COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 2 Ohio State hadn't faced much adversity this season prior to its top-10 matchup with No. 8 Penn State on Saturday. That changed, however, when the Nittany Lions scored 14 points in a 25-second span of the third quarter to pull within seven points of the Buckeyes.

What started out as a typical game for Ohio State, with a balanced effort from its offense and defense, turned into a "Rocky" fight, with the teams trading blows in the third quarter before Ohio State held on for a 28-17 victory.

"We talked about going into a big heavyweight match, and you're gonna take shots," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said after the game. "And one of the things about playing in a game like this is, you have to be willing to take punches, and you have to not flinch when it happens. And that was a great example. That was the first time we really were taking shots right there."

The Buckeyes had built a 21-0 lead, until Penn State backup quarterback Will Levis entered the game after starter Sean Clifford came out for an undisclosed injury.

Levis started delivering those shots to the Buckeyes, helping put together a 75-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown run from Journey Brown.

Then the Nittany Lions delivered another shot by causing and recovering a fumble at the Ohio State 12.

Two plays later, Levis scored from a yard out to cut the deficit to 21-14.

At that point, Day brought his team together in an effort to stop the bleeding and get his players refocused.

"You know your team, but you don't see them in that environment. You don't see them with everything on the line," Day said. "You talk about everything on the line. Everything is on the line at that moment and everything's real. And the momentum's going their way.

"You can feel it. And at that point, how do you have the strength to then turn the tides and get the momentum back towards you? That's not easy to do. And they did it."

Day said he knew he had to draw a line in the sand, so he rallied his players. They responded when Chris Olave made an incredible catch for a touchdown to put Ohio State up 28-17, which ended Penn State's attempt to tie the program's largest comeback in school history.

The threat lasted only during the third quarter, but the Buckeyes got a scare late in the fourth when starting quarterback Justin Fields stayed on the turf after taking a hit. After a short time on the ground, Fields popped back up and ran to the sidelines, drawing a large cheer from the crowd.

"He's good, yeah," Day said. "He's a warrior, I'm telling you right now. He's tough. ... He's got a heart of a lion. I love that kid. He's tough."

While it was only a short scare for Fields and only a quarter-long scare for the team, everyone in the locker room took it seriously given the magnitude of what's on the line. With an undefeated record, a chance for a spot in the College Football Playoff and an opportunity to beat the rival Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor to finish the season, Day and his team are taking this as an opportunity to get better and a chance to learn how to punch back in a heavyweight match.

"I said it to one of the coaches: 'Maybe it's been a little too easy at times,'" Day said. "This was hard today -- and we learned some lessons -- and now hopefully we can grow from there."