Penn State CBs 'roasted' at Ohio State, Buckeyes defense overwhelmed the Lions, and more of what they're saying

COLUMBUS — Coming into the 2025 season, the Penn State secondary appeared to be the one guaranteed strength of the Nittany Lions’ defense. On Saturday — and frankly, of late — they were anything but. Ohio State put up 316 of its 480 yards of offense through the air en route to a 38-14 win over the Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium.

“I think it’s a combination of all things,” interim Penn State head coach Terry Smith said. “Lack of pass rush, lack of DBs covering. There’s times we’re in man. There’s times we’re in cover three. It was a point of emphasis. It was a key to victory. You cannot let them behind you. Now, credit to those guys. They are the two best guys in the country, just watching these guys live, and I don’t mean it disrespectfully to the past Ohio State receivers, these two are better than all of them. And those guys are all good. So they put it on film. And they were outstanding today. We could not cover them.”

Here’s what is out there locally and nationally about the Lions’ latest loss.

Ohio State’s defense overwhelmed Penn State in the second half

CBS Sports’ David Cobb is focusing on how Ohio State suffocated Penn State on defense during the second half. All of the Lions’ points came before the break. And very little success came after it.

“Ohio State entered with the nation’s best scoring defense by a wide margin, allowing just 5.9 points per game,” Cobb writes. “While the Nittany Lions surpassed that mark, it was still a dominant effort for the Buckeyes. 

“Explosive plays were simply too hard to find for Penn State against Ohio State, which produced four sacks in the second half. The Buckeyes put an exclamation point on another strong defensive effort when Caleb Downs picked off an Ethan Grunkemeyer pass in the end zone as the Nittany Lions were driving late in the fourth quarter.”

Read the full story here.

The Penn State cornerbacks got ‘roasted’

PennLive’s Bob Flounders is one of the many writers who are focusing on how badly the Penn State cornerbacks and safeties played in the loss. The former was more of a problem than the latter. But, neither group was great.

“Sayin, the Buckeyes’ first-year starting quarterback, completed 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns,” Flounders writes. “That’s an 87 percent completion rate against a secondary that is viewed as the strength of PSU’s defense. Was viewed.

“The Lions’ corner room led by A.J. Harris, Audavion Collins, Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington II was expected to be a team strength at the start of the year, arguably the strength. They were exposed.”

Read the full story here.

The Lions must regain their identity

That’s the take from Joel Haas of Statecollege.com. It’s fair to wonder if this version of the Lions ever had a positive identity to begin with. But, Penn State certainly does not have one right now.

“Losing games is bad. Losing an identity is worse, as it signifies broader, foundational issues. Without it, there’s nothing dependable to fall back on,” Haas writes.

Read the full story here.

Final word

It goes to BWI’s Nate Bauer, who writes in his highs and lows piece that:

“At times, Penn State had a chance in its tilt with No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at the Horseshoe. Though thoroughly dominated by the Buckeyes out of the gates, the Nittany Lions kept the score tight late into the second quarter.

Effectively enacting the plan it brought with it from interim head coach Terry Smith, getting to the fourth quarter within earshot was the goal. It wouldn’t last.”

Read the full story here.