Three takeaways from No. 3 Penn State's 20-13 loss to No. 4 Ohio State

Penn State and Ohio State met as top-five teams in one of the best games of the year. The anticipation was fulfilled as the Lions and Buckeyes played a classic. Here are your takeaways.

1: Role reversal

Unlike almost every game this season, Penn State started fast. They shot the ball all the way down the field for a field goal, then responded with a pick-six to take a 10-0 lead.

Of course, it was unrealistic to expect the Lions to completely shut down the Buckeyes. Ohio State fought back with back-to-back touchdown drives to go up 14-10. Then, as the first half came to an end, Drew Allar drove the Lions to the 2-yard line. Unfortunately, a scoring drive ended in an interception.

2: Another strong third quarter

What didn't change in this game was the Nittany Lions' relentless defense in the third quarter. Ohio State became just the third team all season to score in the third quarter, kicking a field goal to open the second half.

Although Penn State was unable to erase the deficit, they also scored a field goal to hold a touchdown past the Buckeyes.

3: We got what we expected

The line closed at 3.5 points in favor of Ohio State. And just as Vegas envisioned, this was a hard-fought contest throughout.

Unfortunately, the Lions left far too many points on the field, and a great attempt by the defense to slow the Buckeyes in the second half was in vain.