COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — When a team faces an uphill climb yet still ends up winning, it gains something from the experience.At least that’s what Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is banking on.Meyer’s 13th-ranked Buckeyes survived their own mistakes and a Penn State rally to win 31-24 in double-overtime on Saturday night.So, was just getting out of Happy Valley with a win a good thing?”It’s not a good thing,” he said. ”It’s a great thing.”The Buckeyes looked as if they could name the final score while building a 17-0 halftime lead. But then they watched the Nittany Lions come alive to tie the game in the final minute and then take a seven-point lead after the first possession of overtime. View gallery In this photo taken with a fisheye lens Ohio State coach Urban Meyer walks off the field after the t … But the Buckeyes stayed alive on quarterback J.T. Barrett’s 5-yard run and then came right back to score on a 4-yard run by Barrett before a loud and rowdy crowd of 107,895 on white-out night at Beaver Stadium. They then had a defensive stop to get out of Happy Valley with smiles on their faces.”You’re down by several points in that environment, and (you can’t) look to anyone else for help. There’s 11 guys out there, and you have to score a touchdown, and we did,” Meyer said. ”Invested players and invested teams really celebrate wins, and our guys did. You started getting your tail kicked and you came back and won. That builds toughness.”Meyer never said the words ”Michigan State” but he might as well have. The Buckeyes play at the eighth-ranked Spartans a week from Saturday in the game of the year in the Big Ten.Barrett sprained a ligament in his left knee against Penn State and is limited in practice this week…
Continue Reading: Buckeyes say they benefited from close call at PSU
