Penn State’s losing skid hit five games with a 38-14 blowout loss on Saturday at No. 1 Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions (3-5) kept it close for a half, trailing 17-14 after 30 minutes. But quarterback Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes (8-0) pulled away in the second half, outscoring Penn State 21-0 over the final two quarters.
Sayin was pretty much perfect, completing 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards, including three completions of 45 yards or more, and four touchdowns. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate showed why Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith called them the best receivers in the nation, with Smith recording six receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns and Tate hauling in five for 124 and a score. Freshman running back Bo Jackson 13 carried times for 105 yards, bolstered by a 51-yard run in the fourth that set up Ohio State’s final touchdown.
The Buckeyes gained 480 yards to Penn State’s 200.
For the Nittany Lions, Kaytron Allen had 21 carries for 76 yards and a score. Ethan Grunkemeyer went 19-28 passing for 145 yards with one interception
Penn State’s nightmare season continues next Saturday when No. 2 Indiana visits Beaver Stadium for a kickoff time to be announced. The last time the Nittany Lions lost six games in a row was 2004.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State got off to an auspicious start as Kaytron Allen took the game’s opening handoff 26 yards to the Ohio State 49, but the Nittany Lions didn’t get much more and ended the drive with a punt.
Starting at their own 11, quarterback Julian Sayin and the Buckeye offense sliced right through the Nittany Lion D. Sayin was perfect on six pass attempts for 71 yards and Jeremiah Smith caught three for 42, including a 14-yard strike for a touchdown. Ohio State led 7-0 after 89-yard drive that took just 2:35.
After another Penn State punt, Ohio State went right back to work. A roughing the passer call, a 29-yard completion from Sayin to Brandon Inniss and an 11-yard Jeremiah West carry had the Buckeyes in the end zone. As the quarter came to an end, Ohio State was again knocking on the door at the 7.
End 1Q: Ohio State 7, Penn State 0
2nd Quarter
The Nittany Lion defense stiffened to start the second and held the Buckeyes to a 22-yard Jayden Fielding field goal. Ohio State extended its lead to 10-0 with 14:08 left in the half.
Penn State finally got moving on its next possession. Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with Devonte Ross to convert a third and 9, tossed a short pass to Nick Singleton who went for a 16-yard gain and converted another third on a 13-yard completion to Liam Clifford. Singleton took a shovel pass 13 yards to get the Nittany Lions inside the 10, and three plays later got the edge for a 3-yard touchdown run.
Penn State became the first team to score a first-half touchdown against the Buckeyes this season and cut Ohio State’s lead to 10-7 with 6:50 remaining in the quarter after a 15-play, 75-yard drive.
Ohio State answered right back. Sayin scrambled to convert a third down on the opening series, connected with Smith for a 13-yard gain into Penn State territory and two plays later hit Carnell Tate deep for a 45-yard touchdown pass. Ohio State moved ahead 17-7 with 3:41 left in the second.
Penn State managed a first down on its next drive but nothing more and punted with two minutes to go in the half.
On the Buckeyes first play from their own 20, CJ Donaldson got stood up at the line of scrimmage and safety Zakee Wheatley ripped the ball free. Defensive end Chaz Coleman recovered and Penn State was back in business at the Ohio State 13.
After two runs, Allen took a shovel pass 8 yards to the 1 to convert a third down, and on the next play pushed it in for the touchdown. Penn State narrowed the Ohio State lead to 17-14 with 20 seconds remaining in the half.
End 2Q: Ohio State 17, Penn State 14
3rd Quarter
Sayin opened the second half with an 11-yard pass to Will Kacmarek, then hit Tate deep again, this time for a 57-yard gain to the Penn State 4. Three players later, Donaldson took a handoff in from a yard out for a score. Ohio State widened its lead to 24-14 at the 12:18 mark of the third.
Penn State picked up two first downs on its ensuing possession after starting from its own 13, but a third-down sack of Grunkemeyer by Kenyatta Jackson Jr. killed the drive and the Nittany Lions punted.
Sayin went deep again on the second play of Ohio State’s next drive with a 57-yard completion to Smith to the Penn State 21. Ohio State’s next two plays lost yardage but a pass interference penalty by AJ Harris on third down moved the Buckeyes to the 8. Sayin finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown throw to Bennett Christian to push the Ohio State lead to 31-14 with 3:21 left in the third.
Another third-down sack of Grunkemeyer ended Penn State’s drive and the Nittany Lions punted for the fifth time on the day as the third quarter came to and end.
End 3Q: Ohio State 31, Penn State 14
4th Quarter
Ohio State gained a first down on an 11-yard James Peoples run, but for the first time all day the Nittany Lion defense forced a punt and Penn State took over at its own 25. It was more of the same for the visiting offense though, with a third-down sack for a 14-yard loss and another punt.
After Bo Jackson broke off the Buckeyes’ first big run of the day with a 51-yard carry to the Penn State 11, Smith hauled in a deflected pass for a touchdown reception. Ohio State led 38-14 with 9:43 remaining.
Penn State’s offense showed some life on its next drive, as Grunkemeyer completed an 18-yard pass to Kyron Hudson on thrid and 15 and hit freshman Koby Howard for a gain of 26. An unnecessary roughness call against Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and a couple of Allen runs had the Nittany Lions inside the 10. But after two incompletions and a short gain, Grunkemeyer’s fourth-down pass was picked off by Downs in the end zone with four minutes left in the game.
The Buckeyes ran out the clock from there for the 38-14 victory.
