Buckeye Football Preview: Is Penn State REALLY for real this time?

Photo via Fox Sports]

In a snap of the finger, we’re halfway through the college football season. It’s suddenly mid-October, the weather is chilly, the leaves are turning and falling gently to the ground. Squirrels are gathering buckeyes and acorns to build up winter stocks. Pumpkins and mums can be seen on porch stoops.

The 12-game college football season may be half over, but in terms of determining the best teams in the country, we’re just getting started. There’s plenty of meat on the bone the last six weeks for Ohio State, starting with this weekend. The 3^rd ranked Buckeyes host 7^th ranked Penn State on Saturday at noon in Ohio Stadium in a highly anticipated matchup between unbeaten teams.

This is Ohio State’s second marquee game of the year, having traveled to South Bend for a prime-time matchup with Notre Dame last month. Ohio State narrowly escaped with a 17-14 victory thanks to a late touchdown run by Chip Trayanum. Penn State hasn’t played any top programs, but they’ve been decimating teams that are usually pretty good including West Virginia (38-15) and Iowa (31-0).

Is Penn State REALLY for real this time? We’ve seen it before. Penn State has a history of charging hard out of the gate to open the season, only to falter against top opponents. Last year, for example, Penn State started in a similar fashion, opening the season 5-0 with a marquee win at Auburn, only to be deflated by a crushing loss to Michigan 41-17. Penn State looked great in 2021 starting 5-0 with wins over two ranked teams. However, the wheels totally fell off as Penn State went 2-7 the rest of the way, defeating only Maryland and Rutgers.

Ohio State put the first blemish on Penn State’s record in both 2018 and 2017, winning each game by a single point. The last time Penn State beat Ohio State as an undefeated team was 2008.

The loss in 2017 was especially brutal for the Nittany Lions. Penn State was 7-0 and ranked 2^nd in the country. They had blown out Michigan at home 42-13 the previous week and had Ohio State on the ropes in the Horseshoe with a 35-20 lead early in the 4^th quarter.

Enter the world of JT Barrett. Barrett had lost a fumble early in the 4^th quarter and it looked like Ohio State was down for the count, but Ohio State’s defense held, and the offense quickly got the ball back. JT completed his next 11 passes to close out the game, three of them for touchdowns. Ohio State stormed back and won the game 39-38 to stun Penn State.

Barrett had a great career at Ohio State and finished with gaudy passing and running statistics. His great stats are a function of Urban Meyer’s read-option offense run to perfection. In JT Barrett’s illustrious career, the comeback against Penn State in 2017 stands out as his brightest moment.

History can only teach us so much. Ohio State has owned this rivalry as of late, winning 6 games in a row and 9 of the past 10 meetings. However, if the Buckeyes don’t show up on Saturday and fight like hell for 4 quarters, there are no guarantees they’ll come out on top. Ohio State has won more than its fair share in this rivalry, but the outcome is often decided in the waning minutes of the 4^th quarter.

Penn State looks dangerous this year. Statistically, the Nittany Lions have the #1 scoring defense in the country, having allowed just 48 points in six games with two shutouts. Penn State’s defense is led by senior defensive end Adisa Isaac, who already has 5 quarterback sacks this season, and senior cornerback Daequan Hardy has two interceptions thus far. More impressively, Hardy has also returned two punts for a touchdown on special teams.

Penn State is also scoring a lot, with an average margin of victory of 36 points. Penn State’s offense is led by Drew Aller, a sophomore quarterback from Medina, Ohio. Aller has thrown 12 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions thus far, good enough for a 145.3 passer rating. Penn State has used a running back-by-committee approach, but the two most productive running backs are Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith is Penn State’s leading receiver with 31 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns. However, junior tight end Tyler Warren has been a scoring machine this season, racking up 5 touchdowns on just 16 receptions. QB Drew Aller is looking for Warren in the red zone, take note.

Just as Penn State’s starting quarterback is from Ohio, the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback is from Pennsylvania. At this point, most Buckeye fans know that Ohio State QB Kyle McCord and wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. were high school teammates in Philadelphia. McCord looks forward to playing against players he competed with in high school, based on his interview with Eleven Warriors on Wednesday.

“Knowing the type of opponent, we’re playing; you circle this one on your calendar for sure. And playing with a lot of these guys in high school, playing against them, I think just makes it even more special.”

Ohio State had been using a running back-by-committee approach to start the season, but at moment the Buckeyes only have one have one healthy running back with experience, sophomore Dallan Hayden. Last week – two days before the Purdue game – there was talk of Hayden redshirting to save a year of eligibility. It seemed like an odd time to have the conversation, especially given the ongoing durability questions surrounding TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams. Just 48 hours later, Chip Trayanum is knocked out of the Purdue game and Hayden is thrust into the spotlight.

Hayden performed well against Purdue, running for 76 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown. Strangely, there’s still talk of redshirting Hayden to save a year of eligibility. Hello? Ohio State needs this guy now!

Saturday should be a hard-fought battle between two programs with great pedigrees and great histories. ESPN College Gameday will be on site. The weather should be good for mid-October, temperatures will climb into the mid-50’s at game time with light rain and 15 mph winds. Big Ten football weather!

We’re only halfway through the season, but the result of this game will go a long way in determining whether the season is a success and who will play for a Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis on December 2^nd. Ohio State-Penn State 2023, enjoy!