The Buckeyes began the season against Jim Tressel's former team for the second straight year. Going into the game, Tressel planned to play all three quarterbacks within the first half. Top recruit Terrelle Pryor led the Buckeyes to a field goal on his first drive. Pryor also rushed for a touchdown in the second half. However, the 43–0 victory was marred when star running back Chris Wells left the game in the third quarter with a toe injury.
With Chris Wells watching from the sideline with a foot injury, the Buckeyes struggled to move the ball in the first half against the lightly regarded Ohio. The Buckeyes scored first with a 3–0 lead but finished the first half down 7–6. Six minutes into the 3rd quarter quarterback Todd Boeckman fumbled a snap in the Buckeyes end zone which was recovered by Ohio for a touchdown to increase their lead to 14–6. The Buckeyes quickly responded with a Dan Herron 1-yd TD with 2:51 left in the 3rd capped by a missed point-after kick. The Bobcats then began to falter. Parson fumbled a punt, with Ohio State's Shaun Lane falling on the ball as it tumbled out of bounds at the Ohio 25. The recovery was confirmed on video review. Ohio State then capped their 6-play drive with a 2-yd TD run by Brandon Saine to take the 19–14 lead. With around 6 minutes left to play, Ray Small returned an Ohio punt 69 yards for a touchdown which sealed the sluggish win for the Buckeyes.
This game between two perennial powers had long been identified as a major non-conference game with potential championship implications for either program.[3][4] In the preseason it was named as the most anticipated regular-season game of 2008.[5]
By the end of the 2007–08 season, the non-conference game between the Buckeyes and Trojans garnered interest as a possible early-season battle between top-10 teams.[6] USC or Ohio State had played in five of the last six BCS title games. The teams have not faced one another since September 29, 1990, when Todd Marinovich led the Trojans to a 35–26 victory in Ohio Stadium in a game that was called because of a thunderstorm with 2 minutes 36 seconds to play.[7] In naming it the top potentially season-defining game of 2008, Sports Illustrated highlighted a theme of credibility: Ohio State enters the game trying to move past the BCS title game losses of the previous two seasons and USC enters trying to show it remains highly competitive with its new starting quarterback and four of five new players on the offensive line.[5][8]
This game was seen by many as the toughest conference game on the Buckeyes' schedule. With a healthy Chris Wells, the Buckeyes would start the game out strong, with a touchdown on the opening drive. Momentum would begin to turn in the second quarter as the Badgers would intercept a long pass from Terrelle Pryor. The game went into halftime with the Buckeyes trailing 10–7.
Late in the fourth quarter, down 17–13, Terrelle Pryor orchestrated a late drive and would rush in the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 left. In a last chance for the Badgers, the Buckeyes intercepted a pass to seal a 20–17 win.
The game was unusual for the Wisconsin fans as the Wisconsin Marching Band was suspended for the game due to accusations of alcohol abuse, hazing and sexual misconduct. The crowd had to rely on music played over the loud speakers.
For the fourth straight year, ESPN's College GameDay crew broadcast from the site of the Penn State–Ohio State match-up.[9][10]
In front of an Ohio Stadium-record crowd of 105,711, the Nittany Lions got their first win at Ohio State since 1978 by defeating the Buckeyes 13–6 in a game where both offenses were held below their season averages. The turning point of the game occurred early in the fourth quarter with the Buckeyes holding a three-point lead and facing a third-and-1. Penn State safety Mark Rubin tackled Terrelle Pryor, and forced a fumble which was recovered by Penn State. Nittany Lions' backup quarterback Pat Devlin, playing for injured starter Daryll Clark, scored on a quarterback sneak for the only touchdown of the game. After PSU placekicker Kevin Kelly's second field goal, the Buckeyes last drive was ended by an interception at the goal line—Pryor's second turnover of the game. The Buckeyes were limited to their lowest point total in Ohio Stadium since 1982, and the Nittany Lions were charged with zero penalties.
Clark completed 12 of 20 passes for 121 yards before leaving, while the Nittany Lions defense held the Buckeyes running game in check, holding Pryor to six yards on nine attempts, and Beanie Wells to 55 yards on 22 carries.[11][12] The Buckeyes were the only team in 2008 to hold the Lions below 20 points, and the only team to prevent Penn State from scoring a touchdown in the first half.
Ohio State extended their win streak over Michigan to a record five and enjoyed their second biggest victory margin (35) in the series, superseded only by a 38–0 shutout in 1935.
