According to their coaches, Ohio State wasn't supposed to win the game.
But on the road, in front of one of the loudest student bodies in the country, after blowing a 17-point halftime lead, somehow, someway, the Buckeyes found a way to survive.
Sure, Ohio State entered Happy Valley as a two-touchdown favorite over Penn State, but when the Nittany Lions scored first in overtime it didn't seem like the Buckeyes were going to win the game. Penn State had all of the momentum after scoring 24-straight points.
Then all of a sudden, redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett ran for 32 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the overtime periods and Ohio State escaped a 31-24 winner in double overtime.
"I will say this: That was a great character win. That was a great character win. You're not supposed to win in that situation," Ohio State cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said the Monday following the win at Penn State. "You get caught from behind in an environment like that and then go behind in overtime going into their student section. You are not supposed to win that game. The only way you win that game is if the men on your team are men of incredible character and resilience, and they are, and that was a fantastic finish."
But could that narrow escape actually help the 14th-ranked Buckeyes when they travel to Spartan Stadium on Saturday night for a date with No. 8 Michigan State in a Big Ten showdown?
“I think we found out a lot about ourselves form a toughness and mentality standpoint in Happy Valley a couple weeks ago. That was encouraging," Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman said. "A lot of the young guys played like young guys in a big-time atmosphere and I think I answered the question Saturday night but it bears repeating, had you asked me to sign up for that and that type of outcome prior to the game I would have said, ‘Heck no.’"
"I wanted to win a lot differently than that, but I think in retrospect having won the game the way that we did, knowing that we played very poorly against a really good defense in one of the most hostile environments in all of college football with every ounce of momentum on their side really showed a lot to us as a coaching staff about what kind of kids we’re coaching.”
It's hard to imagine Spartan Stadium being quite as loud as the environment at Penn State was two weeks ago, but you never know.
Michigan State hasn't lost a home game — or a Big Ten game for that matter — since Northwestern in 2012. On their resume, the Spartans have a 34-24 win over Ohio State in last year's Big Ten championship game.
But Ohio State has won 11 straight road games. Something's gotta give.
“This game isn’t important because of last year, this game is important because we still have a lot of postseason dreams and beating Michigan State is vital on that path," senior defensive tackle Michael Bennett said. "... When you just go into a big game it’s just a whole other — it’s a different kind of importance winning that game. I don’t really know how to describe it or what makes it’s different, but it’s a different feeling.”
Like they did leading up to the game in Happy Valley, Ohio State was piping in crowd noise during Wednesday's practice. The Michigan State fight song was even playing at times.
There seems to be a different feel around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this week.
“You can see the intensity in the coaches a little bit," wide receiver Devin Smith said. "With the players, we’re just taking it one day at a time. Just continue to do the things that we’ve done so far that’s helped us win. That’s all we’re worried about.”
And because of how it escaped from Happy Valley, Ohio State doesn't seemed worried about playing another game in a hostile environment.
