Skull Session: Ohio State's Win Over Penn State Needs Perspective, JT Tuimoloau is The Nittany Lion Tamer and The Brotherhood is Real

By Chase Brown on October 24, 2023 at 5:00 am
JT Tuimoloau
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Remember, people: Cheaters never prosper!

Let's have a good Tuesday, shall we?

 HOW COULD IT BE "UGLY"? I like ESPN. I like Bill Connelly. I like SP+ (more on that in a moment). But how could the Worldwide Leader in Sports, Connelly and the SP+ conclude that Ohio State's win over Penn State was UGLY?

From Connelly's latest ESPN article:

YEP, THAT WAS UGLY

No. 3 Ohio State 20, No. 7 Penn State 12

We knew heading into Saturday's Ohio State-Penn State game that the defenses held most of the advantages. PSU entered the game ranked second in defensive SP+, and Ohio State wasn't far behind in fourth. Throw in a drastically banged up Ohio State skill corps and the fact that this was the first enormous start of Drew Allar's Penn State career, and low point totals were certainly possible.

For the second time this season, Ohio State won a low-point-total game. The Buckeyes averaged just 4.8 yards per play – it was just the second time in five seasons that they were below 5.0 – but finished seven possessions in PSU territory and paired two touchdowns with two field goals. Marvin Harrison Jr., maybe the single most important player in the country in terms of "when he does well, they do well" impact, caught 11 balls for 162 yards, 80 after catch.

Eleven other Kyle McCord completions averaged just 11.3 yards, and 37 carries by Buckeyes backs gained just 93 yards. But Ohio State won 21 of the game's 32 third downs (they were 6-for-16, PSU 1-for-16), and that tilted both the field and the game just enough in Ohio State's favor.

There are two ways to look at results like this. On one hand, this isn't the Ohio State we've grown accustomed to – one with an otherworldly offense accounting for a hit-or-miss defense – and considering that version of Ohio State has made five CFP appearances, reached the championship game twice (winning once) and nearly beat Georgia last season, a shift from that identity isn't automatically a good thing.

On the other hand, crafting a defensive identity that pairs occasional Jim Knowles-style aggression with incredible safety play and big-play prevention has worked wonders. Even without injured corner Denzel Burke, OSU held Allar to 18-for-42 passing with one completion of more than 20 yards and four sacks. The big-play issues that destroyed the Buckeyes' defense against Michigan and Georgia last season have been completely erased, and this might be the most underrated unit in the country. There's also nothing saying the offense can't shift into another gear when all the major pieces are healthy moving forward.

Winning ugly is not something Ohio State has been known for of late. As long as the Buckeyes can do fun, pretty things on offense at some point down the line, this could be a very good development.

Again, how on earth can a win in a top-10 matchup be seen as UGLY? There were two top-10 teams on the field!

Ohio State and Penn State have top-five defenses and possess NFL talent at all three levels, so, of course, inexperienced quarterbacks like Kyle McCord and Drew Allar would look out of sorts at times, as would the offenses McCord and Allar lead. Not to mention that McCord performed without RB1 TreVeyon Henderson and WR2 Emeka Egbuka, and, to be fair to Allar, the Medina, Ohio, native performed on the road in a hostile environment of 105,556 at Ohio Stadium.

Spare me with the UGLY label.

You want to know who won UGLY? Washington. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Heisman favorite before Week 8, completed 27 of 42 passes (64.3%) for 275 yards, zero (0!) touchdowns and two interceptions (41.1 QBR) as the Huskies escaped with a 15-7 win over a now 1-6 Arizona State team.

That's UGLY.

Ohio State's 20-12 win over Penn State was not.

Rant complete.

Now, for the "more on that in a moment" part I mentioned earlier.

As Ohio State prepares for its Week 9 matchup with Wisconsin, here is an update on where the Buckeyes currently rank in the SP+ and Football Power Index, as well as Ohio State's metrics in the Allstate Playoff Predictor:

SP+

  1.  Michigan: 28.7 overall score, 39.6 (6) offense, 11.3 (2) defense, 0.4 (6) special teams
  2.  Georgia: 24.0 overall score, 38.4 (7) offense, 14.8 (7) defense, 0.3 (15) special teams
  3.  Alabama: 22.8 overall score, 36.1 (15) offense, 13.6 (4) defense, 0.3 (9) special teams
  4.  Ohio St.: 22.1 overall score, 35.6 (16) offense, 13.7 (5) defense, 0.3 (22) special teams
  5.  Oregon: 21.4 overall score, 42.7 (3) offense, 21.4 defense (31), 0.1 special teams (57)

Football Power Index

  1.  Ohio St.: 27.9 FPI, 34% win out, 73.8% make CFP, 44.7% make CFP final, 25.6% win CFP final
  2.  Michigan: 26.7 FPI, 21.1% win out, 46% make CFP, 26% make CFP final, 14.2% win CFP final
  3.  Penn St.: 24.8 FPI,  36.2% win out, 16.3% make CFP, 7.9% make CFP final, 4.1% win CFP final
  4.  Oklahoma: 24.7 FPI, 38.1% win out, 63.9% make CFP, 33.6% make CFP final, 17% win CFP final
  5.  Alabama: 23.6 FPI, 28% win out, 31.3% make CFP, 15.7% make CFP final, 7.7% win CFP final

Ohio State's Remaining Schedule (Allstate Playoff Predictor)

  1.  @ Wisconsin, Oct. 28: 88% win percentage
  2.  @ Rutgers, Nov. 4: 92%
  3.  Michigan State, Nov. 11: 98%
  4.  Minnesota, Nov. 18: 97%
  5.  @ Michigan, Nov. 25: 47%

Section complete.

 THE NITTANY LION TAMER. On Oct. 29, 2022, Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau had the performance of a lifetime vs. Penn State, collecting six tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup (that led to a Zach Harrison interception), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown.

While Tuimoloau did not reach the same level of production on Saturday, he still had quite the performance in Ohio State's 20-12 win over the Nittany Lions, recording one tackle, one tackle for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and one quarterback hit.

He also made an impact outside the box score, including several occasions where he used Grown Man Strength™ to push around future first-round pick Olu Fashanu and make Drew Allar uncomfortable in the pocket.

According to Pro Football Focus, Tuimoloau recorded six pressures on Saturday, including five quarterback hurries and one sack. One of those pressures led to a deflection of an Allar pass attempt. The 6-foot-4, 269-pound defensive end extended his arm and connected with Allar's elbow as he motioned to throw the ball, stopping the Nittany Lions on 4th-and-3.

All in all, Tuimoloau was excellent for an Ohio State defense that was incredible from start to finish vs. Penn State. It's been almost 72 hours, and I still cannot believe the Buckeyes held the Nittany Lions to 1-of-16 conversions on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down. That's an all-time statistic for an all-time performance.

For those interested, Tuimoloau – who now has 20 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks and two pass breakups in 2023 – will be featured on Big Ten Network's "The Journey" on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET. 

The episode will also be re-aired at select times (TBD) and uploaded to the Big Ten Network's YouTube channel later in the week.

 ALL LOVE, C.J. In the Thursday Skull Session last week, I included odds from Bet Ohio for who would be the ESPN College GameDay "Guest Picker" for Ohio State-Penn State. The leading odds were J.K. Simmons, A.J. Hawk, Nick Mangold and others. However, there was no line featured for C.J. Stroud.

When Dan Hope and I learned the Houston Texans were idle over the weekend, we knew Stroud would be selected.

He was.

A wonderful Saturday ensued.

Stroud's return to Ohio Stadium was perfect. When he arrived at the Shoe, Stroud walked down the tunnel and headed for the south end zone, where the Buckeyes warmed up before their top-10 showdown. Stroud embraced his teammates with love and affection.

After a few more handshakes and greetings, Stroud walked across the field (drove, drove on down the field?) to the College GameDay studio, where he sat between Pat McAfee and Lee Corso and made predictions on college football games around the country. Stroud went 7-4 in his predictions, including a correct pick for Ohio State to beat Penn State.

After the game started, Stroud was honored on the field during a break in the action. Once his ovation had ended, the former Ohio State quarterback remained on the Buckeyes' sideline for all four quarters.

And, last but not least, Stroud sang Carmen Ohio with the Buckeyes after Ohio State's win, swinging arm-in-arm with safety Sonny Styles and walk-on quarterback Chad Ray in front of the south stands  – a moment that was enough to make a person reach for a tissue (or two... or three).

Just so cool.

The Brotherhood is real.

Always has been; always will be.

 PLAYER OF THE WEEK. Eleven Warriors offensive player of the game, Ohio State offensive player of the game and Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week. It had already been an accolade-filled couple of days for Marvin Harrison Jr. Then Ohio State named him its "Buck of the Week." What's one more award, really?

This season, Harrison has collected 42 receptions for 766 yards and six touchdowns. His 74 targets after seven games lead all Ohio State pass-catchers and represent 32.4% of the target share for the Buckeyes.

In other words, when Harrison says the "offense kind of goes as I go," he means it literally.

Harrison has proven that he can handle extra work in Ohio State's offense.

Last season, he was the Big Ten Receiver of the Year, a Biletnikoff Award finalist and a unanimous All-American. He should be seen as a favorite to win the former two awards this season, and I would be shocked if the 6-foot-4, 205-pound wide receiver didn't repeat as a unanimous All-American in 2023.

After Harrison's performance vs. Penn State, many have thrown his name into the Heisman Trophy conversation. This endorsement from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day should provide some ammunition for an argument that Harrison deserves such recognition.

“I haven’t seen everybody across the country, but it’s hard for me to find somebody who is better in the country,” Day said. "To me, he’s one of the most special players in the country.”

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Pompeii" by Bastille, Hans Zimmer.

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