Penn State’s Parker Washington has career high in loss to Ohio State

STATE COLLEGE — Parker Washington would trade the best performance of his college football career for a win over Ohio State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

“It was a tough loss,” Washington said. “We definitely wanted it.”

A 5-10, 212-pound wide receiver, he caught 11 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown in the 13th-ranked Nittany Lions’ 44-31 loss to the second-ranked Buckeyes.

These weren’t just clean numbers that Washington put out; he made some spectacular catches.

He took a short pass in the second quarter, broke up a tackle, got a block from fellow wideout Mitchell Tinsley and finished with a 58-yard touchdown. He later scampered for a 13-yard reception for the second touchdown and a 26-yarder for the third score.

“I feel like Sean (quarterback Sean Clifford) trusts me and I trust him,” Washington said. “It allowed us to play today.

“I’m ready for any opportunity when I get out. The work we put in as an offense gives me the confidence to put those big plays out there when I can.”

Washington, who is in his third year with the program, is Pennsylvania’s leading receiver with 41 receptions for 567 yards and two touchdowns.

“It helps when you can move the ball down the field and get those big plays (from Washington),” tight end Theo Johnson said. “He does a very good job for us. He gives a spark to our resentment.”

Meeting in the tent: Ohio State’s wide receivers won the game against Penn State in a matchup between two great groups.

Marvin Harrison Jr. caught 10 passes for 185 yards, Emeka Egbuka had six receptions for 53 yards and former Southern Columbia star Julian Fleming had two catches for 27 yards.

Buckeye quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 26 of 33 passes for 354 yards against a team that ranked fifth nationally in pass defense efficiency.

“He’s a great player,” Penn State safety J’Air Brown said of Stroud. “He does a great job of putting the ball exactly where it needs to be. He had some amazing shots. He didn’t let me get a good read on him.

“He is the cause of their resentment. And once he gets going, they all feed off him and make big plays, explosive plays.”

Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was asked about Harrison, another namesake for the former NFL star.

“I thought I would have more matches with him,” Porter said. “I think I only had one pass when I was covering Marvin. He will be a really good player in the future. He’s really good now.”

Injury report: Penn State left tackle Olu Faschan was seen limping after the game with an undisclosed injury.

Landon Tengvall missed his third straight game with an undisclosed injury he suffered during warmups before the Michigan game. Hunter Nurzad stepped in at left guard in Tengwal’s absence.

Defensive back Chop Robinson returned to action after missing the Minnesota game and made one tackle.