STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Will Howard emerged with the win in hand and the homecoming the Ohio State quarterback craved was complete.

The Pennsylvania native, who had long felt that Penn State didn’t think he was good enough to play there, was the first to signal with his hand.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Howard might as well have gone all the way to eight, the number of consecutive wins fourth-place Buckeyes have about the third-ranked Nittany Lions after a 20-13 victory on Saturday that ended with a late goal-line defensive stand, followed by Howard and Ohio State’s offense running out the clock with a drive that made up for in physicality what it lacked in precision.

“We pushed ourselves to win that game,” said Howard, who grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs waiting for a scholarship offer from Penn State that never came.

The revenge was sweet, if a little sloppy. Howard threw a pick-6 on his first pass to put Ohio State in an early 10-point hole and later fumbled before crossing the goal line, costing the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) another score.

The Kansas State transfer made up for it by throwing for 182 yards and touchdowns to Emeka Egbuka and Brandon Inniss. Howard added another 24 on the ground, the last seven of which mattered on a option that sealed the match and brought a not insignificant portion of the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history (111,030) to cheer on Penn State- coach James Franklin into the tunnel to a chorus of boos, but not before a tense altercation with one fan.

“I own it all,” Franklin said after falling to 1-10 against a program that has treated Penn State more like a little brother than a rival.

The Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) saw their hopes of reaching the Big Ten Championship severely shattered. And while it’s on relatively solid footing for the 12-team College Football Playoff, Penn State missed an opportunity to give its CFP resume a much-needed refresh.

“We did some things that were good enough to win, some things that weren’t,” Franklin said. “You can’t have the ball inside the 5-yard line twice and come out with no points.”

No, that’s not possible.

Penn State had the ball deep in Ohio State territory late in the first half when Buckeyes defensive back Davison Igbinosun defeated Nittany Lions wide receiver Harrison Wallace III for a pass from Drew Allar to end a scoring drive.

The Nittany Lions – led by Tyler Warren – drove to the Ohio State 3 midway through the fourth quarter. Three runs up the middle from Kaytron Allen gained all 2 yards. On fourth down, Allar, who fought valiantly while playing with a balky left knee, threw incomplete to Khalil Dinkins.

Penn State never got the ball back. Ohio State ran it 11 times in a row, an offensive line hurting after a dismal performance in a lethargic win over Nebraska last week, and responded by pushing the Nittany Lions backward with every snap.

“That was fun,” Ohio State tackle Donovan Jackson said. “As an offensive lineman, those are the drivers that you dream about, just running the ball and just winning the game for your team.”

The ending was very similar to so many of the meetings between the Big Ten superpowers of the past thirty years. The players on the sidelines for the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are changing. The coordinators too.

The stakes when the Big Ten superpowers meet are not.

Neither do the results.

Distributions or no distributions. Columbus or Happy Valley. Ohio State eventually finds out, while Penn State walks away with more questions than answers.

Allar threw for 146 yards and ran for another 31 yards, but Penn State’s new offense under first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki consistently stalled drives in Ohio State territory. Warren combined for 94 yards (47 rushing and 47 receiving), but also inexplicably didn’t get a single touch on those four botched close-range shots in the final moments.

Allar wanted to go to Warren on fourth down, but the Buckeyes took Warren out of the play, symbolic of one program that always seems to be one step ahead of the other.

While Penn State players believe their CFP odds remain high, another opportunity to change the narrative during Franklin’s successful, if not spectacular, tenure disappeared in the early November sunshine.

Howard, who thinks he had his worst game of the season, and the Buckeyes are hardly getting ahead of themselves. Still, a tough task is still three weeks away loss by one point at Oregon in which Howard slid late for the Buckeyes to attempt a final field goal, the atmosphere was much different this time as he left the field.

“To win a game like that in my home state,” Howard said, “it’s unbelievable.”

Takeaway meals

Ohio State: This version of the Buckeyes may not be as offensive as some of its predecessors, but Ohio State still has Penn State’s number and its physical football style could translate well as the postseason approaches.

Penn State: Warren needs some help from the Nittany Lions’ other skill position players. Penn State’s wide receivers caught three passes for 49 yards.

Survey implications

Expect Ohio State to rise to No. 3 at worst on Sunday. Penn State will likely remain on the fringes of the top 10.

Next

Ohio State: Welcomes Purdue to Ohio Stadium next Saturday.

Penn State: Hosts Washington next Saturday.

___

Receive poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season long. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll And https://apnews.com/hub/college-football