The Eleven Warriors Web Report comes to you weekly from the Spectrum Sports studios in downtown Columbus, featuring our own Beau Bishop and Dan Hope along with former Buckeye linebacker Joshua Perry.
With Brett Hiltbrand filling in for Bishop this week, the panel skipped right past this past Saturday's blowout win over Tulane – because there wasn't a whole lot to talk about from that game – and looked ahead to this upcoming Saturday's game at Penn State, one of Ohio State's most anticipated games of the season.
Both teams are 4-0 and ranked in the top nine nationally, and the Buckeyes lost last time they went to Penn State in 2016, so Saturday's game in State College looms as potentially Ohio State's toughest game of the regular season.
Perry, who played on the eventual 2014 national championship team that needed two overtimes and a Joey Bosa walk-off sack to win at Penn State that year, knows firsthand just how tough beating the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium can be.
"It's tough for every reason," Perry said. "It's tough because it's a big venue, there's a lot of people ... you're playing against a really good team oftentimes, you got to walk through the concourse to get down to the field so obviously you're dealing with fans there and then you're dealing with fans on the field. You're sitting there, you can feel the suspension of the stadium. And then you got to lock in and be able to play a game. So it's tough for every reason. But it's one of the most fun places to ever play."
Considering that the winner of Ohio State vs. Penn State has won the Big Ten each of the last two seasons, there's a lot on the line for both the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions on Saturday, and our entire panel expects Ohio State to be in for a real challenge on the road this week. They also expect, though, that we'll see a great game on Saturday.
"To me, it's the premier game in the Big Ten outside of Ohio State-Michigan," Hiltbrand said.
To hear the gang's full preview of Saturday's game – including discussion about the challenges Dwayne Haskins will face on the road, why K.J. Hill could be a key player and how the linebackers need to step up this weekend – watch the video above.
For even more discussion on the upcoming game in Happy Valley, as well as a quick look back on the win over Tulane, a look around the Big Ten and predictions for this weekend's big games, check out the Eleven Warriors Report on Spectrum Sports Mid-Ohio, premiering at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
