Will Kacmarek catches a touchdown from Julian Sayin in the Buckeyes' win over Wisconsin (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
#1 Ohio State took down Wisconsin in their seventh game of the 2025 season. Ohio State did it with a precision air campaign, with the passing game of Julian Sayin to Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith doing the most damage. The Buckeyes’ defense continued to be elite and kept Wisconsin off the scoreboard entirely.
Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 0
The Buckeyes went to the air early and often against the Badgers. Ohio State would snag a first-quarter lead of 17-0 behind a field goal and two spectacular touchdown passes from Sayin to Tate. Tate would finish the game with six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Ohio State would lead 17-0 at the half.
They’d get another 17 points in the second half behind touchdown passes from Sayin to Will Kacmarek and team captain Brandon Inniss. Smith would end the game with nine catches for 97 yards, and Sayin would total 36 completions on 42 attempts for 393 yards and four touchdowns.
Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith
Tate and Smith are, to no one’s surprise, the best receiving duo in college football. They are both in the top 20 in yards and touchdowns. Tate has 587 yards (17th) and six touchdowns (13th). Smith has 602 yards (14th) and seven touchdowns (6th).
Julian Sayin
Sayin remains the most accurate passer in college football. He’s become a Heisman candidate, even if his critics’ biggest argument is the quality of his receivers. It’s a reasonable opinion that accuracy is the trait in his quarterbacks that Ryan Day values the most. Sayin’s completed 156 passes on 195 attempts (80.0% completion rate) for 1,872 yards, 19 touchdowns. Completing 80% of his passes is the best in the nation, his yardage is 13th, and his touchdowns are tied for second.
Ohio State’s Top-Ranked Defense
The Buckeyes’ defensive stars again shone brightly. Caleb Downs led the team with six tackles, all of them solo. Arvell Reese had four tackles, a sack, and two tackles for a loss. Caden Curry had three tackles, a sack, and a tackle for a loss. Sonny Styles had a couple of tackles, a tackle for a loss, and an interception. Ohio State’s defense continues to impress. The Buckeyes have the first-ranked scoring defense, allowing only 5.9 yards per game. They also have the second-ranked total defense, allowing only 216.9 yards per game. Ohio State has yet to allow a touchdown in the first half of a game this season.
Penn State in Two Weeks
This will be the first time since 2016 that one of these two teams is outside the top 25 when they play. That was also the only time in the past 50 years that an unranked team beat a ranked team in this matchup. Ohio State holds a 26-14 lead in this series and has won eight straight and 12 of the last 13. A brief tale of the tape favors Ohio State. The strong Ohio State defense will be going up against a Penn State offense that is decent at scoring, averaging 34 points per game, but struggles to move the ball, ranking 97th in total offense at 355 yards per game.
Penn State has the 30th-best scoring defense, allowing 19.4 points per game, and the 21st-best total defense, allowing 303.7 yards per game. They’ll be going up against the Ohio State offense, which ranks 23rd in scoring at 36.4 points per game. The Buckeyes are averaging 431.4 yards per game (36th in the nation).
Both teams will be fresh, as they both have a bye week before the game. The key for Ohio State will be to deprive Penn State of any positive momentum. That means to avoid turnovers on offense and not give up the big plays on defense. Penn State is reeling, and depriving them of anything positive to rally around will go a long way toward the Buckeyes winning their ninth straight against them.
