No. 4 Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State had a lot on the line heading into their showdown in Happy Valley on Saturday. The Buckeyes needed a win to stay in the Big Ten championship race. The Nittany Lions needed a win to stay undefeated.
On the strength of a goal-line stand and a drive that ate up the final 5:13 on the clock, Ohio State came away with the 20-13 road win. It was the Buckeyes’ eighth straight win over the Nittany Lions and the fourth in that time that was decided by eight points or fewer.
Here are the other numbers to know from this Big Ten rivalry.
0: Penn State is now 0-5 against Michigan and Ohio State since 2022, with a 28-1 record against all other teams (18-0 against all other Big Ten opponents in that span).
19: This was Ohio State’s first road win against an AP top-five opponent in 18 seasons, when it beat No. 2 Texas in 2006. Entering Saturday, the Buckeyes had lost each of their last four road meetings against top-five opponents.
5: Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw his fifth career pick-six in this game, tied for most in the FBS among active players. It was Penn State’s only touchdown of the day.
Penn State’s Zion Tracy takes it to the house for a pick-six to take 10-0 lead over Ohio State
6: Ryan Day is now 6-0 against Penn State in his head coaching career, winning the annual matchup between the two rivals. Ohio State has beaten Penn State each season since its loss in Happy Valley in 2016.
4: Day snapped his four-game losing streak against AP top-five opponents with Saturday’s win. He’s now 3-7 against AP top-five opponents. Prior to Saturday, Day’s most recent win over a top-five team came against Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the 2020 season. He’s also now 63-9 as Ohio State’s head coach.
10: James Franklin is now 1-10 against Ohio State in his career, with his only win over the Buckeyes coming in the aforementioned 2016 matchup. Saturday was the fifth time that Franklin lost to Ohio State by one score.
17: Franklin’s struggles aren’t exclusive to just facing Ohio State. He’s also 1-17 against AP top-five opponents in his head coaching career between his 11 seasons at Penn State and three seasons at Vanderbilt.
13: Even though Franklin is now 1-13 against AP top-five opponents as Penn State’s head coach, the Nittany Lions have had problems with elite teams since the turn of the millennium. Penn State fell to 1-23 against AP top-five opponents since 2000 with Saturday’s loss.
No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions
23: Ohio State also improved to 23-8 all-time in its series with Penn State.
13: Ohio State has started 7-1 or better for the 13th consecutive season.
678: Wide receiver phenom Jeremiah Smith broke a 40-year-old record when he caught an 18-yard pass in the third quarter, surpassing Hall of Famer Cris Carter for the most ever receiving yards by a freshman at Ohio State. Smith leads the Buckeyes with 678 receiving yards this season.
111,030: The attendance for Ohio State vs. Penn State set a Beaver Stadium record.
42: Penn State’s standout running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen had a quiet day. They rushed for a combined 42 yards on 2.3 yards per carry, failing to reach the end zone.
146: Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw for just 146 yards in the loss. In his three games against top-five opponents, Allar has thrown for fewer than 200 yards each time. He’s averaging 135.7 yards in those three games, with only two total touchdown passes.
4.5: Ohio State edge rusher JT Tuimoloau had another big performance. He recorded six total tackles and a half-sack. Unless Ohio State faces Penn State again, Tuimoloau will finish his career with 4.5 sacks in four games against the Nittany Lions.
6: Emeka Egbuka continued his trend of showing up in big games for the Buckeyes. The Ohio State senior wide receiver came down with a 25-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Penn State. With that catch, Egbuka has recorded a touchdown reception in all six games he’s had against a top-five opponent. He finished Saturday with three receptions for 31 yards and the touchdown.
Ohio State’s Will Howard connects with Emeka Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown vs. Penn State
95: Ohio State star running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for 95 yards in Saturday’s game, marking the 20th time in 34 career games he’s totaled 90+ yards on the ground. It’s just the third time that Judkins has cleared that threshold, though, since he joined Ohio State after transferring from Ole Miss.
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