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Penn State holds off Buckeyes in Columbus

Nov 20, 2011 - 1:58 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Stephfon Green ran for two touchdowns and No. 21 Penn State held on to beat Ohio State, 20-14, on Saturday for its first win under a head coach other than Joe Paterno since 1965.

The Nittany Lions (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) will play at Wisconsin next Saturday in a winner-take-all game for the Leaders Division title and a berth in the first Big Ten championship game.

Green rushed for 93 yards and Matt McGloin passed for 88 with an interception that Ohio State turned into a touchdown.

All of the game's 34 points came in the first half.

The Buckeyes (6-5, 3-4), eliminated from Big Ten title contention earlier in the day, couldn't get out of their own way in the third quarter. They fumbled twice -- including once after making an impressive goal line stand.

Penn State was coached for the second week in a row by Tom Bradley, the former defensive coordinator who was named interim head coach after Paterno was fired in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.

The win came one day after Paterno's son said his 84-year-old father was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer.

Last week, Bradley lost his first game in place of the legendary coach when the Nittany Lions had their seven-game winning streak snapped by Nebraska. Still, a win over Wisconsin next week will earn them a chance to play Michigan State for the Big Ten title on December 3 in Indianapolis.

"I challenged the guys on the team to show a lot of character and resolve and they did," said Bradley. "We talked about the last two teams to win here were '78 and '08. I wanted to know how [they wanted] to be remembered."

Wisconsin moved to 5-2 in-conference after beating Illinois earlier Saturday, while Michigan State wrapped up the Big Ten Legends Division title.

Ohio State was eliminated from Big Ten title contention with Wisconsin's win. The Buckeyes played Saturday amid reports Urban Meyer was in discussions about becoming their head coach after the season.

Of course, they were also looking ahead to the Michigan game next week.

"All I can say is it's Michigan week," said tight end Jake Stoneburner, who caught a touchdown pass. "We've obviously lost five games this year. That's not great at all but now our focus is on Michigan."

Braxton Miller accounted for two touchdowns -- one passing, one rushing -- but two Ohio State drives in the last minutes of the game failed to produce any points.

His 21-yard run after a bobbled snap got a first down in Penn State territory, but another scramble came up one yard short on 4th-and-10. Later, his deep pass to Evan Spencer on the left sideline was nearly caught, but wrangled out by Penn State defensive backs Nick Sukay and Chaz Powell.

Ohio State's first fumble in the third quarter came on a botched handoff between running backs Jordan Hall and Dan Herron at the Ohio State 11-yard line. A holding penalty gave Penn State a first down at the two, but the Buckeye defense stood tall, stopping Silas Redd's attempted leap over the pile on fourth down.

Five plays later, however, after Ohio State moved the ball out to the 35-yard line, Penn State linebacker Glenn Carson stripped Carlos Hyde in the middle of the field for another fumble.

Miller passed for 83 yards and was the leading rusher in the game with 105 yards on the ground, but the Buckeyes lost their second straight.

Meanwhile, Bradley became the first head coach other than Paterno to win a game for Penn State since Rip Engle in 1965.

"This win isn't about me, it's about the players and this team," said Bradley. "I don't think any team in the history of college football has been through so much in such a time period and to hang in there and fight their way through it is great. They have been great on the field, great in the classroom and I couldn't be prouder of them."

Penn State controlled the game for much of the first half and took a 20-14 lead into the locker room. It was only that close because Ohio State scored a touchdown after intercepting McGloin.

On the game's first drive, Penn State went 80 yards on five plays -- aided by a pass interference penalty on first down -- and Green scored on a delayed handoff, going through the middle of the line and splitting two defenders for a 39-yard touchdown.

Anthony Fera kicked a 43-yard field goal to make it 10-0 heading into the second quarter. Ohio State got on the board with Miller's slashing 24-yard touchdown run, but Penn State responded with an 81-yard drive and Green broke a couple of tackles for a four-yard score and 17-7 lead.

Later, Orhian Johnson picked off McGloin's tipped pass and returned it 15 yards to the Penn State 37, setting up Miller's seven-yard touchdown throw to Stoneburner in the back of the end zone.

Fera's second field goal, a 46-yarder as time ran out, gave the Nittany Lions their six-point lead at halftime.

Game Notes

Penn State is 16-3 in its next game after a loss since the start of the 2005 season...The Nittany Lions are 4-0 on the road this season and 14-4 away from Beaver Stadium since 2008...Sandusky, the longtime Paterno assistant, was arrested and charged with 40 counts of sexual crimes against young boys...Ohio State's four Big Ten losses have come by a total of 19 points.