THE RUNNING START
When: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Where: Columbus, OH // Ohio Stadium
TV: 8:00 // ABC
Announcers: Chris Fowler // Kirk Herbstreit // Heather Cox
This will be the 31st game between Ohio State and Penn State. Ohio State leads the series 17-13.
Below you will find some interesting facts about the teams, key offensive player stats, coach information, and team stats.
THE LAST TIME...
- Ohio State played Penn State the Buckeyes won 31-24 (2 OT) in Happy Valley.
- Michael Thomas did not catch a pass in a game was against Michigan State in the 2013 B1G Championship
- The Buckeyes lost to a B1G opponent is Columbus was November 19, 2011 against Penn State (14-20).
- OSU did not score at least 20 points was 2012 in a 17-16 win at No. 20 Michigan State.
- Ezekiel Elliott did not rush for 100 yards was against Minnesota in 2014 (91 yards).
ON THE HORIZON
- Ezekiel Elliott is 25 yards away from 3,000 career rushing yards.
- Urban Meyer is one win away from his fourth 20-game win streak. He was the first to get three 20-game winning streaks and could become the first to get four 20-game winning streaks.
- In the history of the AP Poll Ohio State has been ranked No. 1 for 102 weeks. That puts the Buckeyes in first place. Oklahoma (101) is now second.
- Cameron Johnston is second all-time at Ohio State with 67 punts downed inside the 20 yard line. Johnston is 11 away from tying the Ohio State record.
- Braxton Miller is seven rushing touchdowns away from becoming the ninth player in D-I with 40 rushing and 40 passing touchdowns.
- Ohio State currently has a 26 game regular season B1G win streak.
-
Ohio State is one shutout away from having two shutouts in a season for three consecutive years.
University Park, PA.
GET TO KNOW PENN STATE
- Penn State is located in University Park, PA.
- PSU was established in 1855.
- The Nittany Lions are 5-1 this season.
- Penn State is 22-15 (.595) since 2012.
- Last week Penn State beat Indiana (29-7).
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
-
Can you name the player who leads the B1G punting average?
-
Ezekiel Elliott is 25 yards away from 3,000. How many Buckeyes have reached 3,000 career rushing yards?
- Penn State's DE Carl Nassib leads the nation in sacks. How many sacks does he have?
Answers at the bottom of today's article.
PENN STATE'S INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 21/39 | .539 | 262 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 87/164 | .530 | 1,086 | 7 | 2 |
| CAREER | 588/1,040 | .565 | 7,018 | 39 | 27 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | DNP | ||
| 2015 | 373 | 8.9 | 3 |
| CAREER | 373 | 8.9 | 3 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | DNP | ||
| 2015 | 262 | 5.3 | 2 |
| CAREER | 1,298 | 5.1 | 7 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 41 | 10.3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 390 | 14.4 | 1 |
| CAREER | 728 | 13.7 | 3 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 49 | 24.5 | 1 |
| 2015 | 207 | 12.2 | 2 |
| CAREER | 1,106 | 11.2 | 4 |
OHIO STATE'S INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 21/28 | .750 | 291 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | 56/92 | .624 | 1,157 | 7 | 5 |
| CAREER | 140/227 | .617 | 2,020 | 14 | 7 |
| STATS | PASSING | % | YARDS | TDS | INTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 2/2 | 1.00 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 23 | 40 | .575 | 2 | 2 |
| CAREER | 226/354 | .638 | 3,053 | 36 | 12 |
RUSHING
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 106 | 5.0 | 2 |
| 2015 | 835 | 6.9 | 10 |
| CAREER | 2,975 | 7.0 | 30 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPC | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 62 | 5.2 | 3 |
| 2015 | 126 | 7.0 | 3 |
| CAREER | 1,064 | 5.6 | 14 |
RECEIVING
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 107 | 15.3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 399 | 14.8 | 4 |
| CAREER | 1,220 | 14.5 | 13 |
| STATS | YARDS | YPR | TDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAST GAME | 79 | 15.8 | 1 |
| 2015 | 191 | 15.9 | 2 |
| CAREER | 191 | 15.9 | 2 |
THE RUNOFF
Urban Meyer
44-3 (.936) at Ohio State (4th year)
148-26 (.851) overall (14th year)
Meyer is 4-0 against Penn State.
James Franklin
12-7 (.632) at Penn State (2nd year)
36-22 (.621) overall (5th year)
This is James Franklin's second head coaching job.
CLIFF CLAVEN'S LITTLE KNOWN FACTS CORNER
- Ohio State has the most all-time appearances in the AP Poll with 845.
- The Buckeyes are first in the B1G in rushing yards per game (230.0).
- Ohio State has won a nation's best 15 consecutive road games.
- Among current players Joey Bosa's 22.0 career sacks ranks second in the nation.
- Michael Thomas has caught a pass in 22-straight games.
- Ohio State has a record of 55-4 when ranked No. 1 and playing an unranked opponent.
- Ezekiel Elliott has 11-straight games of at least 100-yards rushing.
- Elliott is averaging yards per carry over the last 11 games.
- Ohio State has won a nation’s best 19 consecutive games.
- Tyvis Powell's blocked field goal against WMU was Ohio State's first since 2012.
- Raekwon McMillan had a career-high 16 tackles against WMU.
LITTLE KNOWN FACTS BUSTED
The Buckeyes' defense has not allowed a rush of 20+ yards this season. Diamont scored on a 79-yard touchdown run.
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 |
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| 2015 STATS | RANK | CATEGORY | 2015 STATS | RANK |
| 36.8 | 27th | Points For | 25.2 | 92nd |
| 17.3 | 21st | Points Against | 14.3 | 11th |
| OFFENSE | ||||
| 230.0 | 17th | Rushing Offense | 157.3 | 86th |
| 230.0 | 65th | Passing Offense | 187.0 | 99th |
| 460.0 | 26th | Total Offense | 344.3 | 103rd |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| 152.7 | 55th | Rushing Defense | 117.0 | 26th |
| 147.5 | 9th | Pass Defense | 158.7 | 13th |
| 300.2 | 19th | Total Defense | 275.7 | 10th |
| OFF. MISC. | ||||
| .364 | 88th | 3rd Down Conv. | .310 | 120th |
| .818 | 82nd | Red Zone | .909 | 25th |
| 13.1 | 33rd | Punt Return | 9.0 | 53rd |
| 24.1 | 31st | Kickoff Return | 26.3 | 17th |
| DEF. MISC. | ||||
| .337 | 41st | 3rd Down Conv. | .333 | 38th |
| .857 | 85th | Red Zone | .909 | 106th |
| 90.0 | 6th | Pass Eff. Def. | 1007.9 | 28th |
| 42.4 | 6th | Net Punting | 36.4 | 83rd |
| MISC. | ||||
| - 0.3 | 86th | Turnover Margin | + 1.3 | 8th |
| 7.7 | 101st | Penalties Per Game | 5.3 | 34th |
| Total: 10 | THE EDGE | Total: 8 |
TODAY'S TRIVIA ANSWERS:
Can you name the player who leads the B1G punting average?
Answer: Cameron Johnston leads the conference with a 47.2 yard average.
Ezekiel Elliott is 25 yards away from 3,000. How many Buckeyes have reached 3,000 career rushing yards?
Answer: 8
| PLAYER | YARDS | GAMES | AVG./GAME |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARCHIE GRIFFIN | 5,589 | 46 | 121.5 |
| EDDIE GEORGE | 3,768 | 48 | 78.5 |
| TIM SPENCER | 3,553 | 47 | 75.6 |
| BEANIE WELLS | 3,382 | 36 | 93.9 |
| KEITH BYARS | 3,200 | 37 | 86.5 |
| CARLOS HYDE | 3,198 | 41 | 78.0 |
| PEPE PEARSON | 3,076 | 49 | 62.8 |
| BRAXTON MILLER | 3,216 | 42 | 76.6 |
| EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | 2,975 | 28 | 106.3 |
Penn State's DE Carl Nassib leads the nation in sacks. How many sacks does he have?
Answer: 10.0
Sources
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
stats.ncaa.org
sportsreference.com
