Ohio State was looking for a lopsided win to impress the voters and boost its BCS numbers. The Buckeyes made Penn State pay the price.
Braxton Miller passed for three touchdowns and ran for two and Carlos Hyde rushed for 147 yards and two more scores to lead the fourth-ranked Buckeyes to a 63-14 victory over Penn State on Saturday night.
“We’ve got to keep our foot to the pedal,” said Miller, who completed 18-of-24 passes for a career-best 252 yards before leaving in the third quarter.
It was the most points surrendered by Penn State (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) and its worst beating in 114 years.
“It’s the worst game I’ve experienced,” said Nittany Lions outside linebacker Mike Hull.
Urban Meyer said trying to rout an opponent was not what his team set out to do.
“It helps,” the coach said of needing to win big to get the attention of those voting in the coaches’ and Harris polls that are part of the BCS standings formula. “That was not certainly our mindset. Our mindset was to find a way to win this game against a very talented team that we have a lot of respect for that had a lot of momentum coming into this game. … Things usually work out. I’d be disappointed if that was our guys’ focus. That’s not our focus.”
The Ohio State (8-0, 4-0) victory stretched its nation’s best winning streak to 20 in a row, two behind the school mark which included the 1968 national championship season. That team was recognized during the opening half as the Buckeyes streaked to a 42-7 lead.
Nittany Lions freshman QB Christian Hackenberg bobbled the second snap of the night and it never got much better. He ended up throwing two interceptions.
A crowd of 105,889 at Ohio Stadium roared from the outset — and had plenty of reasons.
Penn State hadn’t given up so many points or been beaten so badly since losing 64-5 to the Duquesne Athletic Club on Nov. 25, 1899.
Even Miller’s backup — Kenny Guiton — rushed for two touchdowns.
Bill Belton was one of the few bright spots for the Nittany Lions, gaining 98 yards on 22 carries.
It was the most one-sided margin by the Buckeyes and their most points scored in the 29 meetings in the series. The teams had split the last four meetings, with Ohio State holding a cumulative 79-66 scoring advantage. All of those matchups were close.
But this one sure wasn’t. It got out of hand quickly.
The Buckeyes enforced their will on the Nittany Lions on both sides of the ball in an impressive show of strength.
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