Ohio State defeated Penn State 20-13 on Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley.

It’s a massive victory for the Buckeyes, who remain squarely in the mix for a Big Ten Championship Game berth thanks to this win over the previously-undefeated Nittany Lions.

Here are 3 takeaways from Ohio State’s big win:

Red zone defense

If there’s one primary reason why Ohio State got out of State College with a win on Saturday, it’s red zone defense.

At the end of the first half, Penn State appeared to take a lead with just 11 seconds remaining in the half. However, Drew Allar was actually picked off by Davison Igbinosun to preserve Ohio State’s lead.

Then, late in the fourth quarter with Penn State driving to potentially tie the game, the Buckeyes got a goal line stand. After Tyler Warren made a big play to set up first and goal from the 3 yard line, the Buckeyes got dominant stops on 4 consecutive plays to keep the score at 20-13.

In 3 trips to the red zone, the Nittany Lions came away with just 3 total points.

Ohio State’s running game returned

Ohio State infamously struggled to run the ball last week against Nebraska, averaging just over 2 yards per attempt in that narrow win over the Huskers. The Buckeyes had no such issues against Penn State on Saturday.

Quinshon Judkins and Treveyon Henderson both rushed for over 5.4 yards per carry. Judkins was especially productive as he carried the ball 14 times for 95 yards. He was also instrumental on running out the clock on Ohio State’s final drive of the game to prevent a potential game-tying drive from Penn State from ever starting.

The run game also helped Ohio State move the ball even when its passing game wasn’t firing on all cylinders. It was a bit of an up-and-down game for Will Howard, who had a couple of key turnovers in the first half and ended up throwing for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 attempts.

Ryan Day’s big moment clears path to CFP, Big Ten revenge

Ryan Day began the day with just a 2-6 record against top-5 teams. This win over the No. 3 Nittany Lions will improve that record. But more importantly, it gets Ohio State back on track to fulfilling some of its loftiest goals for the 2024 season.

With this win Ohio State will now just need to beat Indiana and take care of business vs. the rest of its schedule in order to reach the Big Ten Championship Game for a rematch against the Ducks. The Hoosiers remain undefeated, but they will likely be big underdogs when they come to Columbus on Nov. 23.

Keeping access to the Big Ten Championship Game alive is crucial for Ohio State. The Buckeyes maybe would have still reached the CFP without a win in Happy Valley on Saturday — but it wouldn’t have been a guarantee. Now, Ohio State controls its own destiny to a first-round bye in the newly-expanded College Football Playoff.

Ohio State will host Purdue in Week 11.