Ohio State heads to Happy Valley this weekend in what will be one of the biggest college football contests of the season. East Division implications. Big Ten implications. College Football Playoff implications. It's not going to get bigger than this until the annual late-November matchup and then whatever fate comes thereafter.
The Penn State "White Outs" haven't always been kind to the Buckeyes and the two teams have split the last 10 games at Beaver Stadium. Simply put: it's one of the more challenging environments in college football.
Most are expecting a high-scoring affair with two elite offenses and defenses that have seen their share of struggles on the season. The Buckeyes' defense checks in at No. 26 and the Nittany Lions are sitting at No. 45. If one were to make a list of priorities for this Big Ten battle, a number of storylines could come to mind.
One matchup that stands out as perhaps the game's most crucial will come in the trenches as Ohio State looks to keep its star quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate upright in the pocket. Penn State's star pass rusher is redshirt junior Shareef Miller, and the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder should present a challenge to the Buckeyes' offensive line.
Miller's ability to get to the quarterback – and really into the backfield in general – has continued to impress. Last year he recorded 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. So far in 2018 he's tallied three sacks and six tackles for loss.
The following intel from Pro Football Focus was through the season's first three weeks, and it's looking like Isaiah Prince should expect to see plenty of the Nittany Lion defender on Saturday Night.
Shareef Miller is picking right where he left off a season ago (51 total QB pressures and 83.8 grade), as his 12 total QB pressures are nine more than the next closest teammate. Miller is not hard to fixate on, either, as he has exclusively lined up and rushed from the left side of the defense (all 65 pass-rush snaps).
Dwayne Haskins has been sacked three times this season with one coming in three of the Buckeyes' first four games (Oregon State being the lone exception). Though his passing numbers have been superb under pressure, he hasn't always looked comfortable with defenders closing in on him. Disrupting Haskins' rhythm is bound to be a priority for Shareef Miller and the rest of the Penn State defense.
Urban Meyer hasn't been shy when asked about Prince's play at right tackle, and the senior has been commended as one of the team's most improved players. We'll have to see if Penn State elects to shuffle its personnel on the line and move Miller around, but it certainly looks like Prince could be the man tasked with stopping the Nits' best pass rusher.
Prince had his ups and downs early on in his career, but he's settled in quite nicely dating back to 2017. Most were expecting him to be named the starter at left tackle, and while the emergence of Thayer Munford shook things up a bit, the line play as a whole has been one of the team's greatest strengths along with Haskins at the helm.
I didnt know @OrlandoPace_HOF suited up today! pic.twitter.com/v2DCanq0wv
— Haskins SZN (@vettxev013) September 22, 2018
Ohio State's offensive line already faced one formidable foe in TCU defensive end Ben Banogu. The senior would have been selected in the 2018 Draft had he elected to forgo his final year in Fort Worth. And even in a deep edge rusher class most pundits have him projected to go in the early rounds next April.
Banogu recorded three tackles when the two teams met in Arlington, but the Buckeyes were able to withstand most of the pressure. He got dangerously close to Haskins a few times when lined up against Prince, knocking him off of his feet at times.
Flashing developing technique to beat OT's with more than just edge speed this year. pic.twitter.com/9uaKa0JEzB
— James Thomas (@JamesThomasHT) September 22, 2018
It's likely going to be much of the same against Penn State with Shareef Miller serving as the focal point of the defensive line and potentially providing the bulk of the pressure. Yetur Gross-Matos lines up at the other edge spot and often moves inside on passing downs.
The Nittany Lion pass defense (No. 30 nationally) has been better than it has against the rush (No. 82), so there's no doubt the Buckeyes will look to get J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber rolling as well. Putting up some early points to quiet the hostile crowd would be more than ideal for Urban Meyer and Co.
Avoiding and handling the pressure is going to be a key – perhaps even the key – Saturday night at Happy Valley. Unless the Nittany Lions throw a bit of a curveball with their personnel and rotation, then we can expect a lot to be riding on the shoulders of Isaiah Prince and the right side of the line.
