Ohio State's 20-13 win over Penn State in numbers

No. 4 Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State had a lot on the line heading into their showdown in Happy Valley on Saturday. The Buckeyes needed a win to stay in the Big Ten championship race. The Nittany Lions needed a win to stay undefeated.

Thanks to a goal-line stand and a performance that consumed 5:13 minutes of the final, Ohio State earned a 20-13 road win. It was the Buckeyes' eighth straight victory over the Nittany Lions and the fourth in that time decided by eight points or fewer.

Here are the other numbers you should know from this Big Ten rivalry.

0: Penn State is 0-5 against Michigan and Ohio State since 2022, with a record of 28-1 against all other teams (18-0 against all other Big Ten opponents in that span).

19: This was Ohio State's first road win against an AP Top 5 opponent in 18 seasons, when they defeated No. 2 Texas in 2006. As of Saturday, the Buckeyes had lost each of their last four road games against top-five opponents.

5: Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw his fifth career pick-six in this game, making him the most by an active player in the FBS. It was Penn State's only touchdown of the day.

Penn State's Zion Tracy goes home with a pick-six to take a 10-0 lead over Ohio State

6: Ryan Day is now 6-0 against Penn State in his head coaching career, winning the annual matchup between the two rivals. Ohio State has beaten Penn State every season since its loss in Happy Valley in 2016.

4: With Saturday's win, Day ended its four-game losing streak against AP Top 5 opponents. He is now 3-7 against top-5 opponents in the AP. Before Saturday, Day's most recent win over a top-five team came against Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals of the 2020 season. He is also now 63-9 as the head coach of Ohio State University.

10: James Franklin is now 1-10 against Ohio State in his career, with his only win coming over the Buckeyes in the aforementioned 2016 matchup. On Saturday, Franklin lost for the fifth time by a one-point margin to Ohio State.

17: Franklin's struggles aren't just limited to facing Ohio State. He is also 1-17 against AP top-five opponents in his head coaching career, between his 11 seasons at Penn State and three seasons at Vanderbilt.

13: Even though Franklin is now 1-13 against AP Top 5 opponents as Penn State's head coach, the Nittany Lions have struggled against elite teams since the turn of the millennium. With Saturday's loss, Penn State fell to 1-23 against AP Top 5 opponents since 2000.

No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions

23: Ohio State also improved to 23-8 all-time in its series against Penn State.

13: Ohio State has started 7-1 or better for the 13th straight year.

678: Wide receiver phenom Jeremiah Smith broke a 40-year-old record when he caught an 18-yard pass in the third quarter, surpassing Hall of Famer Cris Carter for the most yards ever by a freshman at Ohio State had received. Smith leads the Buckeyes with 678 receiving yards this season.

111,030: Attendance for Ohio State vs. Penn State set a Beaver Stadium record.

42: Penn State's standout running back duo, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, had a quiet day. They rushed for a total of 42 yards on 2.3 yards per carry and did not reach the end zone.

146: Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw for just 146 yards in the loss. In his three games against top-five opponents, Allar has thrown for less than 200 yards each time. In those three games, he averaged 135.7 yards while throwing just two total touchdown passes.

4.5: Ohio State edge rusher JT Tuimoloau had another great performance. He recorded six total tackles and one half sack. Unless Ohio State faces Penn State again, Tuimoloau will finish his career with 4.5 sacks in four games against the Nittany Lions.

6: Emeka Egbuka continued his trend of appearing in big games for the Buckeyes. The Ohio State senior wide receiver made a 25-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Penn State. With this catch, Egbuka has recorded one touchdown reception in all six games he played against a top-five opponent. He finished Saturday with three receptions for 31 yards and the touchdown.

Ohio State's Will Howard connects with Emeka Egbuka for a 25-yard touchdown against Penn State

95: Ohio State University star running back Quinshon Judkins ran for 95 yards in Saturday's game, marking the 20th time in 34 games of his career that he totaled more than 90 yards on the ground. However, it is only the third time Judkins has crossed that threshold since transferring to Ohio State after transferring from Ole Miss.

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