zone for the score. The touchdown marked 24 unanswered points for Penn State.

Fox Sports Ohio tweeted exactly what the Buckeyes needed to answer with:

Unfazed, Barrett responded promptly. He followed up a 17-yard scamper with a five-yard touchdown run to even the game back up at 24. The Buckeyes offense moved back to the 25-yard line to go at it again, and the end result was similar. Eye on College Football tweeted Barrett's second overtime rushing touchdown:

Unfortunately for Penn State, another touchdown wasn't in the cards. Joey Bosa knifed through the Nittany Lions' offensive line on fourth down to sack Hackenberg and close out the game.

Penn State coach James Franklin wasn't too pleased about every aspect of the game. Here's what he had to say during a press conference, via Josh Moyer of ESPN.com:

Despite the loss, the Nittany Lions must be proud of their performance. Beaver Stadium was electric due to the never-say-die attitude of this football team. Penn State is under a new regime and is chock-full of young, talented and hungry players.

With four wins on the season, the Nittany Lions still have a great chance to reach bowl eligibility with five games remaining on their schedule. Penn State may not have come away with the win on Saturday night, but the future looks bright in Happy Valley.

Ohio State notched a win against a good opponent in the face of adversity. While it wasn't an overwhelmingly impressive showing from the team's offense, Barrett and Co. flourished when under great duress. This team will only get better as this young quarterback continues to develop.

Head coach Urban Meyer praised his young quarterback for playing though an injury suffered during the game, via Lori Schmidt of 97.1 The Fan:

At 6-1 on the season, the Buckeyes are already bowl eligible. Winning out will be difficult with the Michigan State Spartans remaining on the team's schedule. However, if Ohio State's defense can continue performing to the level we witnessed against Penn State, that feat isn't definitely possible.