COLUMBUS, Ohio — Penn State’s 38-14 loss to Ohio State here in The Horseshoe on Saturday could have been a lot worse. Like 63-14 worse in 2013, when Urban Meyer pressed on the gas pedal and took it to the sanction-decimated Nittany Lions and Bill O’Brien to the bitter end.
Like Penn State’s 45-6 loss to the Buckeyes in 2000, just five games into the Dark Years under Joe Paterno. Or like Paterno’s 38-7 loss in The Horseshoe back in 1996.
Or like the Nittany Lions’ 38-10 loss to the Buckeyes here under James Franklin in 2015. And it was identical to the 38-14 loss Paterno & Co. sustained — here again in The Horseshoe — in 2010.
The point? Penn State, through thick and thin and five head coaches of regular, interim and post-scandal variety, loses in Ohio Stadium. (Unless Tom Bradley is involved; in 1978, as a player; in 2008, as an assistant coach; and in 2011, as head interim coach. Penn State won all three times in Ohio Stadium.)
Over the last half-century, Penn State has visited The Horseshoe 19 times. And has emerged scathed 16 of those times, for a bucking Buckeye record of 16-3. It’s death and very taxing. So, you expected something different on Saturday?
Sorry, but here’s more talk of another historically bad Penn State (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) losing skein after its very public Big Noon loss to No. 1 and undefeated Ohio State (8-0, 5-0):
It’s been 49 days since Penn State last won a college football game. That was the 52-6 victory over Villanova back on Sept. 13. Since then, Penn State has gone O-fer October, O-fer the Big Ten and O-fer the Power Four. And since then, Franklin has been O-fired and quarterback Drew Allar has broken his ankle.
It doesn’t look like the losing streak is going to stop next week, either, as No. 2 Indiana comes to Beaver Stadium riding a Curt Cignetti high that has lasted almost two seasons. So, by the time Penn State plays Michigan State in East Lansing on Nov. 15, it could be 63 days — six games — since they’ve had a win.
Which brings to mind another bad streak: Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 1993, Penn State has twice lost six consecutive B10 games to start conference play — in 2003 and 2004.
It’s all a very fair cry from what Franklin promised 101 days ago, at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas. In some ways, though he wasn’t on the sidelines on Saturday, this latest loss to the Buckeyes was on him as well — at least in spirit. Here is what Franklin said that day:
“This is the best combined personnel that we’ve had at Penn State. And when I talk about personnel, I am talking about players and staff from a depth standpoint, from a talent standpoint and from an experience standpoint. So, we’re very excited about that.”
That excitement has died.
SMITH WON’T PUNT, DESPITE THE STORM
Veteran punter Gabe Nwosu, who’s been part of the program for the past five seasons, says his teammates are not looking ahead to Nov. 29 — the day after the Rutgers game, which is PSU’s final regular season contest and very possibly the final game of a tumultuous season.
The reason? Interim head coach Terry Smith. He’s the silver lining in the grey skies of 2025.
“He’s motivating us, that’s for damn sure,” Nwoso said after the game. “He’s motivating us to finish it out. Positive things. Terry’s been a great interim head coach. We want to play for him. We want to play for Penn State. He is focusing on the now, focusing on what the opportunity is. Everyone thinks about the end picture and the end goal so much that we forget where we are right now. I think he’s done a good job of appreciating that we still have a lot left in the season.”
On Saturday, Smith — “The Truth Teller,” as he is known inside Lasch — acknowledged that the players “are obviously hurting. We’re in the middle of the storm and just can’t figure how to get out of it. The seniors are hurting. I feel awful for those guys to end their careers this way. It’s very challenging for all of us.
“We have to figure out how to keep fighting, how to keep on chopping wood,” Smith added. “The one positive of the game is that these guys did not quit.”
That was also true two weeks ago in Iowa City. They were competing to the very last play in an incredibly hostile environment against Iowa in Kinnick Stadium — to the point where quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer’s final desperation toss came dangerously close to being flagged for defensive pass interference, as the Hawkeyes held on to win, 25-24.
“I don’t think it really gets any tougher than where we’ve been at,” said Grunkemeyer, who had a passing line of 19 of 28 for 145 yards, with one interception, in his second career start. “We were at Kinnick and then obviously we played the No. 1 team in the country today, so I think those are just two great tests. Then we’ve got another tough one obviously” next week against Indiana.
