Penn State did not play well against Michigan, due in part to the fact that Penn State is not built like Michigan. The Wolverines adopted the dominate-the-trenches-and-run-the-ball model of Wisconsin, but rather than being limited by 3-star athletes, they mixed in 4- and 5-star players. Penn State, rather, is built like Ohio State - speed everywhere, though perhaps at the expense of huge, dominating lines.
That means that Penn State SHOULD be better equipped to play Ohio State than they were Michigan. Here’s the problem: as I see it, Michigan is to Wisconsin as Ohio State is to Penn State.