It was a classic Big Ten match-up where defense led the way, but at the end of regulation, Ohio State was on the losing end of the scoreboard, falling to Penn State 13-6.

At halftime the teams were deadlocked at 3 all, with both field goals coming late in the 2nd quarter.

The defense unit, led by James’ 12 tackles, was the team highlight. They held a PSU squad that was averaging 45 points per game to just 1 touchdown and 2 field goals. With his performance tonight, James moves into the 10th spot on Ohio State’s all-time tackles list with 335.

The offense failed to put up a TD for the 3rd time this season; a telling stat. Beanie Wells was silenced — held to just 55 yards — as the weight of the offense fell squarely on Terrelle Pryor’s shoulders. He can’t do it alone and it showed. His fumble was a major momentum shifter for Penn St. as they went on to score the only TD of the game after recovering it deep in OSU territory.

The Buckeyes fell to 7-2 and the Nittany Lions remain undefeated. This game seemed to be the big one left on their schedule and should they finish the season without a loss, they stand a good chance of ending up in the National Championship game.

Here are a couple of quotes from James after the game:

On going into a bye week
“We have to keep fighting and practice hard. There are a lot of little things that we have to look at and take care of. We’ll go into the week, watch a lot of film and get ready for the last three games.”

On the defensive line
“First, Thaddeus Gibson is a great player. He has the ability to do great things. Overall, the defensive line did a great job. They had pressure on the quarterback all night. They have matured so much and the more they grow, the more we grow as a team.”