Despite providing Penn State every opportunity with self-imposed mistakes, Ohio State’s dramatic comeback win was largely enabled by an offense that consistently moved the football in both the run and pass game.

On early downs, Penn State often played their base defense – a 4-3 over with a safety in the box, frequent run pressure from the overhang linebacker, and a slant away from the edge blitz – all protected by a 3 deep, 3 under zone.

The Nittany Lions also sporadically shifted into an odd or bear front, while on passing downs, Penn State mixed split safety cover 2 or cover 4 with cover 1 man blitzes.

The Buckeyes overcame so many self-inflicted mistakes because of how efficient they were on offense. According to Bill Connelly’s S & P+ metrics, Ohio State had a 48-percent offensive success rate (compared to 27-percent for Penn State). The Buckeyes only punted twice behind a balanced attack.

Ohio State had success in the run game primarily with tight zone and split zone read. Barrett frequently kept behind the slanting defensive end, with the tight end arc blocking the backside safety responsible for the quarterback.