Penn State vs. Ohio State Game Preview
Under primetime Saturday night lights and a roaring crowd blanketed in scarlet, the No. 20 Penn State Nittany Lions will face off against the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
The highly anticipated matchup comes amid Penn State’s shocking loss against Illinois, with its season on the brink of turmoil after two consecutive losses. Ohio State heads into the matchup with high momentum following a 54-7 thumping of Indiana.
Despite a slow start to the season for their standards, the Buckeyes are again a juggernaut that will likely win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff. Quarterback CJ Stroud has silenced his doubters at the beginning of the season and appears to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Stroud has a very solid offense around him, including wideouts Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, while running back TreVeyon Henderson is one of the position’s best.
Awaiting the Buckeye offense is Penn State’s talented defense. Despite losing PJ Mustipher for the season, Penn State still has a solid defensive line. The linebacking corps has also been lethal this season.
The scariest part of Penn State’s defense, however, is its secondary. Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Sutherland, and more have been amazing, prompting James Franklin to say it’s the best secondary he’s ever had as a coach.
These units will be key to determining the final score. Penn State’s defense has had trouble containing opposing running backs, which is how Illinois beat them. Against Wisconsin and Auburn, Chez Mellusi and Tank Bigsby, respectively, almost single handedly beat Penn State. If Ohio State chooses to run the ball the majority of the game, it could be a long night for the Nittany Lions.
However, Ohio State will almost certainly throw the ball way more than Illinois did against Penn State. Penn State’s secondary will be ready to disrupt CJ Stroud and the wide receiver unit. Both of these units present the biggest challenge to each other of the entire season.
If Penn State needs to seize every single opportunity to intercept Stroud’s passes. Simply making contact with passes and deflecting them will not be enough, especially in Ohio Stadium. Penn State’s defense needs to be lights out to upset the Buckeyes.
Penn State’s recently subpar offense must change. It will be very tough to execute plays against Ohio State on the road.
Penn State will have a huge boost if Sean Clifford is healthy and returns to form. The running game will need to be much better than it has been recently, as it has been subpar.
It will be an uphill battle for Penn State. It heads into this matchup with no momentum and a banged up roster.
Penn State needs to make the fewest mistakes its made the entire season and seize every opportunity on both sides of the ball. Saturday night needs to be its best game of the season to win.
As for Ohio State, it just needs to play the way it’s been playing. The Buckeyes have home field advantage and have plenty of ways to beat you.
Expect Penn State to play a close game against Ohio State, but it’s hard to see Penn State snapping its losing streak in Columbus this time. After all, Penn State has not won in Columbus since 2011 and has not beaten Ohio State since 2016.
Prediction: Ohio State 30, Penn State 27
Nolan Wick is a first-year student majoring in journalism. To contact him, email nhw5046@psu.edu.
