Proof Points From Ohio State’s Dominant Win Over Penn State, Presented by High Bank Distillery

By Josh Poloha on November 1, 2025 at 6:10 pm
Jeremiah Smith
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Another dominant performance by Ohio State, even if the scoreboard didn't necessarily show it at halftime.

High Bank Distillery Co.
Presented by High Bank Distillery Co.

The outcome of the game never really seemed to be in question, and the Buckeyes dominated on both sides of the ball as OSU beat Penn State, 38-14, to give the Nittany Lions their fifth straight loss after starting the season 3-0.

Once again, Ohio State's stars led the way, especially in the passing game on offense.

Let's take a look at some Proof Points from Ohio State's dominant win over Penn State to advance to 8-0 on the season (given how many players played well, there are a number of honorable mentions as well):

Julian Sayin Completes 87% of his passes, Throws for 316 Yards and four Touchdowns

The redshirt freshman entered the game leading the country with an 80% completion rate. That (somehow) improved again.

On the day, Sayin completed 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns, his second straight game with 300-plus yards and four scores.

For the second time this season, Sayin had more touchdowns than incompletions in the game (he had only one incompletion while throwing for four scores against Grambling State in the second game of the season).

After completing nine of his first 10 passes, Sayin threw two straight incompletions midway through the second quarter. From there, he completed each of his last 11 throws for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

In nine starts, Sayin has completed at least 85% of his passes four times and more than 78% of his passes six times. This is the second time this season that he has completed 85% of his passes while throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Jeremiah Smith Has 123 Yards and two Touchdowns

In case anyone needed to be reminded that Smith is the best wide receiver (and player) in the country, the sophomore showed off his talents yet again on Saturday.

Smith finished with six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, his first 100-yard game since his 153-yard performance against Ohio in the third week of the season. It was his third two-score game of the season thus far.

His second touchdown was a miraculous one, yet he made it look routine, as the superstar wide receiver has with spectacular plays throughout his time donning the scarlet and gray.

Carnell Tate Notches 124 Yards and a Touchdown

For the third time in the last four games, Tate hit the triple-digit mark for yards. He had five catches for a team-high 124 yards and one touchdown against Penn State, the fourth time already this season that the junior has exceeded the 100-yard mark.

Whether it's his route running, speed, or catch radius, Tate proved yet again that he will catch any ball thrown close to him.

It was the second time this season that Smith and Tate have both had 100-plus receiving yards, putting the duo in a special group among Ohio State greats. It's the 31st time two Buckeyes have each notched triple-digit receiving yards in the same game.

Honorable Mention

The Silver Bullets

Ohio State's defense gave up 14 points, but if it wasn't for a fumble late in the first half that gave Penn State superb field position, it would've been yet another game that the Buckeyes held their opponent to single digits.

Even with that, the Silver Bullets are still on a historical pace.

In all, Ohio State held Penn State to 200 yards. In fact, there was a stretch from the 12:14 mark of the third quarter to the 9:43 mark of the fourth quarter that the Nittany Lions ran 17 plays for one (1!) total yard.

Arvell Reese

Every time Reese blitzed off the edge, it seemed as though the left tackle stood no chance.

The do-it-all linebacker finished with a career-high 12 tackles, one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, continuing his incredible season to date.

Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

Jackson seemed to be in the Penn State backfield quite a bit. He totaled three tackles, a team-high two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss on Saturday.

Caleb Downs

While Downs was fortunate not to be ejected for targeting in the second half, which would've caused him to miss the first half of next week's game against Purdue, the safety had five tackles and an interception against the Nittany Lions. The interception came on the same drive where Downs was initially called for targeting, which was reversed after review.

Bo Jackson

The freshman had 13 carries for 105 yards, including a 51-yard run. It was Jackson's third 100-yard game of the season.

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