Presented by HOMAGE
Ohio State spoiled Jim Knowles’ return to Columbus and beat Penn State for the ninth year in a row.
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Ohio State | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| PENN STATE | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| NOV, 1 2025 • OHIO STADIUM • COLUMBUS, OHIO | |||||
The Buckeyes continued their winning streak against the Nittany Lions on Saturday, defeating Penn State 38-14 in their first game of November to improve to 8-0 on the season.
Ohio State’s passing attack torched Knowles’ defense to lead the Buckeyes to victory. Julian Sayin completed 20 of 23 passing attempts for 316 yards and four touchdowns as Jeremiah Smith (six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns) and Carnell Tate (five catches for 124 yards and one touchdown) each hit triple digits in receiving.
Arvell Reese led the Buckeye defense with 12 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. also had 2.5 tackles for loss, while Caleb Downs recorded an interception, as the Buckeye defense shut out Penn State in the second half.
| Qtr | Time | Team | Result | Play Details | OSU | PSU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:15 | OSU | TD | 14-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO JEREMIAH SMITH | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | 14:08 | OSU | FG | 22-YARD KICK, JAYDEN FIELDING | 10 | 0 |
| 2 | 6:18 | PSU | TD | 3-YARD RUN, NICK SINGLETON | 10 | 7 |
| 2 | 3:41 | OSU | TD | 45-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO CARNELL TATE | 17 | 7 |
| 2 | 0:20 | PSU | TD | 1-YARD RUN, KAYTRON ALLEN | 17 | 14 |
| 3 | 12:18 | OSU | TD | 1-YARD RUN, CJ DONALDSON | 24 | 14 |
| 3 | 7:52 | OSU | TD | 1-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO BENNETT CHRISTIAN | 31 | 14 |
| 4 | 9:43 | OSU | TD | 11-YARD PASS, JULIAN SAYIN TO JEREMIAH SMITH | 38 | 14 |
Key Moments
Q1, 6:15: Smith scores on opening drive
Ohio State drove 89 yards in 11 plays on its first drive of the game, using a variety of creative formations on their way down the field. Smith capped off a 6-for-6 opening drive for Sayin by scoring a 14-yard touchdown.
WHO ELSE BUT JEREMIAH SMITH?! @OhioStateFB strikes first in Columbus @ATTBusiness pic.twitter.com/BpWt4zahg7
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Q2, 3:41: Tate hauls in deep ball for 45-yard score
Continuing his trend of making spectacular catches every week, Tate hauled in a deep ball from Sayin from 45 yards out to make it a 17-7 game.
CARNELL TATE FOR THE TD @OhioStateFB extends the lead@wendys pic.twitter.com/6ywG75jPKP
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Q2, 1:48: Donaldson fumble sets up Penn State touchdown
While Ohio State looked like it would take a multi-score lead into halftime after following up Tate’s touchdown with a forced punt, the Buckeyes let the Nittany Lions back into the game when CJ Donaldson lost a fumble at Ohio State’s own 19-yard line. While the play probably should have been stopped for forward progress, it nevertheless led to a Penn State touchdown four plays later, making it a three-point game at halftime.
The ball is out and @PennStateFball comes up with it! pic.twitter.com/DK6pzh5dJe
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Q3, 14:16: Tate hauls in another deep ball to set up touchdown
Less than a minute into the second half, Tate hauled in another deep ball, this time gaining 57 yards to get the Buckeyes inside Penn State’s 5-yard line. Three plays later, Donaldson ran for a 1-yard touchdown to put Ohio State back ahead by two scores.
TATE FOR 57 YARDS
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Carnell Tate is just a nightmare on defenses for @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/VXB8bl9TE0
Q3, 3:21: Smith hauls in deep ball to set up touchdown
Not to be outdone by his fellow superstar wide receiver, Smith hauled in a 57-yard deep ball of his own, getting the Buckeyes deep into Penn State territory again. The drive culminated with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Bennett Christian.
Sayin with a DART to Jeremiah Smith @ohiostatefb pic.twitter.com/VHTmnbSChn
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Q4, 9:43: Smith makes one-handed catch for touchdown
Smith made a spectacular catch for his second touchdown of the day, turning a Sayin pass that could have been an interception into an 11-yard score with a one-handed snag over two Penn State defenders.
JEREMIAH SMITH ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
He snags an unreal TD catch for @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/yBTdM0xfTW
Q4, 4:29: Downs seals victory with interception
After narrowly avoiding an ejection for targeting earlier in the drive, Caleb Downs sealed victory for Ohio State by picking off Ethan Grunkemeyer in the end zone.
CALEB DOWNS INTERCEPTION IN THE END ZONE @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/qeTy6ztlqH
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2025
Team Stats
| OHIO STATE | PENN STATE | |
|---|---|---|
| 480 | TOTAL YARDS | 200 |
| 164 | RUSHING YARDS | 55 |
| 32 | RUSHING ATTEMPTS | 31 |
| 5.1 | AVERAGE PER RUSH | 1.8 |
| 1 | RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS | 2 |
| 316 | PASSING YARDS | 145 |
| 20-23 | COMPLETIONS–ATTEMPTS | 19-29 |
| 15.8 | YARDS PER COMPLETION | 7.6 |
| 4 | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS | 0 |
| 22 | 1st DOWNS | 15 |
| 55 | TOTAL PLAYS | 60 |
| 8.7 | YARDS PER PLAY | 3.3 |
| 6-9 | 3RD DOWNS | 8-15 |
| 2-30 | PENALTIES | 2-30 |
| 30:07 | POSSESSION | 29:53 |
| 1 | TURNOVERS | 1 |
Game Notes
- Ohio State has now won nine straight games against Penn State, the longest streak in the history of the series.
- Ohio State is now 26-14 all-time against Penn State.
- Urban Meyer rang the Victory Bell before the game and was honored during the first quarter for his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction.
- Carnell Tate topped 100 receiving yards for the fourth time in six games. Jeremiah Smith topped 100 receiving yards for the third time this season. It was the second time this year (Ohio) that Tate and Smith both topped 100 receiving yards in the same game.
- Bo Jackson topped 100 rushing yards in a game for the third time this season.
- Ohio State’s 480 yards were the most Penn State has allowed in a game since its 2023 Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss.
- Penn State’s 200 yards were the fewest the Nittany Lions have had in a game since their 2018 loss to Michigan.
- The game marked the end of a 33-year streak of the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions playing each other annually. Ohio State and Penn State have played each other every year since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, but they aren’t scheduled to play each other in 2026 or 2027.
- Ohio State has won its last 23 consecutive games after regular-season bye weeks, dating back to 2008.
- 105,517 people attended the game.
- Starting guards Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola both left the game late in the fourth quarter with apparent injuries. Gabe VanSickle and Jake Cook replaced them for the end of the game.
Delivering dominant performances and carrying the torch for a legacy like no other: it’s an Ohio State thing. Cruise through the best season of the year, OSU football season, with expansions of iconic OSU logos, co-brand looks with some pop culture heavyweights (Bart x Buckeyes, anyone?) and more Scarlet and Gray garb.
