COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Buckeyes squeaked out a win against No. 20 Penn State 33-24.

​​​It wasn’t perfect, but a win is a win. And that’s the message head coach Ryan Day shared after his Buckeyes battled all night to secure the victory. 

The stadium was covered in scarlet, creating quite the environment for the night game.

Day said the environment was a difference-maker for his team.

“I want to thank Buckeye nation and the student section," Day said. "Half an hour before the game it was a packed house. The student section was rocking. The whole red-out scenario was great.”

A turning point in the game was a 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive tackle Jerron Cage. But the defense all-around has made a turn for the better since the Oregon loss earlier this season.

“I just saw Jarron pick it up and I stood there in shock for a minute and I was like what, 'is he really going to score?'" defensive end Zach Harrison said. "And then he scored and I ran to the sideline and gave him some love.”

“It was good to see our defense play like they did," Day said. "We did some good things on offense but defense won this game.” 

While the Buckeyes certainly haven’t had a true test in several weeks, quarterback C.J. Stroud said these types of games help define them.

“These types of games are definitely needed because when you go into this Big Ten play, especially this year, a lot of Big Ten teams are great," Stroud said. "So, I mean they have great defenses so just to have this type of win, to have this grit win, just know that we can do it. We can do anything we put out minds to.”

The Buckeyes go back on the road against Nebraska next week before a set of home games against Purdue and Michigan State.