2025 PSU at Ohio State

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General Game Information

PSU-OHIO STATE FINAL GAME STATS LINK

PSU-OHIO STATE GAME FLOW & SUMMARY LINK

• Game Eight of 2025 season—This is PSU’s 33rd straight game against the Buckeyes since joining the Big Ten in 1993—They have faced each other every season to date (PSU is 8-24 vs. Ohio State as a member of the conference). This is the third road game of the Big Ten season which follows PSU’s second Bye Week. This game completes the only stretch of the season where PSU plays back-to-back games away from home. This is the second game in this series to feature an Interim Head Coach at the helm of Penn State—In 2011, Tom Bradley led the Nittany Lions to a 20-14 win in Columbus (his only win in 4 games as interim following the dismissal of Joe Paterno). This game was designated by Ohio State as its “Wear Black” All-Stadium Fans Black Out game (FYI-OSU will not wear all-black uniforms as seen in the past). The defending National Champion and #1 ranked Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) are also coming off a Bye Week. They last played at Wisconsin on Oct. 18 shutting out the Badgers 34-0 as Julian Sayin passed for 394 yards and 4 TDs. The Buckeyes also feature strong running backs in Freshman Bo Jackson and CJ Donaldson who faced PSU in 2023 & 2024 when he played for West Virginia. The Buckeyes held the Badgers to 9 first downs.

• Last PSU Game: Iowa 25 Penn State 24 (4th straight loss/2nd straight loss by 1-point)—Debuts of Terry Smith as Interim Head Coach and of new starting QB Ethan Grunkemeyer (last week was Bye Week 2 for PSU)

• This week’s rankings: AP Poll #NR (for 4th straight week)—AP Poll-#1 Ohio State, #2 Indiana, also #6 Oregon / Coaches Poll #NR (for 3rd straight week)—Coaches Poll-#1 Ohio State, #2 Indiana, also #6 Oregon (FYI-James Franklin is still listed on the Coaches Poll Board of Coaches)

• Bye Week rankings after PSU loss at Iowa Oct. 18: AP Poll #NR (for 3rd straight week)—AP Poll-#1 Ohio State, #2 Indiana (achieved highest ranking ever), also #6 Oregon / Coaches Poll #NR (for 2nd straight week)—Coaches Poll-#1 Ohio State, #2 Indiana (achieved highest ranking ever), also #6 Oregon

• 41st meeting with Ohio State all-time: The series dates to a 1912 Penn State 37-0 victory at old Ohio Field in their lone meeting in that location. PSU is 14-26 all-time vs. the Buckeyes and has not beaten them since 2016 when they upset #2 Ohio State, 24-21 in the Whiteout “Block Six” Game at Beaver Stadium. James Franklin was 1-10 vs. OSU (with 8 straight losses). 18 of the 40 games played with OSU have been decided by a single possession score. Overall, in Big Ten play (since 1993), PSU is 8-24 vs. the Buckeyes. Penn State actually dominated the pre-conference phase of this series with a 6-2 overall record (5-1 in Columbus) through PSU’s 1980 Fiesta Bowl victory (31-19) which was their last meeting until 1993.

• This is PSU’s 5th meeting with Ohio State where the Buckeyes are ranked #1 in the nation: The Nittany Lions are 0-4 in these games with losses in 1998 at OSU, in 2006 at OSU, in 2007 at Beaver Stadium, and in 2015 at OSU. PSU is 0-6 overall vs. #1 teams since joining the Big Ten in 1993 with the additional two losses coming in 2010 at Alabama and in 2024 vs. Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. James Franklin was 0-2 vs. #1 opponents. Penn State has beaten #1 ranked teams on 4 occasions all-time (all under Joe Paterno)—the most recent win was in 1990 at Notre Dame. Overall, the Lions have faced a #1 team 17 times since the AP Poll debuted in 1936 and are 4-13 in those games. In the 1980’s, Penn State faced a #1 team 6 times winning 3 of the meetings. For the record, Paterno was 4-9 vs. #1 teams all-time—only Nick Saban (9) has more wins vs. #1 opponents.

• 22nd meeting with Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium (opened 1922): PSU is 6-15 at Ohio Stadium and has not won there since 2011 when the Nittany Lions gave Tom Bradley his lone win as Interim Head Coach, 20-14. PSU has only won twice in Columbus as a Big Ten member (2008 & 2011)—The 2010 PSU loss at Ohio State was technically vacated by the Buckeyes due to NCAA sanctions, but the Nittany Lions still regard the game as a loss.

• Their last meeting in 2024 at Beaver Stadium: Undefeated #3 Penn State lost to #4 Ohio State 20-13 in a Stripe Out Game on Fox Big Noon in front of the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history (111,030). It was the second PSU-OSU game to feature both teams in the AP Top 5 along with the 1996 loss at Ohio State. ESPN GameDay was on campus, and Lee Corso, in what would be his final visit to Happy Valley, correctly donned the head of Brutus Buckeye as he did at OSU in his first ever headgear pick at the 1996 PSU-OSU game. It was Penn State’s first loss after a 7-0, 4-0 start to the season. The Nittany Lion offense generated only a pair of Ryan Barker FGs (one was a career high 44-yarder)—the lone TD was a Zion Tracy pick-6 of Will Howard for an early 10-0 Penn State lead. The Penn State running game managed only 120 total yards and neither Nick Singleton nor Kaytron Allen were the leading rusher. Singleton was a career low 6 for 15 yards and only touched the ball twice in the second half on a rush and a pass reception. Kaytron was 12 for 27 yards. Tyler Warren TE led the rushers with 47 yards on 3 carries. This game, of course, is best remembered for Penn State’s 4th quarter failure on a 1st and goal situation at the Ohio State 3-yard line (the Lions second “1st and goal at the 3” failure in this game). Tyler Warren took the direct snap and dashed 33 yards (longest of his career to that point) to the OSU 3 setting up the chance to tie the game at 20. But 3 straight runs by Kaytron Allen deliver no gain, 1 yard, and 1 yard. On 4th and goal from the 1, Drew Allar looks to pass, but Warren is double covered in the left endzone, so Allar desperately tries to thread the needle over the middle to Khalil Dinkins TE in heavy traffic—incomplete. Four plays from inside the 3 and neither Tyler Warren nor Nick Singleton touch the ball. With 5:13 to go in the game, the defense, which had allowed the Buckeyes only 1 Red Zone trip, had a letdown and let OSU escape the shadow of its endzone and effectively kill the clock for the 7-point victory.

• This is PSU’s second appearance in an Ohio State Black Out Game: Penn State faced the Buckeyes in the primetime debut of this color scheme game in Columbus in 2015. Then #1 Ohio State wore an all-black uniform and helmet combo and beat the unranked Nittany Lions 38-10. It was also the last time that PSU played a #1 ranked Ohio State team. The Lions previously played #1 ranked Ohio State teams in 1998 away, 2006 away & 2007 at home (all three were losses). PSU itself was ranked #1 when it beat the Buckeyes in 1994.

• Last Scheduled regular season game with Ohio State until 2028 season at Beaver Stadium ending the 33-year streak. PSU and OSU have played every season since Nittany Lions joined Big Ten in 1993. Ohio State is the only conference opponent to have played PSU every year from 1993 thru 2025.

• 2nd Noon EDT kick for PSU in 2025. Week 2 win over FIU was also at Noon EDT (BTN)—This is the final game scheduled in Daylight Savings Time this season.

• 2nd scheduled PSU game in the 2025 Venmo Big Ten Rivalry Series: Whiteout vs. Oregon (L in 2-OT) was the first game played in this series which also includes the PSU at Michigan State Land Grant Trophy Game on Nov. 15.

  TV Information

• FOX Big Noon Gameday Announcers: Gus Johnson Play-by-play, Joel Klatt Analyst, with Jenny Taft Sideline Reporter. This is Gus and Joel’s first PSU telecast in 2025. They called 3 Nittany Lion games in 2024 (at West Virginia, vs. UCLA, and vs. Ohio State).

• FOX Big Noon Kickoff show will air live on location in Columbus ahead of this game (show starts at 10am EDT). This is the first appearance of this program at the location of a PSU game in 2025 (13th all-time since its debut in 2019). Most recent PSU game to host Big Noon Kickoff was the 2024 PSU-Ohio State game at Beaver Stadium (the 2024 PSU-UCLA game also hosted FOX Big Noon Kickoff).

• First PSU TV game on FOX Big Noon since the 2024 PSU vs. Ohio State game at Beaver Stadium which ended in a 20-13 Penn State loss. Since its debut in 2019, this is the Nittany Lions 13th appearance all-time on FOX Big Noon (9th time on the road), and the 4th straight PSU-Ohio State game to be televised on FOX Big Noon.

• This is the 4th traditional network TV game of the 2025 season for PSU. CBS aired both the Nevada home win and UCLA road loss, and NBC carried the Oregon home loss. The Noon EDT FOX telecast is up against the Rutgers at Illinois game on NBC and the Vanderbilt at Texas game on ESPN/ABC.