Ohio
Penn State Brings Delicate Quarterback Situation to Ohio State
Penn State will play No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday with a precarious situation at quarterback. Ethan Grunkemeyer will make his second career start 30 minutes from his hometown, backup Jaxon Smolik was hurt in Penn State’s last game and a true freshman could be QB2.
Yet interim coach Terry Smith wants the Nittany Lions to come out throwing against the nation’s top-ranked defense Saturday in Columbus.
“I do think we’ll be able to throw the ball a little bit better this week at Ohio State,” Smith said Monday. “You know, I’m demanding from [offensive coordinator Andy] Kotelnicki that we are
creative in the pass game in the sense that we don’t want to throw the ball so much horizontally. We want to throw it vertically.”
Penn State brings the nation’s 110th-ranked passing offense to Columbus, one that has concerns at quarterback. The Nittany Lions already are without former starter, and Ohio native, Drew Allar, who is out for the season after sustaining a broken ankle in the Nittany Lions’ Oct. 11 against Northwestern.
Smolik, a redshirt sophomore, sustained an upper-body injury the following week at Iowa, where he carried the ball four times for three years playing alongside Grunkemeyer. Smith had no update Monday regarding Smolik’s status for the game.
If Smolik can’t play, Penn State’s new backup would be Bekkem Kritza, a true freshman who has been hurt much of the season and listed as “out” on the team’s seven gameday availability reports. Smith said that Kritza (6-5, 200 pounds) will be available for the first time at Ohio State. Jack Lambert, a redshirt sophomore walk-on from North Carolina, was the team’s No. 3 quarterback at Iowa.
Penn State brings “IF” mentality to game at No. 1 Ohio State
What’s next for Penn State’s passing game?
The injury list isn’t preventing Smith from having high expectations of his passing game at Ohio State. Grunkemeyer will make his second career start very close to home. He played at Olentangy High in Lewis Center, Ohio, located about 30 minutes north of Ohio Stadium.
In his first start, Grunkemeyer went 15-for-28 for 93 yards and two intereptions against the Hawkeyes. Smith said that the next step Penn State’s passing game is finding positions for Grunkemeyer to succeed.
“We can’t ask him to go out there and throw the ball 45 times and be effective and win that way,” Smith said. “We’ve got to create the run game and have some pass plays off the run game. We have to be able to give him some throws that are one- or two-read types of throws and not overcomplicate it for him.”
However, Smith also said that he wants a more vertical passing game. Penn State averaged just 3.3 yards passing per attempt at Iowa and went 3-for-11 on passes of 5+ yards. Regarding his “demand” of Kotelnicki to grow the passing game, Smith said that has been received well.
“Maybe demanding is probably not the right word,” Smith said. “When I go to him I’m saying, ‘Hey, listen, this is what I’m thinking. ‘ He’s like, ‘Yeah, you know what? I was thinking the same thing.’ We’re on the same page. We’re thinking alike.
“You know, in a profession when you lose four games in a row, we’re all humble. We’re all trying to find the problem and find the solution.”
Watch the QB run game
Penn State ran a two-quarterback system at Iowa for the first time this season. If Smolik is able to play Saturday, Smith suggested that the Nittany Lions might continue that approach.
“We want to be multiple, we want to be creative, we want to find different ways to make teams prepare for us and get the ball to our guys in space,” Smith said. “So it’s still an option on the table.”
Ohio State’s defense already figured to be the toughest Penn State has faced this season. The Buckeyes lead the nation in total defense (allowing 216.9 yards per game), are third in pass defense (131.3 ypg) and rank eighth against the run (85.57 ypg).
Ohio State also ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, having allowed just four touchdowns in seven games. Ohio State is the only FBS team allowing fewer than 10 points per game. The Buckeyes give up an average of 5.9 and have held three Big Ten opponents (Washington, Minnesota and Wisconsin) without a touchdown.
The Ohio State game was supposed to be a homecoming for Allar, who grew up in Medina, about two hours north of Columbus, and started at Ohio State in 2023. Allar was emotional and challenged himself after that game, which Ohio State won 20-12.
“We talk about everything as blessings and lessons in life,” Allar said through tears at Ohio Stadium. “Obviously we lost the game, but this is a lesson for us, and we have to learn from it, because I never want to feel like this again.”
More Penn State Football
INDIANAPOLIS — There are so many questions an NFL team can pose to a top prospect and so many of them have to do with how he will handle the step up to the next level.
And how will he deal with waiting his turn?
These questions do not really apply to Carnell Tate.
Not after the gauntlet he had to pass through in college, trying to find his way and making incremental rises on a depth chart overflowing with talent at his position.
“The competition there, we’re all pushing to be the best receiver on the field that day and that practice,’’ Tate said Friday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine, “and typically, when you’re the best receiver at Ohio State, you’re the best receiver in the country.’’
True, that.
Tate figures to be in play for the Giants with the No. 5 pick in the NFL Draft.
He is widely considered the top receiver in this class — there are certainly Jordyn Tyson supporters out there — and where the Giants prioritize aiding their offense with bolstering their defense will go a long way in determining if they select a wide receiver with their top pick for the second time in three years.
Where they are situated, one or both Ohio State studs, safety Caleb Downs or linebacker Sonny Styles, should be on the board — another Ohio State defender, edge rusher Arvell Reese, could go to the Jets at No. 2.
The Giants unquestionably need another prime target for Jaxson Dart but, when healthy, they already have a No. 1 receiver in Malik Nabers, who was the No. 6 overall pick in 2024.
Investing so much draft equity in another one might not be the most balanced way to build the team in John Harbaugh’s first year as the head coach.
Or, it might be just the ticket to launch the offense.
“You’re always going to want to add more explosiveness to your offense, guys that score touchdowns, wherever that comes from: running back, receiver, tight ends, whatever it may be,’’ general manager Joe Schoen said. “That will be something we’ll look for.’’
There should not be much, or any, concern that Tate will not be a supportive and obliging running mate for Nabers, who made it into only four games last season before a devastating knee injury — he tore his right ACL and meniscus — left Dart without his only lethal weapon.
Tate is not one of those youngsters accustomed to being the top guy during his college experience.
Tate arrived as a five-star recruit in 2023 but how the heck was he supposed to break into the starting lineup with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka — both future first round picks — ahead of him?
In 2024, Tate was overshadowed by freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.
Tate had to wait for his opportunities and while he did, he concentrated on becoming a better all-around player, developing his ability as a blocker on the perimeter.
In three seasons, Tate totaled 121 receptions for 1,872 yards.
He notched nine of his 14 touchdowns during the 2025 season.
Tate is often likened to Chris Olave, another former Buckeyes wideout.
Olave was a 2022 first-round pick of the Saints and has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in three of his four NFL seasons.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks) and Garrett Wilson (Jets) are also former Ohio State receivers tearing it up in the NFL.
“It means a lot to me and it’s also a lot on your shoulders,’’ Tate said of the legacy. “Now you got to be the next one to come out there and put on for the school and carry the Receiver U.’’
Tate lining up on one side and Nabers — who is expected to be fully recovered in the spring or by training camp — lining up on the other side would be quite a combination for Dart.
“It would be great,’’ said Tate, who this week had a formal meeting with the Giants. “It would be a great opportunity, especially playing in New York. Big showcase. I’d love to go out there and play in New York.’’
Wan’Dale Robinson, mostly a slot receiver, is an impending free agent.
If he does not return, it would drain the passing game of the 92 receptions for 1,014 yards he contributed in 2025.
Veteran Darius Slayton is coming off a poor seventh year with the Giants.
At 6-foot-3, Tate has ideal height and he is lean at 195 pounds.
He will run the 40-yard dash in Indy but otherwise wait for his Pro Day to work out for NFL executives, coaches and scouts.
Without sounding boastful, Tate does not lack confidence.
“I think my game brings it all to the table,’’ he said. “I got the contested catch, I got the route-running and I also bring it in the run game, a lot of receivers don’t do that. I’m able to impact the game with or without the ball in my hands.
“If you want a game-changer, you got one right here.’’
The best wide receiver in this draft class?
“Me, no question,’’ Tate said.
“Whatever you need to do, I got it.’’
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Bloomberg – Quicktake
A wind-swept blaze at an Ohio hog farm complex caused “catastrophic” damage and left thousands of pigs dead, fire officials said, marking another devastating barn inferno contributing to the deaths of millions of animals in recent years.
The massive fire occurred on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at Fine Oak Farms in Union Township, Madison County, located west of Ohio’s capital of Columbus, according to the Central Townships Joint Fire District. Fire crews received a report of a barn fire shortly before 12 p.m. local time.
The incident was later upgraded to a commercial structure fire after Chief Brian Bennington observed a “large column of smoke visible from a distance” and requested additional resources. Multiple local fire departments, along with several other emergency agencies, were called to the scene.
“What our crews encountered upon arrival was a very difficult and heartbreaking incident,” Bennington said in a statement on Feb. 26.
The fire chief described the facility as a large farm complex used for hog production consisting of five large agricultural buildings, including four that housed about 7,500 hogs. When crews arrived at the scene, they found two of the barns engulfed in flames, Bennington said.
Crews were challenged by windy conditions that significantly impacted fire suppression efforts, according to Bennington. Three barns were destroyed in the fire, and about 6,000 hogs and pigs were killed.
Firefighters saved one barn and about 1,500 hogs, the fire chief added. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Bennington highlighted the assistance of the farming community throughout Madison and Clark counties, as multiple farmers responded with water trucks to help with water supply efforts. “Rural Ohio’s agricultural community is tight-knit, and they truly step up when one of their own is in need,” he said.
The incident remains under investigation, and the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office will determine the fire’s cause and origin. Bennington said there is no suspicion of arson and no ongoing threat to the public at this time.
‘Rapidly changing fire behavior conditions’
Heavy smoke from the fire could be seen for miles, and Bennington said first-arriving units were met with fire conditions coming from the opposite side of the hog farm complex.
The fire chief noted that the incident required extensive water-shuttle operations due to rural water-supply limitations in the area. Crews attempted to cut the fire off by deploying multiple handlines and using an aerial device, but “faced extremely challenging conditions throughout the incident,” according to Bennington.
Sustained winds of about 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph accelerated the fire’s spread, Bennington said. The high winds made it “extremely difficult” to contain forward fire progression and created “rapidly changing fire behavior conditions” across the agricultural complex, he added.
After about four to five hours, the fire was contained by fire personnel from four different counties, according to the fire chief.
“Unfortunately, the fire resulted in catastrophic damage to the business,” Bennington said in an earlier statement on Feb. 25. “A significant portion of the agricultural structures were destroyed.”
Latest major fire to impact an Ohio hog farm
The incident at Fine Oak Farms is the latest major fire to cause significant damage to an Ohio hog farm in recent years.
In August 2024, about 1,100 pigs were killed in Versailles, a village about 50 miles northwest of Dayton, Ohio, according to data from the nonprofit Animal Welfare Institute. In March 2022, about 2,000 hogs died in a barn fire at Kenneth Scholl Hog Farm in Brown Township, just west of Columbus.
Before the fire at Fine Oak Farms, the Animal Welfare Institute reported that other barn fires in Ohio this year killed 162 sheep, horses, cows, chickens, and other animals.
Hundreds of thousands of animals killed in barn fires each year
Data from the Animal Welfare Institute shows that hundreds of thousands of animals are killed in barn fires across the country each year. Since 2013, over 9 million farm animals have been killed in barn fires, according to the organization.
As of Feb. 26, the Animal Welfare Institute reported that 118,738 farm animals have died in U.S. barn fires this year, including the incident at Fine Oak Farms. The majority of farm animals killed were chickens in separate incidents in North Carolina and Georgia in January, and another incident in Missouri earlier this month.
“Most fatal barn fires occurred in colder states, particularly the Upper Midwest and the Northeast. New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois had the highest number of barn fires, respectively,” according to the organization. “The amount of cold weather a state experienced appeared to be a greater factor in the prevalence of barn fires than the intensity of a state’s animal agriculture production.”
In an updated report on farm animal deaths due to barn fires in 2025, the Animal Welfare Institute said more than 2.53 million farm animals were killed in barn fires from 2022 to 2024. The organization noted that the high death toll was “driven primarily” by fires at large operations that housed several thousand to over 1 million farm animals.
The majority of deaths in these incidents during that period, over 98%, were farmed birds, such as chickens and turkeys, according to the Animal Welfare Institute. But in 2023, a massive fire at a west Texas dairy farm became the single deadliest event involving livestock in the state’s history and the deadliest cattle fire in America in at least a decade.
18,000 head of cattle perished in the fire at the South Fork Dairy farm near Dimmitt, Texas. At the time, Roger Malone, who is the former mayor of Dimmitt, called the incident “mind-boggling.”
“I don’t think it’s ever happened before around here. It’s a real tragedy,” Malone said.
Contributing: Rick Jervis, USA TODAY; Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch
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