By the numbers: When did Ohio State football last lose to Penn State?

Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
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Ohio State football is back on the road Saturday for its annual meeting with Penn State.

The Buckeyes will face the Nittany Lions on the road at noon Saturday, Ohio State's first afternoon game against Penn State since 2009.

Here's a look at what numbers define Ohio State's matchup with Penn State.

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9: Ohio State wins in last 10 meetings with Penn State

Ohio State's recent history with Penn State has been a one-sided affair.

The Buckeyes have won nine of its last 10 meetings with the Nittany Lions, including four wins inside Beaver Stadium. In Ohio State's last nine wins against Penn State, five have been decided by 10 points or more, while three have been decided by a single score.

The Buckeyes have averaged 36.9 points in each of their wins against the Nittany Lions during this run, never scoring less than 27 points. Penn State has averaged 22.3 points in its nine losses, scoring more than 30 points only once in 2017.

2016: Last Ohio State football lost to Penn State in Happy Valley

Ohio State's last loss against Penn State came inside Beaver Stadium in 2016.

Holding onto a 21-7 lead after the first three quarters, the Buckeyes allowed 17 unanswered points, including a blocked field goal try by Ohio State kicker Tyler Durbin, which was returned 60 yards by Grant Haley for a touchdown for Penn State's first win against the Buckeyes since 2011.

Ohio State's loss to Penn State in 2016 was the Buckeyes' first road loss under head coach Urban Meyer.

1: 2022 Penn State game decided by less than 10 points

In 2022, the majority of Penn State's games have been decided handedly.

After a four-point win on the road against Purdue in the season opener Sept. 1, none of the Nittany Lions games have been decided by less than 10 points, including a 29-point road win against Auburn, a 24-point road loss to Michigan and a 28-point home win against Minnesota.

Penn State has won six of its first seven games for the first time since 2019.

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5: Big Ten teams, including Penn State and Ohio State, that average more than 5 yards per rush

Ohio State and Penn State will take the field Saturday afternoon with two of the top-five running games in the Big Ten conference.

The Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions are two of five teams in the conference, including Michigan, Minnesota and Maryland, to average more than five yards per carry in the run game.

For Penn State, it starts with running back Nicholas Singleton, who leads the team with 561 rushing yards on 82 carries with seven rushing touchdowns. Running back Kaytron Allen has 396 yards on 78 carries and four touchdowns through the first seven games.

Ohio State running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams have scored 13 of the team's 17 rushing touchdowns in seven games, averaging 6.4 yards on 154 combined carries.

50.7: Percent of passes completed by opposing quarterbacks against Penn State's pass defense

While Penn State's pass defense has been in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, allowing 232.9 passing yards per game, the Nittany Lions secondary has been one of the top units in the conference in defensive efficiency.

Penn State has the second-lowest completion percentage by opposing quarterbacks, completing 50.7% of the 272 pass attempts against the Nittany Lions.

Penn State only sits behind Illinois, which has a 43.9% completion percentage on 212 pass attempts.

The Nittany Lions are tied with Ohio State's defense for third-least passing touchdowns allowed with six behind Michigan's five and Illinois' two.

7.77: Yards per play Ohio State's offense has averaged through seven games

Penn State's defense has not seen an offense like Ohio State's yet this season.

The Buckeyes' offense is averaging 517.4 yards per game, fourth-best in college football, while averaging a nation-leading 7.77 yards per play.

The Nittany Lions faced Michigan's No. 19 offense and allowed 41 points and 563 yards of offense.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: When was the last time Penn State football beat Ohio State?