In a sport where it takes a full week-plus to prepare a game plan for an opponent, it was a play drawn up at halftime that proved to be the backbreaker in Ohio State’s win over Penn State last Saturday.
With Ohio State only up by three points at halftime, Ryan Day, Brian Hartline and the rest of the offensive coaching staff drew up a pass play based on what they noticed and the adjustments they needed to make against Jim Knowles' defense.
Two plays into the second half, the Buckeyes ran that play – one that they had never practiced before in that formation – and it led to a 57-yard reception by Carnell Tate in stride on a beautifully thrown ball by Julian Sayin.
Ryan Day yells got em from the sideline when Carnell Tate is five steps into his route on the 57-yard pass in the third quarter pic.twitter.com/uzxdKXeZyn
— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) November 2, 2025
"That one in particular, we hadn't practiced all week. We put that in at halftime," Day said. "I give the players a lot of credit for being able to run a play we hadn't practiced, I mean, that play in that formation probably ever. But we felt like, based on what we were seeing, that we were gonna do it. It was a concept that we work in the preseason, we work in the spring, and we felt like there was a look that we were getting that we felt we could take advantage of. We decided to put that in at halftime and called it the second play of the second half. And when we got kind of what we wanted pre-snap, we knew what was going on.
"Carnell ran a tremendous route, stuck them, and you could see the angle, job well done. But yeah, I mean, that is the fun part of coaching, when you kind of put something together and it goes exactly how the way you thought it would go," Day added. "It worked out the right way, but you gotta credit Julian, protection was great, and putting a play on the field that we hadn't practiced."
Ryan Day said the play where he yelled "Got him!" was installed at halftime against Penn State.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 4, 2025
"You got to credit Julian (Sayin), the protection was great, in putting a play on the field that we hadn't practiced." pic.twitter.com/DJvYpgldNW
The head coach was so confident that you could hear him yell "got 'em" on the broadcast when Tate wasn't even behind the defensive back yet.
The moment Ryan Day yelled gotem on Julian Sayins 57-yard pass to Carnell Tate: https://t.co/2FGV6wBsVH pic.twitter.com/OZhksoi5bq
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) November 2, 2025
Three plays later, CJ Donaldson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Buckeyes a 24-14 lead, and they never looked back from there on their way to a 24-point win.
The 57-yarder to Tate on a play that was drawn up at halftime came one game after Tate scored on a 33-yard touchdown against Wisconsin on another play that the junior had never practiced, as he was moved to the slot just before the play after Brandon Inniss had to leave the game briefly with an injury.
While discussing Carnell Tates incredible catch on his 33-yard touchdown, Ryan Day said that the junior had never practiced that play but ran it one time against Purdue as a freshman in 2023.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) October 19, 2025
That was a really great catch. Thats an All-American catch, Day said. pic.twitter.com/3MQSAHzW5c
It's safe to say that Tate is not only elite, but that the coaching staff trusts him to make a play no matter the circumstances, even if it's a play that Tate had never practiced or was just drawn up minutes before.
