Welcome to the Skull Session.
Another home night game?!
This is incredible!
Remember the last time Nico Iamaleava had to play under the lights in the Horseshoe?
I do!
The last time Nico Iamaleava played at night against Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/zip2aoJ14d
— The Scarlet and Gray Podcast (@TheSG_Podcast) November 3, 2025
Have a good Tuesday.
A CHAMPIONSHIP MINDSET. Ohio State led Penn State 17-7 with two minutes left in the second quarter. The last time the offense was on the field, it had marched 75 yards for a touchdown in 2:37. The Buckeyes were eager to extend their lead before the break. Then CJ Donaldson fumbled, the Nittany Lions scored their second touchdown, and Ohio State went into the locker room up just 17-14.
With a three-point lead as 18.5-point favorites, Ohio State could have panicked or pressed in the final 30 minutes. Instead, the Buckeyes torched Jim Knowles and the Nittany Lions in a blitzkrieg (bop) that saw Julian Sayin complete all nine of his passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns as Ohio State outscored Penn State 21-0 in the second half.
There’s been a lot to love about the Buckeyes’ performance this season, but the killer instinct they showed in the second half on Saturday takes the cake. Against a Penn State team that had every reason to be more desperate and hungrier, the Buckeyes put the Nittany Lions in a chokehold and won by submission.
“We came in at halftime, we were up by three. You would have thought we were down by 21,” Ryan Day — excuse me, Evil Ryan Day — said on Saturday.
“I thought we responded well. That’s the thing, when you come out in the second half, you have to learn from the first half, but you can’t dwell on it. We knew how important that first drive was. We were aggressive. I thought some of Julian’s deep balls were just excellent in this game. And we saw how they were playing us in the first half, so we felt like we had a chance to get behind them…”
No kidding. Listen here where Day yells “Got him!” moments before Carnell Tate beat his defender for a 57-yard reception:
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
“We called those plays, and Julian and the receivers did a great job, Jeremiah (Smith), Carnell. Then it was good to see us finish the game with some runs. Got physical. That was good as well. The defense was excellent, really stepped up. I know there were a couple of third downs early on that were frustrating, but I thought Matt (Patricia) changed it up a little bit, and then guys played really physical, got to the quarterback, changed up looks in the back end. A very good team win.”
It was. And if Ohio State continues to let its desperation and hunger fuel its execution, there will be more victories like that in the future for the Buckeyes — perhaps even eight more!
BUCKEYES ON THE RISE. Following Ohio State’s win over Penn State, Carnell Tate and Arvell Reese continued their ascent up NFL draft boards, while Kayden McDonald emerged as one of the fastest risers in the class.
First, let’s look at what ESPN’s Matt Miller has heard about Tate since Saturday:
Ohio State has become "WRU" with Brian Hartline working as a master recruiter and developer of the position after his own brilliant career in Columbus and six-year NFL career. Tate is the next first-round receiver from Columbus, and each week, he builds a case for a higher grade. That includes a five-catch, 124-yard performance against Penn State that saw him score his sixth touchdown of the season.
In comparing Tate to the line of OSU receivers before him, his actual grade will be closer to Emeka Egbuka or Jaxon Smith-Njigba than players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson or even Chris Olave coming out of college. Both Egbuka (No. 19 overall) and Smith-Njigba (No. 20) were selected in the back-half of Round 1, and right now that's where the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Tate is projected to land. His tape is full of physicality and an ability to win 50-50 balls.
"The great thing about Tate is you know exactly who he's going to be at our level because of how well coached he's been there," an AFC East area scout said.
The biggest questions about Tate's game — which are currently keeping him out of the early-Round 1 talk — are a lack of explosive yards-after-catch ability and some route-running inefficiencies stemming from his high-cut, long-legged build. But the overall picture is a very good one, and Tate is a top-32 lock on my board.
Classifying Tate as “a top-32 lock” is extremely conservative. I’ll hear arguments for Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, but I think Tate has established himself as the No. 1 receiver in the draft class this season. He has an elite build at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. He has elite statistics with 39 catches, 711 yards (182 YAC) and seven touchdowns. Oh, and he has a contested-catch rate of 91.7% (11 of 12).
In other words, if Tate’s still on the board at No. 32 overall, I’ll eat my shorts.
Next, here’s ESPN’s Jordan Reid on Reese:
No prospect has improved his stock more than Ohio State's Arvell Reese this season. But the main question becomes: edge rusher or off-ball linebacker? In the victory over Penn State, Reese once again flashed his versatility at both positions. Long term, I like the outlook of Reese (6-4, 243) rushing off the edge because there are very few blockers who are able to match his combination of explosive power, bend and physicality. The Reese conversation is reminiscent of the debates we had about Micah Parsons during the lead-up to the 2021 draft. And Reese's climb up the board could go as high as a top-three pick. He has been that good this season, with 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.
A top-three pick!
He’s that good!
Last but not least, here’s The Athletic’s Dane Brugler:
I’d love to talk about Arvell Reese again, because he was really, really good versus Penn State, but let’s spread the love around a little bit.
The 330-pound McDonald was Ohio State’s second-leading tackler Saturday — he finished with eight tackles and was dominant in the trenches. His ability to reset the line of scrimmage with power, find the football and then get hands on the ball carrier consistently disrupts opposing game plans.
McDonald’s draft projection might be capped because of his limitations as a pass rusher, but NFL teams looking for a dominant run defender will be keeping tabs on whether or not the third-year junior enters the 2026 NFL Draft.
Ba da ba ba bah... I'm lovin' it!
“I CAN’T DEAL WITH IT.” Hours before Marvin Harrison Jr. ran out of the tunnel for Monday Night Football in Dallas, Marvin Harrison Sr. ripped into the Cardinals’ franchise in an interview with ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.
"It's very hard for me to watch the Cardinals' offense," Harrison Sr. told ESPN. "And you can quote me on that."
A season and a half into his son's NFL career, the elder Harrison has been forced to grapple with being a former player who's the father of a current player. The balance needed to navigate that isn't always easy to find. Harrison Sr. can't help but watch his son's games with the critical eye of a former player, and he wants, desperately, to help his son, to tell him what to do, to try to fix Arizona's issues. But Harrison Jr. is an adult, a well-compensated professional, a fourth pick, and Harrison Sr. knows it's his time to sit on the sideline, watch and try to enjoy his oldest son's professional career.
But it's hard. The 53-year-old Harrison Sr. is aware of how he sounds.
"The style of offense that I am accustomed to, that I'm used to watching as a professional eye, as a wide receiver ... I just can't relate to watching that [current] offense, that style of offense," Harrison Sr. said. "Basically, I can't relate to what goes on there.
"I think that's just peacefully put, without pointing fingers or anything. It's just me. I'm giving you the professional eye. I can't relate to it. It don't add up to me. I can't deal with it."
…
Those words aren't new to his son.
Harrison Jr. has heard his dad's concerns and complaints dating back to last season. But Harrison Sr. walks a tightrope when he brings up football with his son, a rare occurrence these days. He stays away from talking about the day-to-day, not wanting to be an armchair quarterback from across the country because he's not there, in the meetings, and he doesn't understand the intricacies of the Cardinals' scheme like he did the Peyton Manning-led offense in Indianapolis.
"I don't get into what goes on the field and the things that I see," Harrison Sr. said. "I just leave it alone. I don't even bother bringing it up no more."
Sheesh.
Harrison Sr.’s harsh criticism paid off for Harrison Jr. — for now. The Ohio State great had seven catches for 96 yards and one touchdown in the Cardinals' 27-17 win over the Cowboys. We'll see if he can build off that performance next when Arizona heads to Seattle for an NFC West showdown with the Seahawks.
BIG BUTT, BIGGER HEART. Like Stanley from The Office, Penn State offensive lineman Vega Ioana has a big butt but a bigger heart.
Following Ohio State’s win over Penn State, a video of Ioana assisting a Nittany Lions staffer push a cart up the visitor’s ramp at Ohio Stadium floated around social media. In the video, the 6-foot-4, 330-pound guard jumped over a barrier to push a cart full of equipment toward the team’s locker room.
While being heckled by Ohio State fans, 330-pound Penn State OL Vega Ioane jumped a wall to help a struggling equipment guy. pic.twitter.com/6QuCIPRXav
— Mark Brennan (@MarkXBrennan) November 2, 2025
On Monday, Penn State interim coach Terry Smith praised Ioana for springing into action, sharing how it reflects the players’ character and leadership despite the team’s five-game losing streak.
"I’m super proud of this team. I’m super proud of the leadership. These guys could have packed it in weeks ago. They could have lain down and quit. They refused to do that. When you see what Vega did coming up the ramp to jump across the banister and help out like that, it’s a testimony to the guys that we have here in this locker room, it’s a testimony to Penn State, it’s a testimony to the program of how things are run here. We’ve got a locker room full of guys like that — that are willing to do things like that, do things the right way. Obviously, we’re going through some tough times right now, but that doesn’t change our character."
Good stuff, Vega.
You’ve earned my respect!
DAILY DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast brings on Kyle Jones to speak on the upcoming return of Film Study after a week off and explore how Ohio State adjusted on both sides of the ball to ultimately blow out Penn State in a dominant win.
SONG OF THE DAY. "My Hero" - Foo Fighters.
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