Ohio State trending for four-star OT, earn prediction for five-star corner
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


2025 four-star offensive tackle Carter Lowe via @big_carter72 on X

Following Ohio State’s victory over Penn State, the Buckeyes are trending for a 2025 in-state four-star offensive tackle.

Ohio State is now 7-0 following a 20-12 win over Penn State. With another top-10 win under their belt, the Buckeyes will travel to Camp Randell to take on former Ohio State coach Luke Fickell and Wisconsin. Because of this, the majority of the headlines surrounding the Ohio State football team will focus on the upcoming game, and rightfully so. However, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will continue to make recruiting a priority and will continue to make the recruiting headlines.

Ohio four-star OT trending towards Buckeyes​

Ohio State had a boatload of recruits on campus for last weekend’s game against Penn State. The majority of the 2024 recruiting class was on hand, but so were plenty of targets in both the 2025 and 2026 classes. The matchup was the first in-game experience for many of the Ohio State targets in future classes, and the atmosphere in ‘The Shoe’ Saturday has proven to be a powerful recruiting tool once again.

Following a visit for the Penn State game, the Buckeyes have been rumored to be the leaders in multiple recruitments, including 2025 offensive tackle Carter Lowe (Toledo, OH / Whitmer).

Ryan Day has made it known that recruiting Ohio is a priority of his. Day believes that keeping the state’s best recruits at home is a recipe for success. As a result, Ohio State got a head start in Lowe’s recruitment, offering him back in January. He then took his first visit with Ohio State back in March for a spring recruiting camp. Shortly after, he attended another recruiting camp in June, and was named the camp’s MVP.

Saturday’s visit was his first in Columbus for a game day experience and it seems like the visit has already paid dividends for the Buckeyes. Shortly after the game Saturday 247Sports Director of Recruiting, Steve Wiltfong, submitted a Crystal Ball prediction for Lowe in favor of the Buckeyes. The selection is now the second favoring Ohio State, as Ohio State Insider Bill Kurelic submitted a prediction for the Buckeyes earlier this month.

These predictions are far from guarantees, but Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye and Ryan Day have to like where they sit following the visit. However, the Buckeyes are not completely out of the woods and they have some stiff competition for Lowe. The blue-chip prospect holds scholarship offers from programs like Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, etc.

Ohio State is in a great position for Lowe, but this doesn’t seem like a recruitment that will be ending soon. Lowe will likely take multiple visits with other schools that have offered him, especially Michigan, West Virginia and Georgia who also seem to be gaining in his recruitment.

Lowe is the No. 13 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and is the No. 149 overall prospect. He is also the No. 6 recruit from the state of Ohio.

Quick Hits​

• Land-Grant Holy Land’s own Gene Ross wrote yesterday about how the Buckeyes are trending for five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez. The Buckeyes gained even more steam in his recruitment on Monday, as On3’s recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman logged an expert prediction for Sanchez in favor of the Buckeyes. Again, these predictions are not guarantees, but they do offer an insight into how a recruit is currently feeling in their recruitment.

On3 national recruiting analyst @samspiegs has logged an expert prediction for Ohio State to land 2025 5-star CB Devin Sanchez

Sanchez is a top-10 overall prospect in the junior class

Intel: https://t.co/hO4U2yYPEk pic.twitter.com/n0sEtoJ031

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) October 23, 2023​

Click to expand...

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Uncut Podcast: Chris Holtmann, players discuss Ohio State’s pre-season win over Dayton
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The final score was far less significant than the money that was raised, but getting a win in Dayton was a long time coming.

Throughout the season, Land-Grant will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe: ​

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio​

Following Ohio State’s 78-70 win over Dayton on Sunday night during a charity exhibition match, Chris Holtmann, Jamison Battle, Bruce Thornton, and Devin Royal spoke to the media about the game, their thoughts about the team moving forward, and mental health.

Holtmann spoke first and repeated over and over that the result of today’s game was the least important aspect of the event. He told his team that, “everything coming out of today would be positive, regardless of how this ends.” It took him a while to get through some questions on mental health, taking some time to hold his composure before speaking on something that’s important to him and the Ohio State program.

Afterward, Battle, Royal, and Thornton spoke to the media about the results of the game, what can be improved on, and their thoughts on mental health, and what they do to keep everything right in their mind during a grueling basketball season.

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Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com​

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You’re Nuts: Who was the unsung hero of the Penn State game?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Which lesser-talked-about Buckeye deserves more credit for the big win on Saturday.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

This week’s topic: Who was the unsung hero of the Penn State game?

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Josh’s Take​

While not pretty at all points throughout the game, Ohio State secured its second top-10 victory of the 2023 season on Saturday, this one coming at the expense of James Franklin and his previously No. 7 Penn State squad. The Buckeyes did just enough on offense, smothered the Nittany Lions on defense, and despite a final score that read 20-12, pretty much imposed their will for four quarters. As a result, Ryan Day ran his record to 18-6 against ranked opponents and a perfect 5-0 against PSU.

That last sentence has no bearing on what Gene and I are about to discuss, but I gotta defend my guy when I can.

Unlike most games that Day has won in Columbus and at Ohio State, it was his team’s defense that turned in a dominating performance against Penn State. The Buckeyes’ offense was once again stagnant for long stretches and unable to establish any semblance of a ground game, leaving most of the heavy lifting to Jim Knowles, Larry Johnson, Tim Walton, Perry Eliano, and several standout players on the defensive side of the ball.

Saturday’s performance against the Nittany Lions was, in my opinion, the best by an OSU defense under Day and hopefully a sign of things to come for that particular unit. At the very least, it was proof that Knowles and Co. are heading in the right direction.

So who gets or deserves the most credit for Saturday’s defensive destruction of Penn State? That was something my writing partner and I pondered before realizing the error of our ways... Because it’s a trick question, you see.

In reality, all defensive players and coaches deserve a tremendous amount of credit for limiting the Nittany Lions to two field goals and a meaningless late touchdown. Glory does not go to just one person, although Knowles is likely to receive the lion’s share (see what I did there?) of praise.

Regardless, what Gene and I decided to do for this edition of You’re Nuts is/was look at a few ‘unsung heroes’ from the PSU game. Players who don’t typically get their name(s) added to the marquee but turned in a baller performance against the Nittany Lions. Who did the dirty work, stepped up in place of others, and/or just made things happen when called upon?

And to kick things off, I just want to let you (all) know that I plan on cheating. Blatantly. Because if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’. Plus, Gene pretty much laid claim to the player I would have picked, forcing me to call an audible. Which is no big deal. Because we adjust, adapt, and dominate, just like Larry Johnson has done with his ‘Rushmen’. So he gets my nod as an unsung hero — for not only the Penn State game, but also the entire month of October.

Dating back to last season (and possibly even further), OSU fans, including myself, have expressed frustration with the Buckeyes’ pass rush. Or lack thereof. Where are the sacks? Why can’t Tuimoloau and Sawyer get any pressure? Who let Jean-Baptiste on the field? And for the most part, I believe this frustration was warranted. Ohio State finished near the bottom of the Big Ten in sacks in 2022 and was unable to generate pressure against the Michigans and Georgias of the world, when it was needed most.

The same pass rush issues appeared to be carrying over into this season, as OSU was credited with just five sacks in the team’s first four games. But at the same time, explosive plays (for the opponent) were down, guys were at least getting their hands on passes, and the Buckeyes were generally stout against the run. So I started to accept the fact that this group was not destined to be the ‘84 Bears... And that they could still be effective without a killer pass rush.

Then something clicked. The boys started getting home. Ohio State racked up five combined sacks against Maryland and Purdue, and Tuimoloau in particular started to resemble the monster we saw against Penn State last year. And what did he do against the Nittany Lions this past Saturday? Another sack to go with several impact plays.

However, Tuimoloau was not the only defensive lineman to make an impact. Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry were also credited with sacks, and Sawyer and Ty Hamilton led the DL group with three tackles each. Tyleik Williams was pushing Nittany Lions around, and Mike Hall Jr. was just sort of waiting for a big play that never came his way.

The entire DL group made life very uncomfortable for Penn State QB Drew Allar, as well as the Nittany Lions’ running backs. And this has been my long way of saying that Larry Johnson deserves a ton of credit for their improved play. The GOAT has been on the receiving end of much recent criticism, some of it deserved. But he continued to put his faith in Tuimoloau, Sawyer, and others – while coaching them up and teaching technique – resulting in a big-time performance in a big-time game.

So here’s to LJ. An unsung hero for many years and again against his former employer. Maybe the Buckeyes should keep him around just a little bit longer.

Gene’s Take​

I do have to give credit where credit is due. I was very critical of Larry Johnson’s unit earlier this season. The defensive line was not getting the job done, with little to no pressure on opposing quarterbacks through the first several weeks despite a massive talent advantage for the Buckeyes. While it is still crazy to me to have a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach that are openly feuding, with Johnson still not allowing Jim Knowles to employ his signature ‘Jack’ position, the defensive line has rounded into form, and really put it all together against Penn State.

In our various postgame recaps here at Land-Grant Holy Land, we have given a ton of credit to many of the deserving players that helped Ohio State win that game on Saturday. Marvin Harrison Jr. and J.T. Tuimoloau are two of the obvious names that led their respective units, but guys like Cody Simon, Josh Proctor, Lathan Ransom, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and for the most part the offensive line also deserve a ton of praise for their performances against the Nittany Lions, among others.

However, the guy that I really wanted to highlight here is Jordan Hancock.

To the average non-Ohio State fan watching the game, they may not have even noticed that the Buckeyes were without their top cover corner in Denzel Burke, who was sidelined with a non-specified injury sustained in the second half against Purdue. To hold Penn State quarterback Drew Allar to 18-of-42 passing — a 42.9% completion rate good, the worst of Allar’s career as a starter — without Burke on the field is an incredibly impressive feat. A large part of that lockdown effort was because of the exceptional play of Hancock.

It has been a long and winding road for the Georgia native to get to this point. The No. 5 cornerback and No. 73 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, Hancock was originally committed to Clemson before flipping to Ohio State in the summer of 2020. His career in Columbus got off to a rocky start, with his 2022 season being cut short as a result of a nagging hamstring injury. It led to Hancock’s breakout campaign arriving a year later than expected, but now healthy, the talented DB is finally able to put his full skillset on display, and he has become one of the Buckeyes’ most versatile players in the secondary.

When Burke is healthy, Hancock has spent the majority of the season as Ohio State’s nickel/slot corner, with Burke and Davison Igbinosun patrolling the outside. Without Burke, Hancock spent time both outside and in the slot, showcasing that versatility and a willingness to do whatever is asked of him to help the team win. In just his second official start of his Buckeye career, Hancock registered five total tackles — four of them solo — and a pass breakup on a 3rd-and-1 play in the fourth quarter. Burke’s absence could have really hindered Ohio State’s defense, but Hancock’s strong performance kept it at an elite level.

The freshman Mathews deserves a ton of credit as well, stepping into a larger role with no prior starting experience to draw on. Having already registered a pick-six this season, it is looking more and more like the former No. 1 player in Ohio in the 2023 class has a chance to be one of the next great Silver Bullets. But for now, when Burke is healthy — and there is a chance that he returns this weekend against Wisconsin — Hancock will continue to see the majority of the reps alongside Burke and Igbinosun.

Either way, Tim Walton has to feel good having at least four really good players in his room he can have the utmost confidence in day in and day out. Hancock did not fill up the stat sheet against Penn State, but stepping in for one of Ohio State’s best defensive players without the unit missing a beat is certainly impressive and worthy of a shoutout.

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Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team Previews: Purdue Boilermakers
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Can the Boilermakers veteran-laden team make a deep tournament run this season?

As we enter the fall season and college football gets underway, college basketball is right around the corner. As always, to prepare you for the season, Land-Grant Holy Land will be publishing Big Ten Team Previews and Ohio State Basketball Player Previews, starting now with the Team Previews.

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Team: Purdue Boilermakers
Head coach: Matt Painter
2022-23 record: 29-6 (15-5)
All-time record against Ohio State: 60-70

Returners: Zach Edey, Caleb Furst, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, Braden Smith, Mason Gillis, Ethan Morton, Brian Waddell, Camden Heide, William Berg

Departures: Brandon Newman, David Jenkins

Newcomers: Myles Colvin, Lance Jones

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Outlook ​

Purdue is returning most of its roster that went 29-6 last season and won the Big Ten, so the expectations are high. The Boilermakers will start the season as the No. 3 team in the AP poll, only behind Kansas and Duke.

Last season, Purdue snuck up on people with some big non-conference wins and started the season 14-1. The emergence of freshman guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer as solid starters for Purdue immediately was something no one really saw coming, and it helped Zach Edey to have one of the best seasons of any player over the last couple of seasons.

Edey averaged a double-double with 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game to win the 2022 National Player of the Year. Smith and Loyer were second and third on the team in scoring at 11.0 and 9.7 points per game, respectively.

Another key piece to this team will be top-75 freshman Myles Colvin. The 6-foot-5 wing is a versatile two-way player who can provide a spark with Smith and Loyer. If he can make an immediate impact, which he is expected to, that will be another playmaker that the Boilermakers have outside of Edey.

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, Mason Gillis, and Ethan Morton are all role players who can give Matt Painter 20-30 minutes per night and help complement the starting guards and Edey.

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Prediction​

There might not be a team in college basketball with more expectations than Purdue this season. They were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten Champions, and are returning almost all of its production from last season.

However, with their loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round, all eyes are on West Lafayette to see how they will respond to the disappointing end to the season. Only one other No. 1 seed has lost to a No. 16 seed in the first round, and that team won a national championship the next season. No pressure, Purdue.

Edey is back, and there is no reason to believe he won’t be the most dominant player in college basketball again this season. The main thing that will decide whether or not Purdue is a great regular season team that loses in the Elite Eight or is a legitimate national title contender will be the development of the two guards in Smith and Loyer.

Painter is one of the best coaches in the country, and the Boilermakers have the best player in the country. If Smith and Loyer are able to take a solid sophomore jump, the Boilermakers can compete with anyone in the country and could easily be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament again.

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Ohio State women’s basketball 2023-24 player preview: Taiyier Parks
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

A look at the Buckeyes’ new big who gives options in the paint.

Ohio State women’s basketball became a transfer hotspot in the 2023 offseason. The Buckeyes added names from the ACC, SEC and one from a rival Big Ten school. Up next in a series previewing everyone on the 15-player roster is the Big Ten defector: Forward Taiyier Parks.

The graduate senior has one last season to make an impact, and the former head coach Kevin McGuff recruiting target has a lot to bring to Ohio State before running out of NCAA eligibility.

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Name: Taiyier Parks
Position: Forward
Class: Graduate Senior
High School: North Royalton High School (Cleveland, Ohio)
2022-23 Stats: 8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, .575 FG%, .000 3FG%, .560FT%

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Last Season​

Michigan State had a difficult 2022-23. The Spartans ended ninth in the Big Ten with a 7-10 conference record, and sat outside of the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season. When Michigan State was winning, it was connected to the success of Parks.

When the Spartans got Parks involved, it usually ended in good things. In six games where Parks scored at least 14 points, Michigan State won; Take the shock upset win Sparty had over the Indiana Hoosiers.

Parks had 18 points, eight steals and two steals in the victory over the then No. 4 team in the country. That was against All-American forward MacKenzie Holmes. That kind of production came with Parks only playing half of the game too, playing off the bench for 20 minutes.

Then-Spartans head coach Suzy Merchant never seemed sold on keeping Parks as a starting option. Last season, Parks made her most starts in a season, 11 in 29 games. Whether it was from the starting lineup or off the bench, Parks made an impact. Those 18 points against Indiana was a career high. On Dec. 5 against the Purdue Boilermakers, Parks tied a career high with four steals.

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What to Expect​

Parks makes a living working inside the paint. The 6-foot-3 forward won’t be easy for opponents to get around, because not only is Parks strong but she is by no means a statue under the basket. The Cleveland, Ohio native moves stride for stride with opponents hoping for an easy layup.

There’s also rebounding. Last season, the Buckeyes were 12th in the Big Ten with 35.4 rebounds per game, and 10th in allowing rebounds at a 37.6 per game clip. Parks averaged 5.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game, mostly off the bench. That kind of production gives Ohio State’s leading rebounder Taylor Thierry a chance to have a break, or combine them to give opponents less of an opportunity for second chance baskets.

On both sides of the court, Parks will make her impact with her back to the basket. Defensively, its clogging lanes and making shooters think twice about going to the rim, but the strength also shines offensively.

Expect Parks to post up on opponents. The forward can back defenders closer to the basket for turnaround layups or use quick hands to find an open player on the perimeter. Parks will also be a target for teammates.

Last year, forward Cotie McMahon drew extra attention from defenders. This year, the sophomore has Parks to catch and hit easy baskets in the paint when the defense decides to call for help.

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Prediction​

The best guess for Parks is a strong role-player coming off the bench early in games. While McGuff focuses and talks about defense more than anything else, starting Parks game in and game out isn’t likely.

That doesn’t mean Parks doesn’t make an impact. With the forward’s ability to close down players attacking the basket with mobility and blocking ability, McGuff has a defensive game changer at his disposal. Especially if Ohio State starts having trouble in games against some of the best bigs in the conference like Illinois’ Kendall Bostic and Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski.

Those moments will just come behind Rebeka Mikulášiková and Eboni Walker.

Earning more minutes is contingent on how Parks adjusts to McGuff’s system after playing for Merchant for the past four years. If knowledge of how the coach wants her to play and conditioning grow, expect Parks to have that much stronger of an impact.

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Highlights​

Get an entire NCAA career’s worth of highlights for Parks. Watch the defensive ability and strong paint presence that Ohio State fans can see this season.

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Miss a player preview? Here’s who you can read about so far:

Jacy Sheldon

Rebeka Mikulášiková

Diana Collins

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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Ohio State vs. Penn State
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


This is pass interference, in case any Big Ten referees are reading this column. | Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

A win over a Top 10 team still leaves plenty of things to grumble about.

The Penn State Nittany Lions presented Ohio State’s second big challenge of the 2023 season. The Buckeyes went into the game missing a few key players, but still managed to come away with a 20-12 victory in Ohio Stadium.

Like any close game, there were a number of plays and moments that were frustrating or aggravating, and you can credit Penn State for some of that, but Ohio State did plenty to let the visitors hang around in the game and have some hope of leaving the Horseshoe with a win.

Here are the things that had me grinding my teeth down to stumps on Saturday afternoon.

Stalling​

The Buckeyes got a stop on Penn State’s opening possession, and then proceeded to drive, drive on down the field on their first offensive series. Kyle McCord started the game hot, hitting his first five passes, and there seemed to be at least a little room to run for Chip Trayanum.

However, that opening drive stalled in the red zone as the wheels came off for McCord. Once the team was in the red zone, a poor throw behind Marvin Harrison Jr. on first down put Ohio State behind the chains. Then McCord tried to force a high ball to Carnell Tate when he had Harrison wide open on the play (the same route across the middle that resulted in a touchdown later in the game). McCord threw poorly again to Julian Fleming on third down, on a play that probably wouldn’t have gotten the 10 yards anyway if he’d caught it.

The drive stalled and Ohio State had to settle for three. It worked out OK in the end, but that can’t happen against Michigan again this year. Never bring field goals to a touchdown fight.

Going Nowhere​

Ohio State’s defense came up big again, as it would all day, getting the Buckeyes a chance to put an early stranglehold on the game. But the Buckeyes went nowhere on the ensuing drive, allowing the Penn State defense to build some momentum.

It started with another of those runs to the short side that haven’t worked much at all this season. Ohio State seems to be in love with this play, but is not capable of running it with much success. Second down saw another off-target throw that Harrison maybe could have made a better effort of catching, although I won’t quite classify it as a drop. The receiver expects that ball to be where he can grab it on the run and get extra yards after the catch, but not all passes are perfect and sometimes one has to sacrifice YAC just to haul in the pass.

Third down was a debacle as Trayanum completely whiffed on picking up the blitzer in pass protection. Johnny Dixon got an easy sack as a result of the miss, and Ohio State punted.

Soft in the Middle​

After two solid defensive series, Ohio State gave the Nittany Lions hope with poor run defense on the first two plays of the third drive. With consecutive runs up the middle, Penn State went 20 yards and then 15, building some offensive rhythm that culminated with the visitors’ first points of the game. Penn State tied the game at 3-3.

Thankfully, James Franklin’s team curiously avoided committing to the running game on Saturday, despite seeing some success and entering the game with a solid rushing attack, so Penn State was unable to build on that success. Some of that had to do with Ohio State adjusting and not having the Buckeye defensive ends going as wide in the pass rush, but overall, there was probably some room to run more consistently had Penn State been persistent.

Not-So-Special Teams​

After conceding the field goal, Ohio State nearly had a miscue on the ensuing Penn State kickoff. On a short, in-between ball, Trayanum got in Xavier Johnson’s way, disrupting the timing of the return. As a result, he then failed to reach the 25-yard line. To make matters worse, he ran into teammate Ja’Had Carter, who had to be helped off the field.

In the third quarter, Ohio State’s defense had yet another solid stop and Penn State punted from deep in its own territory. The punt was short and Jayden Ballard opted not to run up and make the fair catch. He tried to warn his teammates to stay away from it, but Lorenzo Styles Jr. didn’t get the message. The punt bounced off of him and Penn State recovered. The defense held again, but the ensuing punt pushed Ohio State back to its own 10-yard line, costing about 40 yards of field position.

If you add in a lack of decent return yardage and a missed field goal in the fourth quarter, it was quite the day for Parker Fleming’s unit — but not in a good way.

McCord in the Middle​

As mentioned previously, McCord started the game hot, hitting his first five throws. But from that point until halftime, he was borderline dreadful and it’s hard to give Penn State too much credit for that, as well as the Nittany Lions played on defense. He went 2-for-8 in the first quarter following his opening burst on the first drive, and then went just 4-for-8 in the second quarter. Meaning after his first five passes, McCord finished the first half on a 6-for-16 skid.

The young quarterback rebounded nicely in the second half, going 11-for-14 (6-of-7 in the third quarter and 5-of-7 in the fourth). That middle section of the first half was poor, both in terms of accuracy and reading the defense.

Run the Dang Ball!​

The Buckeyes picked up seven yards on a rush by Miyan Williams late in the first quarter, moving the ball out near midfield. With two downs to pick up three yards, Ohio State went pass happy. McCord threw incomplete on second down, and on third down the pass went to Williams for a loss of one yard. Once again, the lack of trust in his team to pick up short yardage — this time with two downs to get it — ended an OSU drive.

The Almost-Disaster​

Ohio State was driving and was in field goal range when disaster struck. McCord held the ball too long, had it knocked loose, and Penn State scooped and scored. Thans to a defensive holding penalty as the Nittany Lions struggled to cover Harrison (legally, anyway), the turnover and the touchdown were nullified. However, McCord has to be smarter in that situation and take care of the football. In a tight, defensive struggle, every point matters and you have to get rid of it and at least protect your field goal.

Call It!​

After Ohio State’s touchdown in the second quarter, an obvious hold right in front of PSU quarterback Drew Allar prevented JT Tuimoloau from getting to the passer. The play picked up good yardage and Penn State eventually kicked a field goal on the drive. Later in the game, another blatant hold right in front of Allar was ignored.

Not every hold is as blatant and I don’t expect the referee to call them all, but the ones that can change the game should be called, and few are easier to spot than one in space right in front of the quarterback. There was no traffic to impede the officials’ view of it on either of those would-be sacks.

Similarly, there could be no easier example of defensive pass interference than when Julian Fleming was held during his entire route down the field. No flag flew, Ohio State punted, and Jesse Mirco shanked it — another demerit for Fleming’s unit.

The Fourth Down​

Ohio State eschewed a short field goal to go up seven points in the third quarter and went for it on fourth-and-goal. Penn State clearly knew what was coming with all of the Nittany Lions’ pointing and shifting toward the side of the field where the ball went. The Buckeyes were left to run a throw short of the goal line with not nearly enough blockers (one) to handle all four of the Penn State defenders. The play failed spectacularly, and points were left off the scoreboard.

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Those are the things that made me throw up in my mouth on Saturday. Obviously, any win over a Top 10 team is a good thing, and the good outweighed the bad, as it usually does. Harrison had another monster game, Cade Stover gutted out a solid performance, Tuimoloau and the defensive line were dominant, and Jordan Hancock and Jermaine Mathews Jr. flashed all over the place. What stood out to you, good or bad?

Next up for Ohio State is a trip to Madison to face Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers in a road game under the lights.

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Rivals
HUDL
ON3



Class: 2025 (high school)
Position: Shooting Guard
School: Toledo (OH) Whitmer
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 175 lbs
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Uncut Podcast: After Penn State game, Day is very comfortable winning with defense
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



Ryan Day, Jim Knowles, and Kyle McCord react to defensive performance in 20-12 win over Nittany Lions.

Throughout the year, the Land-Grant Podcast Network will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

On today’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut,” we are bringing you unedited audio from the Saturday, Oct. 21 postgame press conferences following the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes’ 20-12 victory over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions from head coach Ryan Day, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and starting quarterback Kyle McCord.

They discuss the dominating effort from the defense, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s outstanding performance, some areas that could have gone better, ongoing injury concerns, and much more.

Watch the full press conference on the Ohio State Athletic Department’s Facebook: Login to view embedded media

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Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com​

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247
Rivals
HUDL
ON3



Class: 2024 (high school)
Position: Offensive Line
School: Coopersville (MI) Coopersville
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 300 lbs


Birm said watch this kid as a potential replacement for Marc Nave in the class.

The fact that the staff asked him to visit for the Ped St seems like a big hint to Birm. Could be on offer watch this weekend

• Three-star 2024 offensive lineman Gabe VanSickle: “The atmosphere there was crazy. And the coaches talked to me about building a relationship with them.”

247
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Class: 2026 (high school)
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If This Were A Movie: It’s just a bunch of ‘Hocus Pocus’
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State’s magic powers got them past Penn State. Will they soon run out, though?

Each week, we’ll analyze the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games as well) through the lens of cinema. If this game were the next “Remember the Titans,” “Space Jam” or “The Notebook,” what storylines would keep us talking? What would make us laugh, reach for the box of tissues, or have us on the edge of our seats? Grab your popcorn and get ready for pop culture references, a hint of snark, and a trip back in time to the Blockbuster Video days.

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Some victories are small and could come with expiration dates if you’re not careful. This is certainly true of our three Salem witches in the 90s classic Halloween film “Hocus Pocus.” And it felt true of the Ohio State Buckeyes yesterday.

When we first meet our witches in 1690s Salem, it becomes clear right away that Winifred is the ringleader of the three sisters. Her bumbling companions Sarah and Mary are fairly useless for anything but laughs. Against all odds, the three sisters pull it together long enough to eat the soul of a small girl called Emily and to turn her older brother Thackery into a black cat, doomed to live forever with the guilt of allowing his sister to be killed.

By sucking the souls out of children, the witches are essentially able to steal the kids’ youth, with the intention of keeping themselves young forever.

When it is discovered that Emily is missing, a mob of Salem townsfolk descends upon the witches’ house and hangs them for their crimes, but not before Winifred can cast a spell that on Halloween night, 300 years later, they will be brought back to life.

Fast forward 300 years and new kid in town Max takes his little sister Dani trick or treating around Salem, stumbling upon the house of his crush Allison. When Max asks Allison to take him to the Sanderson Sisters’ house (now a defunct museum), he accidentally brings the witches back to life and has to protect his sister and the other children of Salem.

It’s a temporary W for the witches, but there’s a catch — unless they can suck the lives out of enough children to turn back their clock before dawn on November 1, the witches will turn to dust at sunrise.

Watching the Buckeyes felt a bit like watching the witches’ hijinks in Hocus Pocus yesterday. Sure, we won a marquee game against a major conference opponent ranked in the top 10. It’s absolutely worth celebrating, in the same way, the witches celebrate when they realize their curse worked and they return 300 years later.

But the witches also had work to do in order to stay winning, and it’s evident from yesterday’s game that the Buckeyes do as well, or their hopes and dreams might turn to dust come the end of the season.

Let’s be clear—it wasn’t all bad. The defense held Penn State beautifully, pulling their weight in the same way Winifred Sanderson does the heavy lifting. OSU held Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions to two first-half field goals, and Penn State’s only touchdown of the day came in the final minute of the game. They held Penn State off on third down for the first fifteen third-down attempts, sacked Allar four times, and kept a very good Penn State offense off the field for much of the game.

Defensively, the potion worked. Offensively? Thank goodness Marvin Harrison, Jr. has magic powers.

The All-American seemed to reference a spell book of his own, managing to stay open despite having a major target on his back from Penn State’s No. 1-ranked defense in the country. In fact, Harrison was the only offensive player on either side yesterday who seemed to have his composure.

McCord looked strong on the first two drives before stumbling through much of the game, and the Buckeyes again struggled to establish any sort of reliable run game. Running back TreVeyon Henderson was once again out of the game with an injury, and while Miyan Williams saw some substantial playing time and put up 56 of Ohio State’s 79 rushing yards, averaged only 2.6 yards a carry.

Ultimately, the Buckeyes should take some time to celebrate their victory. It silenced some doubters, myself included, as to whether they could hang with a team as good as Penn State. But before the sun rises on the Michigan game, Ryan Day and his Buckeyes will need to find some solutions for the shaky run game and get Marv some backup lest the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes turn to dust on the last weekend of November.

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Ohio State trending for five-star CB, makes top schools for pair of four-star LBs
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Five-star 2025 CB Devin Sanchez | Collin Kennedy, 247Sports

The Buckeyes’ massive recruiting weekend resulted in a handful of new offers and several top prospects loving what they saw in Columbus.

Ohio State’s 20-12 win over Penn State on Saturday was obviously huge in terms of the 2023 season, but it was equally large for the Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts, as Ryan Day and his staff hosted over 80 recruits in Columbus for the top-10 matchup. All seems to have gone well for those in attendance, with many having left their visit feeling really good about the program.

One of those guys was Devin Sanchez, a five-star cornerback in the 2025 class. The No. 1 CB and No. 7 player overall in the cycle, the Houston, Texas native holds over 30 offers to his name, but after taking in the atmosphere at Ohio Stadium this past weekend, Ohio State sounds like they are in a great position with the talented defensive back.

“The defense when it counted, they made some big plays when it was needed,” Sanchez told Bill Kurelic of 247Sports. “The DB’s played good, especially Jermaine (Mathews) to play like that against a team that’s probably going to win the rest of their games. And to hold a Top 10 team to 12 points is real impressive. And the crowd is crazy.”

From everything Sanchez has said, it sounds like as of right now Ohio State is very much in the lead for the 6-foot-2 North Shore High School product, going as far as to tell On3’s Sam Spiegelman that the Buckeyes are, “starting to run away with it,” and that Ohio State is, “becoming a heavy frontrunner,” in his recruitment.

With both Tim Walton and Perry Eliano working on Sanchez, the Buckeyes have to feel good about where they currently stand. There is still a ton of time remaining until the 2025 class signs on the dotted line, and Sanchez has not alluded to any sort of timetable for his commitment, but things are trending well for Ohio State to add the nation’s top corner in the next cycle after securing a trio of excellent four-star CBs in 2024.

In addition to the momentum they have with Sanchez, the Buckeyes also seemed to have made some headway with four-star linebacker Elijah Melendez. A Kissimmee, Florida native, Melendez currently ranks as the No. 21 LB and No. 181 overall player in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite. The 6-foot-2 high school junior officially dropped his top 10 schools list on Sunday, and Ohio State made the cut alongside programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, USC and others.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Elijah Melendez is down to Schools!

The 6’2 225 LB from Kissimmee, FL is ranked as a Top 50 Player in the 2025 Class

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/6tPmuljkjV pic.twitter.com/GlomboTztA

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 22, 2023​

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“The win was huge,” Melendez told Bucknuts. “The fan base was very electric and the game was really fun. The coaching staff is really good and they really treat me like I’m really wanted here. And the defense is amazing.”

Melendez received his Ohio State offer back in July from assistant linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, and at that time he had said that the Buckeyes were among his top five schools. Clearly not much has changed since then, as OSU has made the cut on his official top-10 list and expects to return to Columbus at some point for one of his official visits. With the way Jim Knowles’ defense is playing right now, getting to see that group in person had to be another big step in the right direction in this recruitment.

In addition to making a positive impact on guys the program was already recruiting, Ohio State got to kick off some new relationships this weekend with a handful of new offers. Two of those such offers went out to a pair of highly-touted wide receivers in 2025’s Dylan McCutcheon and 2026’s Aaron Gregory.

McCutcheon, a 6-foot pass-catcher out of Lucas, Texas, currently ranks as the No. 18 wide receiver in the 2025 class and the No. 105 prospect nationally, per the 247Sports Composite. The track athlete has nearly 30 offers to his name thus far, including programs like Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas and many more. The Buckeyes are a little later to the party than some of these other big brands, but you can never count out Brian Hartline when it comes to recruiting the best receivers in the country.

#AGTG After a great visit @OhioStateFB
I am proud and blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University!! @brianhartline @ryandaytime @ChrisRossLOJO @Coach_Lavender @coach_jackson49 @leopardfootball pic.twitter.com/6afBuiamvM

— Daylan McCutcheon (@daylanmccutch11) October 22, 2023​

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Gregory, on the other hand, is officially listed as an athlete — the No. 1 ATH in the nation in the 2026 class, in fact. The Douglasville, Georgia native plays both wide receiver and defensive back at Douglas County High School, but seems like he will suit up on offense at the next level. The No. 16 overall player in the cycle, the five-star holds offers from offer 30 schools, including all the usual suspects in Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, USC, etc. Ohio State is again a little tardy to the party here, even for a player two cycles away, but once again if Gregory is looking to play wide receiver, Hartline has a better pitch than any other position coach in the country.

What a way to end my 16th birthday! Blessed to rec the ️ from @OhioStateFB @brianhartline @N_Murph @ryandaytime @DAWGHZERECRUITS @brandofachamp @kaleb_longhurst @Garrick_Hodge @Birm @Bill_Kurelic @MarcGivler @KiddRyno_Rivals @bhoward_11 @RyanWrightRNG @chadsimmons_ pic.twitter.com/qEV0qZXVzn

— Aaron Gregory (@AaronGregory_07) October 22, 2023​

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Quick Hits​

• In addition to the pair of new offers on the football field, Chris Holtmann got some work in this past weekend with an offer on the hardwood. On the receiving end was 2025 shooting guard Antoine West Jr., an in-state prospect hailing from Toledo. The 6-foot-3 hooper does not yet have a star rating yet due to his class status, but has received offers thus far form the likes of Dayton, Georgia, Penn State and a handful of others. West averaged 21.5 points per game as a sophomore, and was the player of the year in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference.

After a great visit I have received an offer from Ohio State university!! @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/Bfm0JvEqpg

— Antione West Jr (@antione_west) October 22, 2023​

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• Before Ohio State even kicked off against Penn State on Saturday, the Buckeyes had made the top schools list for a talented linebacker out of Texas. Riley Pettijohn dropped his top 12 schools on Friday afternoon, and OSU made the cut alongside Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, TCU, USC and a few others. Pettijohn is the No. 5 linebacker and just outside of five-star status as the No. 37 overall player in the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite.

Elite 2025 LB Riley Pettijohn is down to Schools!

The 6’2 210 LB from McKinney, TX is ranked as a Top 30 Player in the ‘25 Class (No. 3 LB)

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/EdtV50nx72 pic.twitter.com/bwLNa5dsqb

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 19, 2023​

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• In addition to all the other positive news swirling around Ohio State from this weekend, Saturday also saw the Buckeyes earn a Crystal Ball prediction for a top in-state offensive tackle, courtesy of 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong. The player in question is 2025 offensive tackle Carter Lowe, as the Toledo native now has two Crystal Balls in favor of Ohio State, the other by Bill Kurelic from back on Oct. 4. Lowe is the No. 13 OT and No. 151 overall prospect in the class, per the 247Sports Composite, as well as the No. 6 player from Ohio in the cycle.

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Six Things: What we saw in Ohio State’s 78-70 win at UD Arena
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dayton fans have been clamoring for this game for 35 years. Ohio State finally obliged, for a great cause.

Alright, enough talk. Enough predicting, hypothesizing, and pandering. The Buckeyes hit the hardwood this evening, which means college basketball season is officially upon us.

Well, kind of.

For the first time in 35 years, Ohio State took on the Dayton Fliers at UD Arena in a 40-minute and fully officiated basketball game in front of a sold-out crowd in Dayton. However, tonight’s long-awaited battle between the Buckeyes and their foes from 75 miles down the road wasn’t the season opener, and did not count towards either team’s record. Tonight’s exhibition was a part of a larger, four-day event at UD surrounding mental health, especially the stigma it carries among young people.

Bigger than basketball https://t.co/bVfhrEUL5w pic.twitter.com/XMDiGSs2ln

— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) October 22, 2023

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Both teams wore “Take Hope to the Hoop” warm-ups, and all proceeds of the event were donated to the Jay Light Foundation, a fund that honors Dayton Coach Anthony Grant’s daughter Jayda, who passed away last year at age 20 after a prolonged battle with mental illness. It also supports other community organizations and initiatives that support adolescent and youth mental health in the Dayton area.

Although this game technically didn’t count, someone forgot to tell the Flyer fans that. The UD student section was full an hour ahead of time, and the event was sold out a week in advance. In the grand scheme of things, tonight’s game at UD Arena was one of the more intimidating environments the Buckeyes will see this year — official contest or otherwise.

The Buckeyes rolled with a starting five of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Jamison Battle, Evan Mahaffey, and Felix Okpara in their first live action of the year. Dayton went with Malachi Smith, Nate Santos, Kobe Elvis, Daron Holmes, and Enoch Cheeks.

The Flyers burst out of the gate, knocking down a couple quick triples to take a 6-0 lead two minutes into the game. But Ohio State was patient, and instead tried to force the ball below the basket. That resulted in five easy points for Okpara and a baseline jumper for Battle, as the Buckeyes went into the first media timeout down 11-9.

Over the next three minutes Thornton and Cheeks became two men possessed, with the former scoring eight points (two three-pointers) over a span of 2:13 to help Ohio State take the lead. At the same time, Cheeks — a transfer from Robert Morris — knocked down two consecutive threes to keep Dayton right on pace with the Buckeyes. OSU led 20-19 after eight minutes of play, while subbing in and out most of their roster, including freshmen.

Ohio State clung to a 42-39 lead at the halftime buzzer after shooting 60% overall and 63% from beyond the arc. On the other side, Dayton shot 46% overall and 39% from three-point land. The difference maker? Definitely the seven offensive rebounds Dayton grabbed over the first 20 minutes, which led to 13 second-chance points.

The Buckeyes fell apart a little bit in the beginning of the second half, turning it over on six possessions out of seven at one point and squandering a nine-point lead. But just when the crowd hit their highest decibel level of the night, Gayle knocked down a three from the left wing to put Ohio State back up, 55-52. That was our score at the under-12 timeout with 11:56 remaining in the game.

Thanks to more heroics from Thornton, the Buckeyes pushed their lead to seven points with 7:58 remaining in the game, 65-58. Ohio State’s sophomore point guard scored 10 of the Buckeyes’ first 18 points coming out halftime break, and just generally looked in control of the pace of the game. When Bruce wanted to go fast, Ohio State went fast. If he wanted to be more methodical, that’s what happened. Thornton scored through 33 minutes of game play (28 of which he was on the floor for), he scored 21 points on just nine shot attempts.

The Buckeyes’ defense will need to improve if they plan on making some noise at the top of the Big Ten this season, but their shot selection was nearly impeccable at UD Arena as they topped the Flyers in front of their home fans, 78-70. They were led by Thornton, who had 21 points on 7-9 shooting. He knocked down three of his four three-point attempts, and hit four out of five free throws. Battle and Gayle each scored in double digits as well, with 15 and 12, respectively.

As a team, the Buckeyes shot 55% overall, and 44.4% from beyond the arc. They gave up a whopping 14 offensive rebound and turned the ball over way too much (15 times), but even with that, they still beat a Dayton team that’s been picked to win the A-10 by pretty much everyone that knows ball.

If you weren’t able to make it out to Dayton for tonight’s game or catch it on TV, here are a few of the key takeaways from the first live action for Team 125.

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Buckeyes struggled to control the glass ​

As was the case last season, Ohio State really struggled to come down with defensive rebounds at times against the Flyers. Dayton grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first half alone, and the problem was wisdespread. Mahaffey, Battle, and Zed Key were all beat to rebounds that were right below the basket in the first half, leading to 11 second-chance points for Dayton. Even though it was just an exhibiton, it made Chris Holtmann slap ever-loving crap out of the scoring table time and time again.

Even though the Buckeyes struggled at times, it was evident that defensive rebounding was a big point of focus this evening. When someone did grab a tough defensive rebounds, the entire bench was standing to clap and shout at whoever did it. After letting Dayton grab 11 of them in the first half, they only had three in the second half.

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Ohio State will run a three-guard lineup ​

We’ve speculated a little bit if Chris Holtmann would start three guards, and it looks like the answer is no. However, Dale Bonner was the first Ohio State sub about six minutes into the game, and he remained in with Gayle and Thornton, playing 10 of the final 14 minutes. Ohio State likes his ability to push tempo as well as the experience he has with some other technical things, like inbounding the ball against various presses and moving the ball up the court quickly against a full court press.

If anyone is curious, the other two guys in there with the three guards (initially) were Key and Mahaffey. For the game, Thornton played 28 minutes, Bonner played 26, and Gayle 25.

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Thornton, Battle look game-ready ​

Out of everyone on the floor, Thornton and Battle stood out to me as the two guys who look the most prepared if the regular season started tomorrow. The two combined to shoot 6-8 in the first half for 18 points, with each guy knocking down a pair of three-pointers. Battle struggled at times on the defensive glass — and that will be a concern if it doesn’t improve eventually — but the most important thing for Battle is his offensive output. What version of Battle Ohio State gets this season will determine how many games they’ll play next March. He finished with 15 points on 6-7 shooting, and 3-4 from downtown. In his 22 minutes, Battle grabbed five rebounds and recorded two assists to boot.

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Freshman to freshman connection ​

Ohio State’s final basket of the first half was a bucket executed solely by freshmen. With 28 seconds remaining in the half, Dayton freshman forward Petras Padegimas had the ball near half court, looking for somewhere to go with it. Devin Royal swung his hand under the ball and popped it out of his hand into the air, and then grabbed the ball and took it upcourt. Scotty Middleton saw the play unfold from the opposite side of the floor and shadowed Royal up the floor, allowing one freshman to dish to the other, leading to an easy fast break bucket to put Ohio State up, 42-37.

Middleton played 18 minutes tonight, scoring five points on 2-7 shooting. Royal played 19 minutes and had six points on 2-3 shooting, while also grabbing three rebounds, dishing out two assists, and recording one steal.

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Tons of turnovers to start the second half​

The Buckeyes had five turnovers in the entire first half, but crumbled against Dayton’s pressure to start the second half, turning it over eight times over the first 7:54 of the second half. What was once a nine-point lead melted down to a 52-52 tie, until Gayle knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing to put the Buckeyes back up three points with 12:02 left in the game. Chris Holtmann immediately called a timeout, trying to bottle that progress and talk to the team with the crowd no longer roaring.

Ohio State turned the ball over just three times over the final 12 minutes after Holtmann’s timeout.

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Let’s not settle ​

There are times to send dozens of threes flying, and there are times to be a bit more methodical with your shot selection. While 27 of Dayton’s first 49 shots (55%) tonight came from beyod the arc, the Buckeyes took just 14 out of their first 38 shots (37%) came from beyond the arc. Ohio State knocked down a higher percentage as well, meaning they were being more efficient with the shots they took, as well as being more particular about when they let it rip from downtown.

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OSU takes on Dayton in an exhibition game at 6pm.

Final computer rankings released


Top 16 in each region move onto the playoffs, traditional 1 v 16, etc. style

Main thing I'm watching/hoping for is a Massillon vs Hoban D2 title game....Massillon will likely be dealing with some suspensions after the handshake line fight w/ McKinley on Friday

St. Ed's the prohibitive D1 favorite
D3 has a ton of threats, if I had to pick now I'd go Toledo Central Catholic

I could go into detail on each division but usually a bit easier after the first couple weeks and the field thins down. Hope you all make it to a game - should have good weather for the weekend, best time of the year!

Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: A Jim Knowles legacy game in October?... F*%@ it, a Jim Knowles legacy game in October!
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Josh and Chuck gush over Jim Knowles and the Ohio State defense, as they recap the Buckeyes’ hard fought victory over Penn State.

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio​

On this episode of ‘Hangout in the Holy Land,’ Josh and Chuck give props to not only OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, but also Larry Johnson, Tim Walton, Perry Eliano, and the players, as Ohio State rode their stingy defense to a second victory (this season) over a top-10 team — stifling a normally productive Penn State offense in the process.

But first, the hosts discuss other goings-on around the CFB landscape, as several ranked teams played close games. Closer than they should have been. Both Washington and Oklahoma struggled coming off of big, emotional victories, while Iowa... Iowa’ed? As a result of the latter, the Big Ten West is unfortunately and comically wide open, and the Hangout boys are both disgusted and amused.

The title race is heating up, and so is the Heisman race. The guys give their current favorites before transitioning to a total Knowles lovefest.

And why not? Because the Buckeyes’ DC and his group of coaches have their ‘Silver Bullets’ playing at a championship level. While Ryan Day and the OSU offense continue to tinker and tweak - and hope to improve - Knowles’ group is making an argument for the best unit in the country.

The Buckeyes smothered the Nittany Lions and came away with an impressive victory, despite missing a number of key players. Here’s hoping Ohio State can get healthy and continue getting better as they work toward a regular-season finale in Ann Arbor.

Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!

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Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3

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Ohio State opens as 14-point favorites over Wisconsin
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes travel to Madison for a battle against a familiar face.

Ohio State passed a huge test on Saturday, defeating Penn State 20-12 to stay undefeated and set up what could very well be an 11-0 vs. 11-0 matchup in Ann Arbor to end the regular season. Before they get there, the Buckeyes must win their toughest remaining game on the schedule ahead of TTUN, and that is Week 9’s road trip to Madison to take on Wisconsin. Luke Fickell’s guys have had a couple stumbles, but the Badgers will still present a real test for Ryan Day and company in what should be a hostile environment.

All lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread: Ohio State -14​

Ohio State’s offense wasn’t the star of the show against Penn State, as the 20 points scored against the Nittany Lions were the team’s second-lowest output of the season (17 against Notre Dame), but the Buckeyes did enough offensively to emerge victorious against a strong defense. Kyle McCord struggled, although he finished the game with 286 yards passing and a touchdown. Marvin Harrison Jr. was Ohio State’s main source of offense, totaling 11 catches for 162 yards and a TD — his fifth 100-yard game of the season and third time with more than 160 yards receiving through seven games.

Defensively, you couldn’t have asked for a much better performance from the Buckeyes. Jim Knowles’ unit held Penn State to under 200 yards passing and under 50 yards rushing, while allowing the Nittany Lions to convert on just 1-of-16 third down attempts. Guys were making plays at all three levels, with the Buckeyes totaling four sacks, eight tackles for loss and six pass breakups. Drew Allar completed less than 50% of his passes (18-of-42), and Penn State really just had zero answers on offense for the entirety of the afternoon. Impressively, Ohio State did all of this without its top corner Denzel Burke, who was sidelined with an injury.

Wisconsin, who comes into this game at 5-2 on the year, managed to bounce back from a 15-6 loss to Iowa with a 25-21 win over Illinois last time out. With starting QB Tanner Mordecai sidelined indefinitely with a hand injury, Mississippi State transfer Braedyn Locke helped lead the Badgers to a fourth quarter comeback. Trailing 21-7 entering the final frame, Wisconsin rattled off 18 unanswered points to steal the game. Locke finished 21-of-41 with 240 yards and two TDs, while star running back Braelon Allen totaled 145 yards rushing and a TD. The Badgers’ offense has struggled at times under OC Phil Longo, but they are at their best when they give Allen the football.

With Jim Leonard no longer at the helm of the defense, the Badgers have taken a bit of a step back this season on that side of the ball. It's still not a bad unit by any means, but Wisconsin currently ranks middle of the pack in the Big Ten in scoring defense, sitting 10th at stopping the run and eighth in stopping the pass. The team’s biggest star defensively has been safety Hunter Wohler, who leads the Badgers with 70 total tackles — 26 more than the next-highest player — with three tackles for loss, two interceptions and four pass breakups. Linebacker Darryl Peterson leads the way in the front seven, tallying six TFLs and 3.5 sacks, both team-highs.

A big question mark going into this game is just how healthy is Ohio State? The Buckeyes have managed to get by with all their injuries, but it would be nice to have guys like TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka and Denzel Burke back for what could be a tough road game. OSU has done a great job against the run this season, but Allen is far and away the best back they’ve faced thus far. The linebackers were up to the task against Penn State’s RB duo, and they will need to match that performance this week. Elsewhere, Ohio State has to get something going on the ground to help McCord keep the offense moving. A healthy Henderson would go a long way there, but it remains to be seen when he will take the field again.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Ohio State’s 20-12 win over Penn State
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

There was lots of good from a Buckeye defense that looks like one of the nation’s best.

No. 3 Ohio State won a defensive battle on Saturday afternoon, knocking off No. 7 Penn State by a score of 20-12 in Columbus. The Buckeyes had some struggles on offense — and were once again without both Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson — but Marvin Harrison Jr. picked them up when they needed it, and Jim Knowles’ defense stood on its head all afternoon as OSU won itself a good ole fashion Big Ten rock fight to move to 7-0 on the season.

Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from Ohio State’s victory over Penn State.

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The Good​

The Entire Defense

A truly impressive performance by the Ohio State defense as a whole.

While Penn State’s offense lacks any real explosiveness, the Silver Bullets completely shut them down. Drew Allar was just 18-of-42 passing for 191 yards and a touchdown — and those stats were even inflated by the Nittany Lions’ final drive when guys were exhausted and the game was virtually out of reach. Penn State was 1-of-16 (!!) on third down, and that lone conversion also came on that last drive. The Nittany Lions’ star running back duo of Nicholas Singetlon and Kaytron Allen mustered only 74 yards on 18 carries, with 36 of those yards coming on two long runs in the first quarter.

Jim Knowles had his guys fully ready to go, even with his top corner Denzel Burke sidelined with an injury. The defensive line did a great job of getting pressure on Allar all afternoon, tallying four sacks and eight tackles for loss. The secondary, led by Jordan Hancock, was equally excellent, recording six pass breakups. The linebackers, which had been a trouble spot for Ohio State over the last two weeks, stepped up to the plate as well. There was nothing not to like about the Buckeyes’ defensive performance, which is ultimately what won them the game.

Marvin Harrison Jr.

While Ohio State’s offense looked out of sync for most of the afternoon, Marvin Harrison Jr. was always there when the team desperately needed to move the chains. The Buckeyes picked up 22 first downs against the Nittany Lions, and 10 of those were on catches by the star wide receiver. MHJ finished the game with 11 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. Harrison Jr. has eclipsed 100 yards in five of Ohio State’s last six games, and Saturday was his 12th career game passing the century mark, leaving him just two games shy of tying David Boston’s program record.

Even with some rare drops the last couple weeks, Harrison Jr. is invaluable to Ohio State, and one of the best pure receivers the school has ever seen — which says a lot with some of the names to come through Columbus lately.

Cade Stover

I have had my gripes with Cade Stover in the past. I think Ohio State uses him incorrectly at times and puts him in positions to fail, making the tight end look bad in the process. That being said, Stover is undeniably valuable in the passing game. With so much attention paid to Harrison Jr. and, when healthy, Emeka Egbuka, being able to get four catches for 70 yards from Stover in this game was huge. He made two huge grabs in the second half against Penn State for 30 and 29 yards, including one where he completely Moss’d the defender. For all of Stover’s shortcomings in the blocking department, which is a real concern, he makes some big plays in the Buckeyes’ biggest games when it matters most.

J.T. Tuimoloau

I know I already talked about the defense as a whole, but J.T. Tuimoloau deserves a special shoutout before we move on. The former five-star defensive end never seems to put up numbers that really ‘wow’ you in the final box score, but it feels like Tuimoloau makes at least one massive play in the fourth quarter of every game. This time, it was a sack of Allar on the first play of the final frame to put Penn State behind the sticks and ultimately force a punt. Tuimoloau officially finished the afternoon with the sack, a TFL, one pass break up and one QB hurry, but his impact was felt throughout. He’s not a Chase Young-level pass rusher, but he makes plays all over the place and has a flair for the dramatic.

The Bad​

The Run Game

TreVeyon Henderson has missed the last three games with an injury he suffered against Notre Dame, and as a result Ohio State’s rushing attack has really struggled. With Henderson on the shelf, the Buckeyes have averaged 1.9 yards per carry against Maryland, 3.9 YPC against Purdue and 1.9 YPC on Saturday against Penn State. Chip Trayanum and Miyan Williams have their moments, but they lack the explosiveness of a guy like Henderson. The duo combined for just 84 yards on 33 carries against the Nittany Lions.

It hasn’t helped that Ohio State’s offensive line really struggles with zone running schemes, which is seemingly all Ryan Day is willing to call. On top of that, Day refuses to let Dallan Hayden get involved more since they want to redshirt him, even though Hayden might be the Buckeyes’ best all-around running back. Day said that Henderson was close to playing against Penn State, so hopefully that means he can finally return to action against Wisconsin next week.

Either way, the scheme in the run game must improve. Justin Frye should be allowed to use more of the run designs he learned under Chip Kelly at UCLA, as it doesn’t seem he has a ton of say right now, and the boundary stretch runs and pitch plays that keep resulting in negative yards need to be scrapped from the playbook entirely.

Kyle McCord

The final stat line for McCord doesn’t look all that bad: 22-of-35 for 286 yards and a touchdown. However, both McCord’s own stats and Ohio State’s final margin of victory could have looked a lot better had the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback connected with some wide open receivers at various points in the game. All too often this season McCord’s passes have been off the mark, resulting in incompletions and stalled drives. It seems like the QB is either speeding things up too much and failing to set his feet, leading to off-target throws, or holding the ball too long and taking a sack — one of which nearly costed Ohio State a touchdown had Penn State’s fumble recovery not been called back on a penalty.

Ohio State isn’t asking McCord to make too many tough throws, and many of the guys he is missing are completely open. The deep ball really has not been there, with many attempts down the field falling short of the intended target or going well over their head. The level of quarterback play in Columbus has been so good for so long that maybe we are just nitpicking here, but you have to at least make things happen on the easy throws. The Buckeyes’ offense isn’t where it needs to be just yet, and a lot of that seems to fall on the shoulders of its quarterback.

The Ugly​

Short Yardage/Red Zone Offense

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Ohio State really struggled to move the ball in short yardage situations and in the red zone. Prior to Harrison Jr.’s late touchdown to seal the game, the Buckeyes managed only 13 points on four trips to the red zone. OSU’s one TD on those four trips came after Penn State gift-wrapped them field position after a trio of flags. Twice they were forced to kick a field goal, and they were also stopped on fourth down after failing to get into the end zone on two plays facing third-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Ohio State also went just 6-of-16 converting third downs.

Needless to say, that is not going to cut it. A big part of those red zone struggles are a direct result of the lackluster run game, and that got compounded when Devin Brown — who has become a big part of Ohio State’s red zone package — went down with an ankle injury. As a whole, the Buckeyes ran the ball five times on third down, netting seven total yards. A lot of the failure to move the chains in this game was on incomplete passes by McCord, who converted on third down just four times through the air. For whatever reason, short yardage and the red zone continue to allude Day’s teams, and nothing ever really seems to change.

Parker “Waste of a Coaching Spot” Fleming

Holy hell, how does this guy still have a job? I’ve said it a million times at this point, but if you are going to waste a full-time assistant coaching position on special teams, that unit had better be excellent. Ohio State’s special teams isn’t even average — it’s actively bad! The Buckeyes’ special teams unit has turned the ball over twice in just the last three games alone, including what could have been a game-losing blunder on a punt against Penn State had the defense not stood on its head. This is in addition to generally poor blocking and returns on both kicks and punts.

It’s a miracle that Fleming’s key card to the Woody wasn’t deactivated before the final whistle. Fleming’s employment is hamstringing Ohio State in more ways than one. While he is clearly bad at the job itself, leading to a special teams unit that will at some point lose the Buckeyes a football game, he is also keeping OSU from having James Laurinaitis on staff as the full-time linebackers coach. It would be fantastic for Laurinaitis to get more of a hands-on role with the ‘weak’ link of the Buckeyes’ defense, and perhaps even bigger to get the charismatic three-time All-American on the road as a recruiter.

The $500,00 albatross has got to go.

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Here are this week’s games, which include the WLOCP. Some ACC games aren’t slotted yet in this list, and appear at the bottom.

Week 9

Tuesday, Oct. 24

New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Liberty at Western Kentucky | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU

Wednesday, Oct. 25

Jacksonville State at Florida International | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
UTEP at Sam Houston | 8 p.m. | ESPN2

Thursday, Oct. 26

Syracuse at Virginia Tech | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Georgia State at Georgia Southern | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
South Carolina State at North Carolina Central | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU

Friday, Oct. 27

Brown at Penn | 7 p.m. | ESPNU
Florida Atlantic at Charlotte | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2

Saturday, Oct. 28

Oklahoma at Kansas | 12 p.m. | FOX
Indiana at Penn State | 12 p.m. | CBS
UMass at Army | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
UConn at Boston College | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
Maryland at Northwestern | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
South Carolina at Texas A&M | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Houston at Kansas State | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
West Virginia at UCF | 12 p.m. | FS1
Tulsa at SMU | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Howard at Delaware State | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Duquesne at Sacred Heart | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Tennessee Tech at Robert Morris | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Columbia at Yale | 12 p.m. | ESPN+

Lafayette at Georgetown | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Bucknell at Colgate | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Holy Cross at Fordham | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
UNI at Illinois State | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Princeton at Cornell | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Stetson at Drake | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
UT Martin at Gardner-Webb | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Chattanooga at VMI | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN+

Morgan State at Norfolk State | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Indiana State at North Dakota | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Missouri State at Youngstown State | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
South Dakota State at South Dakota | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
East Tennessee State at Furman | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Mercer at Western Carolina | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Jackson State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Abilene Christian at Southern Utah | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Northern Colorado at Montana | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Texas A&M-Commerce at Houston Christian | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Lindenwood at Tennessee State | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Southeast Missouri State at Nicholls | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Lincoln (CA) at Kennesaw State | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
The Citadel at Samford | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Memphis at North Texas | 3 p.m. | ESPN+

Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, Fla.) | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
BYU at Texas | 3:30 p.m.
Oregon at Utah | 3:30 p.m. | FOX
Pitt at Notre Dame | 3:30 p.m. | NBC
Mississippi State at Auburn | 3:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Michigan State at Minnesota | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Purdue at Nebraska | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Iowa State at Baylor | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
East Carolina at UTSA | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Southern Miss at Appalachian State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Miami (Ohio) at Ohio | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State (in Birmingham, Ala.) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Murray State at North Dakota State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+

USC at Cal | 4 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Tulane at Rice | 4 p.m. | ESPN2
Prairie View A&M at Florida A&M | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
North Alabama at Austin Peay | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Eastern Washington at Portland State | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Montana State at Idaho | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
UC Davis at Northern Arizona | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Dartmouth at Harvard | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
UIW at Lamar | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Bryant at Charleston Southern | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Southern Illinois at Western Illinois | 4 p.m. | ESPN+

Arkansas State at UL Monroe | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Louisiana at South Alabama | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Tarleton State at Central Arkansas | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Morehead State at San Diego | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Wyoming at Boise State | 5:30 p.m. | FS2
Marshall at Coastal Carolina | 6 p.m. | NFL Network

Washington at Stanford | 7 p.m. | FS1
Tennessee at Kentucky | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Air Force at Colorado State | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Troy at Texas State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+

Ohio State at Wisconsin | 7:30 p.m. | NBC
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Colorado at UCLA | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Washington State at Arizona State | 8 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Cincinnati at Oklahoma State | 8 p.m. | ESPN2
Old Dominion at James Madison | 8 p.m. | ESPNU
Eastern Kentucky at Utah Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Northwestern State at McNeese | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Idaho State at Sacramento State | 9 p.m. | ESPN+

Oregon State at Arizona | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
New Mexico at Nevada | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN
UNLV at Fresno State | 10:30 p.m. | FS1

San Jose State at Hawai'i | 12 a.m. Sunday | Spectrum Sports PPV

Florida State at Wake Forest
North Carolina at Georgia Tech
Duke at Louisville
Clemson at NC State
Virginia at Miami (Fla.)

247
Rivals
HUDL
ON3



Class: 2026 (high school)
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Douglasville (GA) Douglas County
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 170 lbs


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A stud, a dud, and a flub: Recapping Ohio State’s 20-12 win vs. Penn State
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Neatly wrapping up what we saw in Columbus on Saturday between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes.

Ohio State claimed their seventh-straight win over Penn State, beating the Nittany Lions 20-12 in Columbus on Saturday. True to recent form, a lot of the game between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions was played with only a score separating the teams, but Ohio State was able to put some distance on Penn State in the fourth quarter before a late touchdown by the Nittany Lions made the final tally look a little more respectable.

Beside a ton of points, we saw a little bit of everything else in Saturday’s game in Columbus. There were some studs, some duds, and some moments that were flubbed. I try and summarize what I liked, what I hated, and moments that lost me during the game.

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Stud: Marvin Harrison Jr.​

We are running out of words to describe just how good Marvin Harrison Jr. is. Even on a day where Kyle McCord wasn’t all that sharp, Harrison still hauled in 11 passes for 162 yards and a score. Harrison has put up three-straight games with at least 100 yards and a touchdown, and has hit the century mark in receiving yards in five games this season. The 12 career 100-yard receiving games for Harrison in his Ohio State career breaks a tie with Chris Olave, and has him just two away from tying David Boston’s school record.

What’s crazy is Penn State knew Harrison was going to be the focal point of the offense and they still couldn’t stop him. It’s not like the Nittany Lions have terrible defensive backs; Penn State has one of the best secondaries Ohio State will see all season. Harrison is just that damn good. By the time he declares for the NFL Draft following this season, it is going to be hard to argue that there was a better receiver in Buckeye history than Harrison, which is saying a lot since there has been a lot of top-tier talent at wide receiver over the years at Ohio State.

Please though, no more calling him “Maserati Marv”. After Gus Johnson said it 93,249 times during the game, I am over that nickname.

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Dud: Parker Fleming​

Another week, another miscue from the special teams unit. After Ohio State forced Penn State to punt deep in their own end in the third quarter, a punt bounced and hit Lorenzo Styles, which resulted in the Nittany Lions taking possession after they jumped on the football. Maybe the mistake doesn’t happen if Emeka Egbuka isn’t injured and is back there returning punts, but it looked like punt returner Jayden Ballard was trying to get his teammates to be aware of where the football was.

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Do you want to know how much Parker Fleming makes per year? $500,000. No, I didn’t add a couple extra zeros to that number. I haven’t seen anything from the special teams since he has been in Columbus that makes me think Fleming is worth $5,000, let alone $500,000.

I would love for Day to try and justify why Fleming is making anywhere close to that amount per year. Honestly, Fleming might want to consider a career in politics since he already seems to be an expert at stealing money.

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Flub: Ryan Day at the end of the first half​

As a Buffalo Bills fan I already have to deal with Sean McDermott, who is a giant coward of a head coach. At the college level I have Ryan Day trying to talk like a tough guy, but there are times when he doesn’t practice what he preaches. Day had me ready to lose it near halftime when he sat on his three timeouts and decided to kneel out the first half even though Ohio State had nearly a minute to work with. At that time Kyle McCord was struggling with his confidence a bit after having a fumble return for a touchdown nullified by a defensive penalty.

My issue with Day not using his timeouts and at least trying to do something with the football was Ohio State also was getting the kickoff to open up the second half. Score at least some points on both those drives, and the Buckeyes could have really broken the spirit of Penn State. Also, if the Ohio State offense does move the football down the field, at least it would restore some of the confidence of McCord heading into the second half. Instead, the Buckeyes ended up punting on their first drive of the second half anyway.

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What’s not working: Ohio State’s running game​

It’s sad to see just how inept the Ohio State running game has become. It feels like every time the Buckeyes run the football, the design takes it towards the boundary. How about trying to run more north and south? Instead Ohio State runs east to west and ends up running 20 yards to gain two yards if they are lucky. For as much as Ryan Day wants people to believe his team is tough and can run the ball, he doesn’t put them in position to have much success on the ground.

Even though the play design is a big reason why the Buckeyes ran for just 79 yards on 41 carries against Penn State, there are more issues than just that. It doesn’t help that TreVeyon Henderson has missed the last three games due to injury. With Henderson on the sidelines, Chip Trayanum and Miyan Williams were left to handle most of the carries. While the two are both tough runners, they are way too similar.

I get that Ryan Day wants to keep Dallan Hayden’s redshirt, but you have to scrap that plan because Hayden is too good to keep on the sidelines right now.

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Lastly, there has to be someone better than Josh Simmons that can start. The San Diego State transfer is easily one of the worst offensive linemen in the FBS. Luckily his terrible play hasn’t hurt the Buckeyes too much so far this year, but at some point one of his mistakes is going to end up costing Ohio State a game.

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What to be excited about: The Buckeyes now have a clear path to “The Game”​

With the win over Penn State, Ohio State doesn’t have much to worry about them ahead of next month’s showdown with Michigan. Next week the Buckeyes travel to Madison to take on Wisconsin under the lights. Heading into the season, the battle with the Badgers looked like it could be a tricky spot for Ohio State. The matchup has lost a lot of its luster since Luke Fickell’s dreams of adding more of a passing element to the Wisconsin offense has sputtered, and quarterback Tanner Mordecai broke his hand last week.

Following next week’s contest against Wisconsin, Ohio State travels to Rutgers, then they’ll be at home for games against Michigan State and Minnesota before they travel to Ann Arbor after Thanksgiving. I know college football can make no sense sometimes, I just don’t see a scenario where the Buckeyes lose any of those games before they head to Michigan. We could be looking at another No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown between the rivals.

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Instant Recap Podcast: Ohio State defense flexes on Penn State as OSU becomes No. 1 team in college football
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a year where no team looks dominant, even with a sub-standard offense, this team can win it all.

On LGHL Instant Recap Pods, Land-Grant Holy Land writers break down Ohio State games just minutes after the action ends. They bring you the biggest stats, storylines, and moments of the game before the players make it back to the locker room.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

What an absolutely historic defensive performance from the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes as they dispatched the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions 20-12 in Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Silver Bullets played perhaps their best game in half a decade, completely shutting down an offense that had been putting up 44 points per game this season.

Now, there is still a lot to be desired from the offense with drops, bad throws, red zone inefficiencies, running game issues, and poor play-calling still popping up their ugly heads, but thanks to a career-best 11 receptions, Marvin Harrison Jr. helped the OSU offense do enough to pull off their second top-10 victory of the season.

Because of the wins over Notre Dame and PSU, our Matt Tamanini believes that there is no doubt that Ohio State should be the No. 1 team in the country.

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Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

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Minnich’s Musings about Ohio State vs. Penn State
Chip.Minnich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes can exhale after the close win over the tough Nittany Lions.

Exhale, Buckeye Nation. Ohio State held on against Penn State, winning 20-12. Ohio State now sits at 7-0 on the season and can regroup before going to Wisconsin on October 28th at Camp Randall Stadium.

The victory was not without its difficulties. Backup quarterback Devin Brown suffered an injury that was serious enough for him to leave the game on a cart. If anything, look for Ohio State to elevate Tristan Gebbia to the primary backup quarterback position behind starter Kyle McCord.

Speaking of Kyle McCord - it was not always pretty, and McCord often seemed rattled by the Nittany Lions, but he seemed to subscribe to the “do no harm” mentality that let Ohio State punt the ball away, and let the defense carry the load for the team.

Below are some other random thoughts I had while watching this game...

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The Defense Is The Strength Of This Year’s Team​

If you had told me that I would be writing that sentence back when the season began, I would have scoffed in your face. The facts cannot be denied, as Ohio State was able to effectively clamp down on the Penn State offense, as the Nittany Lions were at one point 0-15 on third down conversions. Major props to Jim Knowles and the defense for making Penn State so miserable offensively.

Penn State finished the game 1-of-16 on third downs.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 21, 2023

Click to expand...

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Short Yardage Is Still A Major Weakness For Ohio State​

As soon as Ohio State was on the goal line, up 13-7, with a 4th and 2, I was pleading for a field goal attempt that would have essentially put the game out of reach. Instead, Ohio State went for it on 4th and 2, did not make it, and Penn State was able to get the ball on the turnover of downs.

The fact that Ohio State eventually won the game does not gloss over the painful fact that the Buckeyes are not able to convert on short-yardage downs. It has not yet hurt the Buckeyes, but against some of their remaining opponents, it could certainly be a mistake at the worst time.

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Miyan Williams’ Return Was A Welcome Sight​

It was not always pretty, but Miyan Williams offered a physical running style that this game against Penn State demanded. 24 carries for 62 yards and 1 touchdown is not the stuff of legends, but Williams often was able to gain positive yardage for the Buckeyes, and like his teammate Kyle McCord, played with a “do no harm” style that Ohio State needed.

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This Offense Is Entirely Dependent Upon Marvin Harrison, Jr.​

That statement is not a complaint, but a simple, observable fact. Even though Harrison is not fully healthy, his usually clutch receptions were crucial to Ohio State’s offensive possessions. I wrote “usually clutch”, as he has been having some uncharacteristic drops recently, but for the most part, Harrison is what makes the Ohio State offense go, or unfortunately, stay idle.

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A TresselBall Approach Is Not A Bad Thing​

Yes, I prefer touchdowns to field goals, but against a quality opponent such as Penn State, it was imperative that Ohio State come away with points when in scoring territory. Considering the short-yardage woes that Ohio State is seemingly unable to fix, perhaps Coach Day will be more likely to invoke the style and mannerisms of one of his predecessors and take a field goal after an offensive drive gets stalled.

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I have said this before on The Silver Bullets Podcast, and I will repeat it - the 2023 Ohio State football schedule has a series of tests upon it. Ohio State took, and passed, their first test at the end of September when they went to South Bend and defeated Notre Dame. The second test is how Ohio State was able to knock a top team such as Penn State from the ranks of the unbeaten. A quick reminder to Ohio State fans is how sluggish the Buckeyes looked after their bye week and at home in their 37-17 win over Maryland on October 7th. Considering how challenging Camp Randall Stadium can be, the Buckeyes cannot afford to get too comfortable, as the Badgers and Luke Fickell are eagerly waiting for their first visit since 2016.

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