3-5.

It was fun while it lasted. Despite holding tough in the first half with the No. 1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in week 10, Penn State dropped its fifth consecutive Big Ten bout. The Nittany Lions won’t get another shot at the Buckeyes in the regular season until 2028. Penn State hasn’t won since September 13.

Here’s how each position group fared in Columbus.

Quarterbacks: C+

With all of the pass protection issues against the Buckeyes, Ethan Grunkemeyer actually didn’t have a bad game. He ended his day on 19-for-28 passing for 145 yards and one garbage-time interception on 4th-and-goal.

Grunkemeyer looked poised in the pocket through the first half, but that dream died quickly once the third quarter rolled around.

Grunkemeyer got sacked four times for 40 yards against Ohio State, which made him look very uneasy in the pocket at times. The Buckeyes’ pressure was too much for him to overcome, considering his inexperience. Nevertheless, Grunkemeyer was serviceable and nowhere near Penn State’s worst player on Saturday.

Running Backs: B

Kaytron Allen’s 26-yard run to start the game had the Penn State faithful thinking it’d be another career day for the senior running back.

While he didn’t exactly reach the highs of the Iowa game, Allen still had a productive day on the field. He rushed 21 times for 76 yards and one touchdown. His yards per carry took a hit compared to his season average, with only 3.6, but that total is still impressive considering the competition.

Nick Singleton had his best game since non-conference play. He rushed for 18 yards and a touchdown on six attempts, but the receiving game is where he made his mark.

Singleton flashed his speed on multiple screen plays and looked like a rejuvenated man in the first half against the Buckeyes. He reeled in three catches for 28 yards with a 16-yard long in the loss.

The duo totaled 132 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.

Wide Receivers: C

Grunkemeyer did a decent job of spreading the ball around. While none of the receivers truly pop out on the stat sheet, some did make some decent plays. The Ohio State defense was too good to really make an impact, but the guys fought valiantly.

Devonte Ross led the way with five receptions for 26 yards. Trebor Peña followed with 11 yards on three receptions. Liam Clifford snagged two balls for 14 yards, and freshman Koby Howard had his second straight game with a deep reception over the middle, this time going for 26 yards in the fourth quarter against Ohio State. Kyron Hudson caught one ball for 18 yards.

Despite the decent showing, Penn State and Terry Smith steered clear of the game plan, for some reason. Smith emphasized all week that the team would get Howard and Tyseer Denmark on the field more to get some deep shots downfield.

Yet another game has come and gone, and Howard and Denmark combined for eight total snaps. Not exactly sure what the hold up is when Smith has reiterated time and time that the two would see a significant increase in play time in order to extend the field. He said chunk plays were a key to beating the Buckeyes, and not including Howard and Denmark early stands as a big question mark.

Tight Ends: D

Another game, another lackluster tight end performance.

Khalik Dinkins was the only tight end in the unit to record a catch. He caught two in the third quarter for 12 yards. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs blew him up on a seam route in the fourth quarter. Officials somehow didn’t penalize Downs with a targeting call.

Luke Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea didn’t record a stat.

Offensive Line: F

Ohio State had a field day against the boys up front. While they did provide fantastic blocking on Singleton’s touchdown run, that doesn’t wash up the fact that Grunkemeyer was sacked four times for 39 yards. The Buckeyes had no issue generating pressure on the redshirt freshman.

Ohio State also had seven tackles-for-loss for 43 yards. Not great.

Front Seven: D

On the other hand, the Nittany Lions couldn’t bring Julian Sayin down to save their lives. Penn State totaled zero sacks, but it did finish with four tackles-for-loss.

The front seven’s big play came at the end of the first half. Dani Dennis-Sutton somehow forced a fumble on Ohio State running back C.J. Donaldson Jr., and Chaz Coleman picked it up and returned it to the Buckeyes’ 13-yard line. The Penn State offense took care of business and punched it into the end zone, but the team failed to ride that wave in the second half.

However, the horrors of Penn State’s run defense were exposed once more. Ohio State totaled 164 rushing yards and one touchdown on 32 carries. Bo Jackson reached 105 yards on 13 rushes.

Secondary: F

Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate kept the spooky season terror going into November against Penn State.

Sayin ended his day on 20-for-23 passing for 316 yards and four touchdowns. You read that right, folks. Sayin had more touchdowns than incompletions.

Smith and Tate combined for 11 receptions, 247 yards, and three touchdowns. The duo both reeled in 57-yard receptions. It was a rough day for the Nittany Lions on the back end.

Special Teams: A

Gabe Nwosu had himself a day, at least. The redshirt senior punted six times for 299 yards. He averaged 49.8 yards per punt and had three go over 50 yards. Nwosu pinned two balls inside the 20-yard line and had a long of 63.

Ryan Barker did not attempt any field goals. He converted both of his extra points.