Analysis: How the heck did Penn State beat Ohio State?

Two teams took the field in Happy Valley on Saturday night for a Big Ten matchup, and before we divulge which teams they were, here are the final stats from the contest.

Take one look at that chart and it's pretty easy to see that 'Team B' dominated the proceedings, and probably walked away with an easy win, right?

Wrong.

'Team A' on the chart is the host Penn State, who entered the game as 20-point underdogs, yet walked away with an improbable 24-21 win over No. 2 Ohio State.

Curtis Samuel scampered for a 74-yard touchdown just five minutes into the second half, giving Ohio State what appeared to be an insurmountable 19-7 lead. Adding insult to injury, Penn State would concede a safety on the very next drive, pushing the deficit to 21-7.

The Nittany Lions' offense was so bad in the third quarter that they ended the frame with -7 yards total. Scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game seemed downright impossible, and the only question left to be answered was whether they could somehow cover the 20-point spread.

Two Trace McSorley completions, representing a quarter of his paltry eight on the night, and a Saquon Barkley run moved the Nittany Lions from their own 10-yard line, all the way to the Ohio State 2-yard line. After the sophomore pivot punched in a 2-yard run, the deficit was cut to seven.

A comeback still seemed very unlikely, until Penn State's special teams unit took over the game.

The Nittany Lions blocked a Cameron Johnston punt, giving McSorley the ball with just 28 yards to go for a game-tying touchdown. The drive would stall, but a Tyler Davis field goal cut the lead to four.

Ohio State then did what Ohio State is known to do, and began a clock-killing, methodical drive down the field, marching down to the Penn State 28-yard line.

And then this happened ...

Ohio State would fail to move the ball into scoring range in the final four minutes, giving Penn State their biggest win under James Franklin, and sending Beaver Stadium into a frenzy.

Football is a funny game sometimes.