To borrow a phrase from Urban Meyer, Ohio State needs to be "nine units strong" against Penn State on Saturday.
In order to earn a win against the Nittany Lions, who are undefeated this season and ranked No. 2 in the country, Ohio State will need to perform well in all phases of the game.
On paper, the Nittany Lions don’t appear to have many weaknesses. They are ranked 16th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring offense (40.0 points per game), led by star running back Saquon Barkley, who has scored 12 touchdowns and leads all FBS players in all-purpose yards per game (211.1). The Nittany Lions lead all FBS teams in scoring defense with only 9.6 points per game. The Nittany Lions are also explosive in the return game, ranking third in yards per kickoff return (29.3) and 14th in yards per punt return (15.1), with one touchdown on each.
That makes it necessary for Ohio State to play well on offense, defense and special teams. This is not a game where the Buckeyes cannot afford to weak in many areas. There are some specific areas, though, where Ohio State needs to be distinctly better than it has been in other recent big games to have a chance to win this one.
Whether the Buckeyes can accomplish each of the following six tasks will likely determine whether or not they emerge victorious from Saturday’s showdown in Ohio Stadium.
J.T. Barrett must be sharp
This is the most obvious one, so we might as well get it out of the way. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett didn’t play well against Oklahoma. He didn’t play well in the Buckeyes’ previous big game against Clemson, either. For the Buckeyes to have a chance to win this Saturday, Barrett must play better than he did in those games.
Outside of the Oklahoma loss, Barrett has been spectacular this season, throwing 21 touchdowns and zero interceptions in Ohio State’s six wins. He has topped 300 yards of total offense in five of those six wins – with the only exception being the UNLV game, in which he played for less than a half – and thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Barrett still has his doubters, though, because of his poor performances in the Buckeyes’ last couple marquee games. While he has played as well as he ever has in his Ohio State career over the Buckeyes’ last five games, he has to prove he can be consistent as a passer against a top-notch defense – which Penn State, who leads the nation in opposing passer rating (94.0), has proved it is.
Ohio State’s offense will be the best offense Penn State has faced this year, but Ohio State’s offense goes as Barrett goes. If Barrett plays at a similar level to which he has in each of Ohio State’s last five games, the Buckeyes will score points and have a chance to win. He must prove, however, that his improvement over the course of the season has been real, and not simply a product of playing weaker competition.
Offensive line must protect Barrett
The biggest issue for Ohio State’s offense in its 24-21 loss in Happy Valley last year wasn’t Barrett himself, but its offensive line’s inability to adequately protect him, as the Buckeyes gave up six sacks to the Nittany Lions in that game.
Barrett was bombarded by pressure throughout last year’s game, specifically off the right side of the line, as right tackle Isaiah Prince had a memorably rough night in pass protection.
That might not be as much of an issue this year. Prince has been noticeably better as a pass blocker this season, and the entire offensive line has been mostly solid. Meanwhile, Penn State lost its top two defensive ends last year, Garrett Sickels and Evan Schwan, who combined for 3.5 sacks against the Buckeyes.
Nonetheless, Ohio State’s offensive line is a unit that certainly has something to prove in this year’s game – and one that needs to play well, with a right guard in Demetrius Knox who will be starting just his second game, for the Buckeyes offense to continue its roll.
Offensive play calling must be aggressive
One of the most repeated criticisms directed toward Ohio State after losses in recent years – or even after close wins – has been that the Buckeyes’ offensive game plan has tended to be conservative and predictable in big games.
Many of those criticisms were directed toward Ed Warinner and Tim Beck, Ohio State’s offensive coordinators in 2015 and 2016, but they were repeated toward new offensive coordinators Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day after the loss to Oklahoma earlier this year.
Since that game, Wilson and Day have seemed to figure out their identity and hit their stride as play callers, taking chances down the field and adding new concepts to the offense, as the Buckeyes have totaled more than 580 yards in each of their last five games. Now, they need to keep their foot on the throttle on Saturday, because a vanilla game plan against Penn State’s experienced and highly performing defense won’t work.
To be clear, being aggressive on offense doesn’t mean the Buckeyes need to take deep shots all game – that’s not the Buckeyes identity, and it’s not going to be. You can expect the Buckeyes to still lean on their run-pass options, bubble screens and mesh passing concepts in regular doses. The Buckeyes will be able to do what they do best more effectively, however, if they can hit a few deep balls to open up the field and add some unseen wrinkles to catch Penn State’s defense off-guard.
Defensive line must win battle in the trenches
The one clear personnel advantage Ohio State appears to have for Saturday’s game is its defensive line against Penn State’s offensive line. While Ohio State’s defensive line is regarded as one of the best in college football, Penn State’s offensive line has struggled this season, giving up 18 sacks in seven games.
Presumably, Ohio State’s defensive line should be able to control the battle at the line of scrimmage. Its pass-rushing quartet of Nick Bosa, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes should be able to put pressure on Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley and take him out of its comfort zone. The Buckeyes should also be able to clog up lanes and make it difficult for Barkley to run between the tackles.
The Buckeyes need to be able to do that, because McSorley has a knack for hitting deep balls when he has time to allow plays to develop, while Barkley can turn even a small running lane into a big play.
The reality, though, is Ohio State’s defensive linemen have failed to play up to the hype in big games dating back to last season. That’s not to say they’ve played poorly in those games, but they haven’t dominated the way they should be capable of. This is a game, though, where the Buckeyes would really benefit from their defensive front controlling the action and making things easier on their back seven.
Ohio State needs Nick Bosa (97) and its defensive line to put pressure on Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley on Saturday.
Linebackers and safeties must be in position
There will be plenty of attention placed on Ohio State’s cornerbacks this week, and not without good reason; the Buckeyes need their pass defense to play well on Saturday, and the cornerbacks – particularly Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield – have had their ups and downs this season.
The real key for Ohio State’s passing defense in this game, however, will likely be the play of the linebackers and safeties, because of who Penn State’s biggest playmaking threats are.
Ohio State’s linebackers and safeties were too frequently out of position in pass coverage in the loss to Oklahoma, which allowed Sooners fullback Dimitri Flowers to catch seven passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, leading the way as Baker Mayfield passed for 386 total yards. The Buckeyes will need much better play from those positions to avoid bigger problems against Barkley, who is a far more dynamic athlete than Flowers and Penn State’s leading receiver.
The safeties and linebackers will also have to deal with the threat of Mike Gesicki, who is arguably the best tight end in college football. At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Gesicki has the size and high-pointing ability to make plays on the ball even when he is covered, but the Buckeyes can limit his impact by keeping him in front of them and being in position to make plays against him.
Kickoffs must be consistent
It goes without saying that Ohio State needs to avoid the special teams miscues it had in last year’s game against Penn State, when it had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown – which turned out to be the difference in the game – and a punt blocked. The biggest reason for special teams concern going into this year’s game, however, is the inconsistency Ohio State’s kickoff unit has struggled with.
Ohio State has allowed more kickoff return yards (803) than any other team in the country, including a kickoff return touchdown against Maryland. That’s partially because Ohio State has kicked off more than all but three other teams this season – because of how productive its offense has been – and because the Buckeyes often intentionally avoid kicking the ball into the end zone in order to avoid touchbacks and attempt to stop opposing returners inside their 25-yard line. The problem with the latter part of that equation, however, is that Ohio State kicker Blake Haubeil has struggled with kickoff placement this year, leaving their coverage out of position and leading to some long returns.
That’s a mistake the Buckeyes can’t afford to make against Penn State, who deploys Barkley – perhaps the most dynamic player in the country with the ball in his hands – as its regular kickoff returner. The Buckeyes also cannot afford to kick the ball off out of bounds, which they have done four times this season, and give favorable field position to Penn State’s explosive offense.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said Monday that the Buckeyes have adjusted their kickoff placement strategy in an effort to quell the issues they have had in that phase this season. The best strategy for this game, though, would probably be trying to kick the ball through the back of the end zone as much as possible, keeping the ball out of Barkley’s hands as much as possible.
