Heading into the matchup against Penn State, the Ohio State football team looked like they were in a prime position to blow out the Nittany Lions. With Penn State having lost four in a row, they looked ripe for the picking. The Buckeyes haven't been tested since the first game of the year.
Instead, they only led in the half by three. They were up 17-14 after a horrible end to the first half. After letting the Nittany Lions go the length of the field for a seven-plus minute drive that ended in a touchdown, CJ Donaldson fumbled the ball with two minutes to go.
The issue with the fumble is that it's not one that should have counted. Forward progress was clearly stopped, but the referees didn't blow the whistle. Instead, Penn State got the ball and scored another touchdown. Former NFL referee Terry McAulay ripped the crew for getting it wrong.
Terrible fumble call at the end of the first half leaves Ohio State football fans angry
McAulay explained that the play should have been blown dead and Ohio State should have had the ball.
Forward progress was clearly stopped and the play should have been ruled dead prior to the fumble. Replay cannot fix that.
— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) November 1, 2025
OSU/PSU
Video of the play clearly shows that Donaldson was no longer moving forward, so the play should have been ruled dead at that spot. Instead, the Nittany Lions were able to capitalize on the poor officiating. They took all of the momentum into the locker room.
Fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes were not happy on social media, which was to be expected. When Penn State scored the touchdown, it was a questionable ruling whether or not he got in. It seems that the Buckeyes won't be getting any calls at home, as the crew missed several holding calls against the Nittany Lions, too.
Donaldson will likely see the field a lot less after that error. Ohio State's two best backs are clearly the freshman, so there's no need for him out there, anyway.