The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes rolled to their eighth consecutive victory of the season as Ryan Day's team pummeled beleaguered Penn State by a 38-14 score at Ohio Stadium.

While the final score makes it look like it was an easy game for Ohio State, the Buckeyes had a narrow 17-14 lead at halftime. Day said the Buckeyes (8-0) locker room seemed like the team was trailing and the intensity ratcheted up in the final 30 minutes.

“We were up by three points at halftime but it seemed like we were down by 21,” Day said. “We were a much more focused team in the second half and I liked the way we were able to score on our first possession when we came out of the locker room. That's what good teams do when they are challenged in the first half.”

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One of the keys to the Ohio State victory was the performance of quarterback Julian Sayin, who has catapulted himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation. He came into the game completing 80 percent of his passes and he was even more accurate against Penn State. He completed 20 of 23 passes for 316 yards with 4 touchdowns while keeping it clean on the interception side of the ledger.

Ohio State demonstrates all aspects against Penn State

Ohio State may have the best 1-2 punch at the wide receiver spot in the nation. Jeremiah Smith is widely looked at as the best receiver in college football and he caught 6 passes for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Carnell Tate is a dynamic star on his own, and he caught 5-124-1 against the Nittany Lions (3-5).

The passing game made the big plays, but the running game was also on point. Bo Jackson had 13 carries for 105 yards, an 8.1 yards per carry average. The Ohio State defense was also sharp, as that unit limited the Penn State passing game to 145 yards through the air.