Ohio State flies past Penn State 38-14: Replay

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Ohio State flies past Penn State 38-14: Replay

Lori Schmidt, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Sat, Nov 1, 2025 ·

18 min read

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Ohio State football lit up the scoreboard against Penn State , winning 38-14 after another lights-out performance from Heisman Trophy candidate Julian Sayin .

Though Penn State kept the score close, down 17-14 to Ohio State at halftime, the Buckeyes ' offense had an electric third quarter with two touchdowns. Sayin's deep ball accuracy helped the Buckeyes march down the field on both touchdown drives in the third quarter; the redshirt freshman had just three incompletions on the day, making 20-of-23 passes for 316 passing yards and four passing touchdowns.

Spreading the wealth, Ohio State wide receiver duo Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate both finished with over 100 receiving yards. Smith capped off his day with a circus-catch touchdown in the fourth quarter, hauling in a tipped pass with one hand in the endzone.

Once a top-three program in 2025, the Nittany Lions lost their fifth game in a row and fall to 3-5 on the season.

Read below to see our live coverage from the Ohio State win.

Big Ten scoreboard

Julian Sayin final stats

Julian Sayin improved his status in the Heisman Trophy race with his final numbers today. He was 20 for 23 for 316 yards and four touchdowns. He threw three passes that went 45+ yards.

Ohio State-Penn State final stats

STAT	PENN STATE	OHIO STATE
Points	14	38
Total Yds	200	480
Pass Yds	145	316
Rush Yds	55	164
Penalties	2-30	2-30
1st Downs	15	22
3rd Downs	8-15	6-9
4th Downs	0-1	1-1
Total Plays	60	55
Avg Yds/Play	3.3	8.7
Avg Yds/Completion	7.6	15.8
Avg Yds/Rush	1.8	5.1
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)	95 (3.5)	164 (5.1)
Red Zone	2-3	5-5
Time of Poss	29:53	30:07
Turnovers (Def Pts Off)	1 (0)	1 (7)
Fumbles-Lost	1-0	1-1
Sacks (Def Yds)	0 (0)	4 (39)
TFL (Def Yds)	4 (7)	7 (43)

Ohio State football score

The Ohio State football Buckeyes beat the Penn State Nittany Lions 38-14. OSU improves to 8-0 and plays Purdue next weekend. Penn State drops to 3-5 and will now have to gear up for a game against No. 2 Indiana .

Caleb Downs picks off Ethan Grunkenmeyer

Just a couple of plays after video review cleared him of targeting, Ohio State's Caleb Downs made the 6th interception of his career, picking off Ethan Grunkenmeyer in the end zone.

Ohio State trolls Jim Knowles

The Buckeyes showed former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on the video board, and the crowd booed. That sound crescendoed because then Ohio State showed current defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who naturally received a rousing ovation. They repeated this back-and-forth several times.

Jeremiah Smith shows unbelievable concentration | Ohio State 38, Penn State 14

9:43 left in fourth quarter:Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley batted the ball into the air and Jeremiah Smith adjusted in mid-air to bring it down and into the end zone.

Ethan Grunkenmeyer sacked again

Unbelievably, it's now three straight Penn State drives that have ended with a sack. Kenyatta Jackson was back at it, dropping Ethan Grunkenmeyer 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Ohio State scoreboard is smoking

Some of the pyrotechnics may have misfired. There was a huge cloud of smoke coming from the scoreboard. It's since cleared, but fans at a certain 2013 Crew game may be forgiven for suffering flashbacks.

Ohio State-Penn State third quarter stats:

STAT	PENN STATE	OHIO STATE
Points	14	31
Total Yds	158	365
Pass Yds	95	301
Rush Yds	63	64
Penalties	2-30	0-0
1st Downs	11	16
3rd Downs	6-11	6-7
4th Downs	0-0	0-0
Total Plays	45	41
Avg Yds/Play	3.5	8.9
Avg Yds/Completion	7.3	16.7
Avg Yds/Rush	2.5	3.2
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)	82 (3.6)	64 (3.2)
Red Zone	2-2	4-4
Time of Poss	22:55	22:05
Turnovers (Def Pts Off)	0 (0)	1 (7)
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	1-1
Sacks (Def Yds)	0 (0)	2 (19)
TFL (Def Yds)	4 (7)	4 (22)

Arvell Reese sacks Ethan Grunkenmeyer

Ohio State ended two successive Penn State drives with a sack. This time Arvell Reese brought down Ethan Grunkenmeyer for an 11-yard loss.

Julian Sayin throws another bomb | Ohio State 31, Penn State 14

3:21 left in third quarter:Julian Sayin has three passes of 45 yards or more today. The latest was a 57-yarder to Jeremiah Smith on the Buckeyes' latest scoring drive.

The drive ended with Bennett Christian catching a TD in the back right corner of the end zone after Sayin rolled out and found the tight end.

Sayin has 301 of OSU's 365 yards of offense.

Attendance at Ohio State-Penn State announced

There are 105,517 fans at Ohio Stadium today, and a good 95% (maybe more) of them are wearing black as the football team had requested.

Ohio State records its first sack of the day

Ohio State ended Penn State's first offensive drive of the second half with an exclamation mark. Kenyatta Jackson brought down Ethan Grunkenmeyer for an 8-yard loss and Ohio State's first sack of the afternoon.

OSU has three tackles for loss and Arvell Reese leads the Buckeyes with seven tackles.

CJ Donaldson scores his 7th TD of 2025 | Ohio State 24, Penn State 14

12:18 left in third quarter:CJ Donaldson made a 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Bucekyes' lead. The big play on that drive, however, was another bomb thrown to Carnell Tate. He made a 57-yard grab that put OSU on the doorstep of the end zone.

Near collision coming out of the locker room

Ohio State's and Penn State's players tried to retake the field at the same time. Referees stepped in and held up the Buckeyes, delaying them from reaching their sideline.

Ohio State Marching Band performs Halloween-appropriate halftime show

The theme for TBDBITL's halftime performance is a salute to "Stranger Things."

Ohio State-Penn State halftime stats:

STAT	PENN STATE	OHIO STATE
Points	14	17
Total Yds	141	221
Pass Yds	64	168
Rush Yds	77	53
Penalties	1-15	0-0
1st Downs	8	12
3rd Downs	5-8	4-5
4th Downs	0-0	0-0
Total Plays	32	29
Avg Yds/Play	4.4	7.6
Avg Yds/Completion	9.1	15.3
Avg Yds/Rush	4.1	3.5
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)	77 (4.1)	53 (3.5)
Red Zone	2-2	2-2
Time of Poss	15:08	14:32
Turnovers (Def Pts Off)	0 (0)	1 (7)
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	1-1
Sacks (Def Yds)	0 (0)	0 (0)
TFL (Def Yds)	2 (5)	2 (3)

Kayton Allen quiets stunned OSU crowd | Ohio State 17, Penn State 14

0:20 left in second quarter:Kayton Allen took advantage of field position and pounded in a 1-yard touchdown.

Ohio State's CJ Donaldson fumbles

Ohio State's CJ Donaldson got stood up and the ball slipped from his grasp. Freshman defensive end Chaz Coleman from Warren, Ohio, recovered, and Penn State has the ball at the OSU 13-yard line.

Julian Sayin goes long to Carnell Tate | Ohio State 17, Penn State 7

Julian Sayin saw Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate in one-on-one coverage. Tate outbodied the defender on him and caught a 45-yard touchdown pass.

Ethan Grunkenmeyer, trick plays lead to TD | Ohio State 10, Penn State 7

6:18 left in second quarter:Penn State quarterback and Olentangy product Ethan Grunkenmeyer has led the Nittany Lions to a red zone touchdown, just the third such score OSU has given up all year and the first, first-half touchdown they have allowed.

Nicholas Singleton ran the final 3 yards into the end zone.

Penn State relied on some gimmickry on that drive, including the use of an unbalanced offensive line, pitching the ball to wide receiver Liam Clifford, who attempted an ultimately unsuccessful pass, and changing up the tempo.

Grukenmeyer is 6 for 8 for 56 yards. Penn State was 3 for 3 on third down during that drive.

Ohio State stalls, but extends lead | Ohio State 10, Penn State 0

14:08 left in second quarter:Ohio State got to Penn State's 6-yard line, but a CJ Donaldson run was stuffed for a short loss; Julian Sayin made a short pass before throwing one incomplete; and OSU decided to settle for a field goal. Jayden Fielding made the 22-yard kick.

First quarter stats for the Ohio State-Penn State game:

STAT	PENN STATE	OHIO STATE
Points	0	7
Total Yds	40	142
Pass Yds	6	107
Rush Yds	34	35
Penalties	1-15	0-0
1st Downs	1	9
3rd Downs	0-2	3-3
4th Downs	0-0	0-0
Total Plays	7	19
Avg Yds/Play	5.7	7.5
Avg Yds/Completion	6	13.4
Avg Yds/Rush	6.8	3.5
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg)	34 (6.8)	35 (3.5)
Red Zone	0-0	1-2
Time of Poss	04:09	10:51
Turnovers (Def Pts Off)	0 (0)	0 (0)
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	0-0
Sacks (Def Yds)	0 (0)	0 (0)
TFL (Def Yds)	2 (5)	1 (2)

Big names at Ohio State-Penn State game

Ohio State basketball great, now CBS analyst, Evan Turner is here. Former OSU football players Ryan Shazier and AJ Hawk are among those at Ohio Stadium. Super Bowl-winning tight end Rob Gronkowski is Gronking somewhere in the Shoe.

Governor Mike DeWine and his wife are also in attendance. He's wearing Fran's name tag. She's wearing his. The Dispatch asked Fran DeWine if that was their Halloween costume, and she shook her head, laughed, and said, "No. He just grabbed mine."

Jeremiah Smith gives Ohio State early lead | Ohio State 7, Penn State 0

6:15 left in the first quarter:After the Buckeyes' defense did its job, Jeremiah Smith caught three passes on Ohio State's opening offensive drive. The final of those was a 14-yard touchdown grab. He has 42 yards already.

What did Terry Smith , Ryan Day say about Jim Knowles?

Interim Penn State coach Terry Smith joked about the insights he expected Knowles to provide the Nittany Lions. "Yeah, he told us everything they're going to do," Smith said. "No, I'm just kidding. You know, it's just been business as usual."

As for Ohio State's Ryan Day , he was more introspective: "It goes back to college football and how it's changed with the money and everything like that," Day said. "You're seeing some things that we're not used to. When you look at the NFL, you see more of that than you would in college, but I guess we're getting more like the NFL, so we try not to take those things personal, but we are human."

The return of Jim Knowles

Jim Knowles, the former Ohio State defensive coordinator who left for Penn State in January, is back at Ohio Stadium with the Nittany Lions and caught up with a handful of Buckeyes assistants while he was on the field during warmups. One of his longer interactions was with safeties coach Matt Guerrieri, who also worked with him at Duke. They embraced at midfield. Knowles largely seemed to chat with defensive assistants.

Who are the officials for today's Ohio State-Penn State game?

Referee: Gregory Blum
Umpire: Robert Colosimo
Head Linesman: Kris Van Meter
Line Judge: Matt Dornan
Back Judge: Michael Elliott
Field Judge: Gary Powers
Side Judge: LaShell Nelson
Center Judge: Robin DeLorenzo

NFL Scouts expected to be in The Shoe for Ohio State-Penn State game

The following teams have NFL Scouts expected to attend the Ohio State-Penn State game: Indianapolis Colts , Chicago Bears , New Orleans Saints , Minnesota Vikings , Jacksonville Jaguars , Miami Dolphins , San Francisco 49ers , Las Vegas Raiders , Tennessee Titans , Detroit Lions , Kansas City Chiefs , New York Giants , Houston Texans , Seattle Seahawks , Cleveland Browns , Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers .

Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" honors former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer with a montage of family, coaches and players

With Urban Meyer's upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2025, "Big Noon Kickoff" aired a compilation of important figures in Meyer's life to honor the coach. The montage included Ohio State figures congratulating Meyer, like head coach Ryan Day, associate athletic director Jerry Emig, quarterback Cardale Jones and more.

Meyer's family surprised the coach on the set of "Big Noon Kickoff" outside the Shoe after airing the segment.

Penn State team leaders

Passing yards: Drew Allar , 1,100*
Rushing yards: Kaytron Allen , 612
Receiving yards: Devonte Ross , 255
Tackles: Amare Campbell , 51
Interceptions:Jahmir Joseph; Zane Durant ; Elliot Washington II ; Alonzo Ford, Jr.; Zakee Wheatley, 1

*Out for the season with a broken ankle. New starter Ethan Grunkemeyer has 198 yards on 23-for-39 passing, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Ohio State team leaders

Passing yards:Julian Sayin, 1,872
Rushing yards: Bo Jackson , 433
Receiving yards:Jeremiah Smith, 602
Tackles:Arvell Reese, 42
Interceptions:Caleb Downs; Payton Pierce; Sonny Styles ; Jermaine Matthews,1

What time is Skull Session, other pregame activities?

5 a.m.:All football parking lots and garages open.
9 a.m.:Doors to the Skull Session open; Rob Gronkowski hosts " Gronk's Pregame Party " outside the Recreation and Physical Activity Center
9:40 a.m.:The Skull Session starts
10 a.m.:Ohio Stadium gates open
11:40 a.m.:Brutus Buckeye makes special entrance

Ohio State vs Penn State time today

Date:Saturday, Nov. 1
Time:Noon
Location:Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)

What channel is Ohio State vs Penn State on today?

Streaming:FOX | Free trial on Fubo
Radio:97.1 FM/1460 AM

The broadcast team features Gus Johnson calling the action, Joel Klatt providing commentary and Jenny Taft reporting from the sidelines.

The radio announcers are Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (color analyst) and Tyler Danburg (sideline reporter).

Ohio State vs Penn State history

Since its first meeting against Penn State in 1912, Ohio State has gone 25-14 against the Nittany Lions, including a 23-8 record in games since 1993, when Penn State joined the Big Ten.

OSU and Penn State have played each of the last 33 years, the longest active streak for Ohio State against an opponent. The Buckeyes have won the past eight, and the average margin of victory in those games is just 6.75 points.

The most recent matchup was decided by a touchdown, as Ohio State won on the road 20-13 almost exactly a year ago (Nov. 2, 2024).

Ohio State's last five matchups with Penn State:

Nov. 2, 2024: Ohio State, 20, Penn State 13; Beaver Stadium; University Park, Pennsylvania
Oct. 21, 2023: Ohio State 20, Penn State 12; Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 29, 2022: Ohio State 44, Penn State 31; Beaver Stadium; University Park, Pennsylvania
Oct. 30, 2021: Ohio State 33, Penn State 24; Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 31, 2020: Ohio State, 38, Penn State 25; Beaver Stadium; University Park, Pennsylvania

Two Nittany Lions assistants won national championships at Ohio State. Jim Knowles was the Buckeyes defensive coordinator during the 2024 title campaign. Stan Drayton was the running backs coach when OSU won it all in 2014.

As for that decades-long streak of facing the Nittany Lions? That ends after this year. The teams next play in 2028 in State College.

Ohio State vs Penn State predictions

Here is what our experts at The Columbus Dispatch think about today's game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch:Ohio State 31, Penn State 14 | It was eye-catching for the Buckeyes to open as nearly three-touchdown favorites considering a decade has passed since they defeated the Nittany Lions by such a wide margin. The recent iterations of this series have all been close. Though Ohio State holds an eight-game winning streak, its average margin of victory is just 8 points. Don't be surprised if the trend continues with talent still remaining on the roster at Penn State.
Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch:Ohio State 31, Penn State 3 | What's the saying? "You can't go home again." Except in the case of Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, it should be "You shouldn't go home again." The Buckeyes will beat up PSU's defense, led by Knowles, and OSU's offense will do enough to keep the Scarlet and Gray marching toward Michigan and the playoff.
Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State 38, Penn State 7 | The biggest task for Ohio State, aside from staying focused as a significant favorite yet again, will be not to make it too personal against former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. If the Buckeyes can do that, this shapes up to be another comfortable win on the march to the playoffs.
Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch:Ohio State 35, Penn State 7 | It's been an underwhelming season for the Nittany Lions, knee deep in the post-Franklin era with central Ohio native Ethan Grunkemeyer acting as the starting quarterback. The on-field product against Iowa was uninspiring, losing against a quarterback who threw for 68 yards. I don't think there's much hope facing a rested Ohio State defense for Grunkemeyer, but stranger things have happened.

Ohio State vs Penn State betting odds

Spread: Ohio State by 18.5

Over/under: 44.5

Moneyline:Ohio State -1200 | Penn State +750

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Oct. 31.

Ohio State vs Penn State injury updates

Ohio State had last weekend off and was already fairly healthy heading into its most recent game, a 34-0 win over Wisconsin.

So unless there are surprises when the injury report is released closer to game time, the Buckeyes should be very close to full strength.

Ohio State vs Penn State weather update

According to weather.gov , today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 57 degrees. There will be a light south wind that will pick up as the game goes along.

Ohio State football schedule 2025

Aug. 30: Ohio State 14, Texas 7 | Record 1-0
Sept. 6: Ohio State 70, Grambling 0 | Record 2-0
Sept. 13: Ohio State 37, Ohio 9 | Record 3-0
Sept. 27: Ohio State 24, Washington 6 | Record 4-0
Oct. 4: Ohio State 42, Minnesota 3 | Record 5-0
Oct. 11: Ohio State 34, Illinois 16 | Record 6-0
Oct. 18: Ohio State 34 Wisconsin 0 | Record 7-0
Nov. 1: Ohio State vs. Penn State; Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 8: Ohio State at Purdue; Ross-Ade Stadium; West Lafayette, Indiana
Nov. 15: Ohio State vs. UCLA; Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 22: Ohio State vs. Rutgers; Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 30: Ohio State at Michigan; Michigan Stadium; Ann Arbor, Michigan (noon on FOX)

Penn State football schedule 2025

Aug. 30: Penn State 46, Nevada 11 | Record 1-0
Sept. 6: Penn State 34, Florida International 0 | Record 2-0
Sept. 13: Penn State 52, Villanova 6 | Record 3-0
Sept. 27: Oregon 30, Penn State 24 (2OT) | Record 3-1
Oct. 4: UCLA 42, Penn State 37 | Record 3-2
Oct. 11: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21 | Record 3-3
Oct. 18: Iowa 25, Penn State 24 | Record 3-4
Nov. 1: Penn State at Ohio State; Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 8: Penn State vs. Indiana; Beaver Stadium; University Park, Pennsylvania
Nov. 15: Penn State at Michigan State; Spartan Stadium; East Lansing, Michigan
Nov. 22: Penn State vs. Nebraska; Beaver Stadium; University Park, Pennsylvania
Nov. 29: Penn State at Rutgers; SHI Stadium; Piscataway, New Jersey

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State vs Penn State replay: Buckeyes win 38-14 in offense frenzy

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