Here are 5 things we learned from the Ohio State Buckeyes' 44-31 win over Penn State

Well, now that a win over Penn State is out of the way, the Ohio State football regular season now again comes down to one game. After scrimmages against Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland, it'll all be decided by the kickoff Nov. 26 vs. Michigan.

Likely, the winner goes to the College Football Playoff, and the loser is haunted for a year.

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Saturday's win over the Nittany Lions was not easy, but the more talented team with the better quarterback prevailed.

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Here are five things we learned from Saturday's game:

J.T. Tuimoloau introduces himself to the rest of the nation

Remember when Ohio State's coaching staff wore Hawaiian shirts and greeted a young J.T. Tuimoloau at the Columbus airport, where he had arrived on a recruiting visit in June 2021? The recruitment was turned up several notches in order to get the Seattle-area kid many felt would be an impact player.

On Saturday, Tuimoloau, who has impacted each game this season without the accumulation of gaudy stats, showed the rest of the country what the Buckeyes have in the sophomore. The extremely athletic defensive end had two interceptions, a strip-sack-fumble recovery and a tipped pass that landed in teammate Zach Harrison's arms. He again showed his strength, quick feet and soft hands. He showed why opposing offensive coordinators have been trying to account for him all season, thus leaving other Buckeye defenders free for one-on-one matchups.

Tuimoloau, who was an outstanding high school basketball player, got a mid-game shoutout from another hoopster, as LeBron James tweeted "JT TUIMOLOAU!!!! Say that name again and again!" James later tweeted "SAY IT AGAIN AND AGAIN"

The Michigan comparison looms large and doesn't look good for the Buckeyes

It's all about Michigan, as usual. And the Wolverines ran for 418 yards while routing Penn State. Ohio State ran for 98, and 41 came on one TreVeyon Henderson burst in the fourth quarter.

Penn State's respect for the Ohio State run game disappeared quickly, and the Nittany Lions began blitzing C.J. Stroud and sitting and pouncing on the many receiver screen passes the Buckeyes tried. Miyan Williams had a tough-guy touchdown run early, and Henderson broke free late. In between, it was a lot of going nowhere.

With each run for no gain, Buckeye fans had to wonder if their team is again not tough enough to beat Michigan.

Is Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished as a Buckeye?

Last week's proclamations from Ohio State that injured receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was expected to be healthy enough to face Penn State on Saturday proved to be false, as he didn't even make the trip to State College.

Smith-Njigba, thought by many to be the best receiver in the country, injured a hamstring in the opener against Notre Dame and has played very little since. Last week, he tried to play but hobbled off the field. Even then, coach Ryan Day, who will not give details about any injuries, said there was no concern, that Smith-Njigba had reached the number of plays they planned for him. A "pitch count," he called it.

Now Smith-Njigba is too injured to be on the game-day roster, and he doesn't appear to be getting better. Amid reports that Smith-Njigba didn't practice all week, former Buckeye Darron Lee tweeted "See ya on draft night JSN?"

You're not going to want to mess with the substitute Ohio State long snapper

Long snappers don't matter, right? Try telling that to the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 11 because snapper Clark Harris was hurt during the game. That forced tight end Mitchell Wilcox to take over, and two late kicks went awry because of fluttering snaps.

Last week, Ohio State's Bradley Robinson suffered a knee injury, moving Mason Arnold into the limelight. But because you've never heard of Mason Arnold, that means he did just fine in Saturday's win. Noah Ruggles kicked three field goals and five PATs and missed on a field goal try on which the snap was fine. Jesse Mirco's three punts were flawless.

Many know Robinson because he's been around forever, now in his seventh year of college and fifth with the Buckeyes. He even has an NIL deal and does commercials. But who is Mason Arnold?

He's a walk-on in his second year with the team and played high school ball at Carrollwood Day in Tampa, Florida. He was the No. 6-ranked long snapper in the nation but also was an undefeated state champion in wrestling in 2020 as a senior. His high school wrestling coach is former OSU wrestler Eric Smith.

And just so you're not confused by imposter Mason Arnolds, his Twitter handle is @TheMasonArnold.

Marvin Harrison Sr. speaks! And his son looks like an NFL receiver

Most know that Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has a famous Hall of Fame father. But few ever hear from the quiet dad. On Saturday, he was on the FOX pregame show and actually spoke, saying, among other things, that he is proud of his son.

"As you watch week in and week out, and his determination to play and get better, it's like he's doing everything he needs to do as long as he stays focused and keeps his head level," Harrison Sr. said. "Week in and week out, just forget about last week and focus on this week."

And then Junior went out and caught 10 passes for 185 yards and looked like a strong, taller version of his great dad. As Smith-Njigba's absence grows longer, Harrison flourishes more every week. Said FOX commentator Joel Klatt: "He's the best wide receiver in college football. I've seen enough. You can't defend him."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football beat Penn State: 5 things we learned about OSU