College football has once again returned to the virtual world in EA Sports College Football 26, 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 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 38 – Penn State 13
Penn State came into the game looking to prove something, as the away team owned the first quarter. The Nittany Lions opened up the scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run by Kaytron Allen, and after a 36-yard field goal by Ryan Barker, it was 10-0 through the first 15 minutes of action.
Ohio State responded in the second quarter, getting on the board on a short QB sneak by Julian Sayin to cut the deficit to 10-7. With the Buckeyes’ defense now locked in, Penn State couldn’t muster anything close to a scoring opportunity. Later in the quarter, Sayin found Carnell Tate for a 19-yard touchdown, and so despite a slow start, Ohio State still took at 14-10 lead into halftime.
Penn State once again began the scoring in the second half, nailing a 47-yard field goal on its opening possession to get the game within a point, but those would be their last points of the afternoon.
The Buckeyes answered immediately, with Brandon Inniss scoring a catch-and-run 80-yard touchdown on the very next play. The two teams traded punts the rest of the quarter, but Ethan Grunkemeyer was picked off by Jermaine Mathews Jr. near the end of the period to set Ohio State up at the start of the fourth quarter.
Ohio State turned that turnover into a 44-yard field goal, but the defense remained stout. Grunkemeyer was intercepted again on Penn State’s ensuing possession, this time by Sonny Styles, and quickly turned that into a 28-yard touchdown run by Bo Jackson.
The Buckeyes scored one more time on yet another touchdown reception by Tate, and that was all she wrote in a 38-13 victory for Ohio State.
Key Contributors
Ohio State (Offense)
- Julian Sayin: 28-of-37 passing for 315 yards, 3 TD
- Bo Jackson: 15 carries for 65 yards, 1 TD
- Carnell Tate: 9 catches for 87 yards, 2 TD
- Jeremiah Smith: 6 catches for 72 yards
- Brandon Inniss: 2 catches for 87 yards, 1 TD
Ohio State (Defense)
- Caden Curry: 9 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks
- Jermaine Mathews Jr.: 8 tackles, 1 INT
- Sonny Styles: 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TFL
- Kenyatta Jackson: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
- Arvell Reese: 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
Penn State (Offense)
- Ethan Grunkemeyer: 17-of-39 passing for 237 yards, 2 INT
- Kaytron Allen: 15 carries for 101 yards, 1 TD
- Kyron Hudson: 5 catches for 89 yards
- Trebor Pena: 6 catches for 65 yards
Penn State (Defense)
- Dejuan Lane: 10 tackles, 2 TFL
- Dani Dennis-Sutton: 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
- Zane Durant: 5 tackles, 1 sack
- Zion Tracy: 4 tackles, 2 PBU, 1 FF
Check back 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.
