The virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Nittany Lions in Week 10.
College football finally returned to the virtual world in 2024 with the release of EA Sports College Football 25, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.
The new game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our Week 10 sim:
Ohio State 34 – Penn State 27
As is usually the case when these two programs meet on the actual football field, this week’s simulation gave us a closely contested game that resulted in an Ohio State victory. The Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions, 34-27, in a contest where Ryan Day’s squad was significantly out-gained on offense but managed to win the turnover battle as well as limit the damage on third down.
Both teams found the end zone on their first offensive possessions of the afternoon, as Carnell Tate’s 5-yard touchdown on Ohio State’s opening drive was matched by Liam Clifford’s 13-yard touchdown on Penn State’s ensuing series. The home team would pull ahead later on in the first quarter, with Drew Allar finding Tyler Denmark for a 32-yard catch-and-run score that gave the Nittany Lions an early seven-point lead.
The Buckeyes chipped away to begin the second quarter, with Jayden Fielding drilling a 47-yard field goal to cut the Penn State lead to four. A short while later, Ohio State hit on its first big play of the game with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Will Howard to Emeka Egbuka to put the scarlet and gray up, 17-14, with six minutes to go until halftime. That would be more than enough time for the Nittany Lions to tack on a field goal before the break, as the two sides headed to the locker room tied 17-17.
Ohio State came out of the half and dominated the third quarter. After a quick three-and-out for Penn State, Egbuka put the Buckeyes back on top with a 14-yard touchdown. Fielding would add another field goal midway through the period, and Egbuka put the capper on a 17-0 frame with his third touchdown of the game, this one from 20 yards out, as Ohio State entered the fourth quarter now leading 34-17.
The Nittany Lions did not go down without a fight. After a 39-yard field goal cut it to a two-score game, Kaytron Allen found the end zone on a 7-yard scamper as Penn State all the sudden trailed just 34-27 with still over eight minutes remaining in the game. James Franklin’s team got the ball back with a little over three minutes to go with a chance to tie or take the lead with one final drive, but Allar was picked off by Caleb Downs to seal the Ohio State victory.
The Buckeyes had a really poor day running the football, mustering only 75 yards on 23 attempts, but Howard made up for it with a 27-of-40 passing performance for 330 yards and four touchdowns with one pick. Egbuka was the real star of the show, however, with 10 catches for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Jeremiah Smith added five grabs for 89 yards, and Tate had four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, it was a big day for Ohio State’s linebackers, with Sonny Styles and Cody Simon tallying 13 and 10 total tackles apiece, respectively. Tyler Bourne (J.T. Tuimoloau) and Ty Hamilton each recored a sack, with Tyleik Williams and Jack Sawyer earning a half sack each. Caleb Downs was likely the Buckeyes’ actual player of the game though, picking off two passes and recording six tackles with two tackles for loss.
While Ohio State’s defense played well when it mattered most, including holding Penn State to only 3-of-12 on third down, the Buckeyes were out-gained by the Nittany Lions 546-409. Penn State really dominated on the ground, rushing for 247 yards on 34 carries, led by Nick Singleton’s 12 carries for 192 yards. Penn State totaled 21 first downs to Ohio State’s 14, but for some reason could not move the chains on third or fourth down (0-for-2 on fourth down) or make the most of its red zone opportunities (one TD and one FG in five trips to the red zone).
While the real life Buckeyes are 6-1 with a chance to move to 7-1, the virtual Buckeyes move to a perfect 8-0 on the year. Check back next week to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 11 simulation against Purdue.