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What We Learned From Penn State's Loss at No. 1 Ohio State

The Nittany Lions played a game second quarter, but the Buckeyes took control in the second half.
Mark Wogenrich|
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) catches a pass and scores a touchdown against Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Zion Tracy (7) in the first half at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) catches a pass and scores a touchdown against Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Zion Tracy (7) in the first half at Ohio Stadium. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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At least Penn State had halftime. Trailing Ohio State by three points after spinning a turnover into a touchdown, the Nittany Lions spent 20 blissful minutes believing in the upset. Ohio State spent those 20 minutes fuming.

The top-ranked Buckeyes retaliated with a vicious second half, punctuated by a Jeremiah Smith touchdown that established the one-page for Penn State's season. Ohio State's 38-14 win over Penn State, its ninth straight in the series, seemed inevitable and yet still overwhelmingly dominant, particularly in the second half.

Penn State interim coach Terry Smith took the Nittany Lions into halftime with another burst of momentum, born from Kaytron Allen's touchdown late in the first half. Penn State trailed 17-14, scoring two more first-half points than the Buckeyes had allowed in seven games combined.

But the Buckeyes didn't need the full half to neutralize that momentum as Iowa did. Quarterback Julian Sayin found Jeremiah Smith for a 57-yard reception to start the second half, and the Buckeyes went off from there. Here's what we learned about Penn State on Saturday.

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The Nittany Lions' season in one play

Until Saturday, Penn State had lost four games by a combined 13 points. Truly, those games were close. The trip to Ohio Stadium most certainly wasn't. Through the first 17 minutes of the second half, Penn State's offense had 1 yard. Ohio State's defense made seven tackles for loss. Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin went 20-for-23 for 316 yards and four touchdowns.

Yet one play simply illustrated the forlorn nature of Penn State's season. Safety Zakee Wheatley leaped to tip a Sayin pass in the red zone, which was a pretty strong play. Unforunately, the nation's best receiver was behind him. Jeremiah Smith did that. Penn State's 2025 summarized in nine seconds.

Penn State's receivers have been a season-long disappointment

Once again, Penn State's receivers room has been an offensive drag. That's more troubling this year, though, since the program defined a preseason effort to upgrade the room. But the three transfers have been largely benign presences during the Big Ten season.

Penn State's trio of Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena have combined for just three touchdown receptions in five Big Ten games. Ross had two of them vs. Oregon. Those three receivers have caught one touchdown pass over the past four games.

Further, the trio has combined for two receptions of 30+ yards in Big Ten play. Contrast that with Ohio State, which had three alone Saturday against the Nittany Lions. Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith each caught 57-yard passes, and Tate added a 45-yarder.

The offensive differences between Ohio State and Penn State are distilled right there. As FOX Sports' Joel Klatt noted on the broadcast, Penn State's tight ends and receivers don't get open consistently. The Buckeyes have a world-class deep passing game, while the Nittany Lions have none.

Penn State's defense still can't make a crucial stop

At halftime, Smith told the Penn State Sports Network that the defense needed to start the second half with a three-and-out. But Penn State's chronic inability to make key stops continued.

Ohio State opened the second half with a five-play touchdown drive, highlighted by Sayin's 57-yard completion to Tate, who ran through the middle of Penn State's secondary. It was the second time Saturday that Penn State's defense withered in a key moment.

After a scoring a second-quarter touchdown, Penn State had Sayin corralled in the backfield on third down. But Sayin escaped the Nittany Lions' pass rush of Dani Dennis-Sutton and Keon Wylie, scrambled for 9 yards and kept the drive going.

Three plays later, Sayin went up top to Tate, who froze Penn State's Zion Tracy for a 45-yard touchdown, the longest scoring play against the Nittany Lions this season. Those series continued a back-breaking theme of the season.

Penn State led Northwestern and Iowa with 5 minutes remaining needing a stop. The defense gave up touchdowns in both cases. It rallied from a three-score deficit to cut UCLA's lead to one possession in the fourth quarter. Then the defense gave up two scores. When confronted with a vital stop, Penn State's defense hasn't produced one.

The answer at quarterback? Liam Clifford, apparently

Penn State began the game with just two scholarship quarterbacks available. Jaxon Smolik was out with an injury, so true freshman Bekkem Kritza became the de facto QB2. Trouble was, Kritza had been injured all season, and Saturday's game was his first on the active roster. So Penn State turned to a familiar name as its changeup.

Liam Clifford, whose brother Sean was Penn State's four-year starting quarterback, took Wildcat snaps and even tried a receiver option throw once. Penn State wanted to continue the dual-quarterback program it used at Iowa but didn't have the bodies for it. So Clifford took the role, albeit with minimal success as Ohio State wasn't fooled.

Chaz Coleman will be tough to keep

Coleman, Penn State's freshman defensive end, is among the most critical players to retain for Penn State's next coach. He's still pretty raw as a defensive end, underscored by his limited playing time at Iowa against a run-heavy offense.

But Coleman, a former quarterback from Ohio, delivered some impact plays against the Buckeyes that drew attention. In the first half, Coleman made a spin move up the middle to pressure Sayin into a red-zone incompletion on third down.

Coleman then recovered a fumble forced by Amare Campbell late in the half that swung momentum. Coleman was behind the line of scrimmage but smartly wheeled around when he saw the loose ball. The fumble led to a Kaytron Allen touchdown that send Penn State to halftime trailing 17-14.

Coleman most certainly is hearing from teams (Ohio State probably among them) trying to nudge him into the transfer portal. Penn State's next coach needs to make Coleman a priority.

Up next

Penn State returns home Nov. 8 for the first time since James Franklin was fired. The Nittany Lions host Indiana at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff time will be announced late Saturday or early Sunday.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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