Penn State keeps game tight in 1st half before top-ranked Ohio State pulls away for win

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s defense received plenty of attention entering Saturday’s game against Penn State, especially with former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles coming back to Ohio Stadium.

However, it was the Buckeyes’ increasingly high-powered offense that made sure Knowles’ return wasn’t hospitable.

Julian Sayin passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns, Jeremiah Smith scored twice and the top-ranked Buckeyes pulled away in the second half for a 38-14 victory over the Nittany Lions.

The Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) had a 17-14 lead at halftime but took control in the second half by scoring on three of their first four possessions.

“We came in at halftime, and we were up by three — you would have thought we were down by 21, but I thought we responded well,” coach Ryan Day said. “I thought some of Julian’s deep balls were excellent. We saw how they were playing us in the first half, felt we had a chance to get behind them and called those plays.”

Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton had rushing scores for Penn State (3-5, 0-5), which has dropped five straight and has lost both games with interim coach Terry Smith at the helm. Smith took over after James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12.

“We scored two touchdowns in the red zone against a team that’s No. 1 in the country in that area, then we came out in the second half, and the third quarter set the tone for them,” said Smith, whose team hosts No. 2 Indiana next Saturday. “They got 14 points, and we just never could respond.”

Sayin completed 20 of 23 passes and joined Geno Smith as the only Football Bowl Subdivision players since 1985 to have three games in a season with at least 300 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate of at least 85%.

Smith accomplished the feat in 2012 at West Virginia.

Sayin had three completions of at least 40 yards, including a pair to Carnell Tate, who finished with five catches for 124 yards. Sayin connected with Tate on a go route for a 45-yard TD midway through the second quarter to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 17-7.

“We practiced those a lot going into the week. Ran great routes to get behind them.,” Sayin said. “We had a great scheme because we were able to get a flat-footed safety and get Carnell and Jeremiah run right by him.”

Jeremiah Smith finished with six receptions for 123 yards. He put Ohio State on the board midway through the first quarter with a 14-yard catch on a slant pattern. The sophomore then extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 38-14 with a highlight-reel grab on an 11-yard touchdown with 9:43 remaining.

Sayin’s pass appeared to be tipped, but Smith leaped and made a one-handed grab with his left hand while being surrounded by three Penn State defenders. The catch ended up making Fox Sports announcer Gus Johnson lose his voice.

“I mean, see ball, get ball,” Smith said. “I didn’t want Julian to throw an interception, so he could grade out a champion. So I decided to make a play.”

The Buckeyes got some breathing room on the opening drive of the second half. Tate had a 57-yard catch to the Penn State 4 on the second play of the possession and CJ Donaldson plowed in from the 1 three plays later to put Ohio State up by two scores.

Penn State was able to do something no other opponent had done this season — score a touchdown on Ohio State in the first half.

After Ohio State scored the first 10 points, Singleton’s 2-yard run around left end got Penn State within a field goal and capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes.

The Nittany Lions then pulled within 17-14 on Allen’s 1-yard dive late in the first half. Penn State took advantage of a short field and took over at the OSU 13 after Chaz Coleman recovered Donaldson’s fumble.

“I think we just stayed in a rhythm in the first half. In the second half, we just got a little bit out of rhythm on a couple of plays and couldn’t execute on third down,” said quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who grew up in the Columbus area.

The redshirt freshman completed 19 of 28 passes for 148 yards and an interception in his second start.

Ohio State’s scoreboard crew had some fun trolling Knowles during the fourth quarter with the Buckeyes up by 24.

The videoboard showed Knowles — who was the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator for three years — in the coaches’ booth, which brought plenty of boos from fans, followed by a shot of current Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, which generated a lot of cheers.

Note: It’s the first time since 2003 in a non-covid season that the Nittany Lions have dropped five straight and started 0-5 in the Big Ten.