When Ryan Day charts Ohio State's course to the Big Ten Championship Game every season, he always puts a circle around the Penn State game.
“I think that when you look at the schedule each year and try to map out your road to Indianapolis, beating Penn State is a big part of it,” Day said in his weekly radio show with 97.1 The Fan. “They have really good players, a good scheme and good coaching.”
Penn State is coming off a 45-17 win over Minnesota in State College last weekend and will look to carry that momentum into their battle with the Buckeyes. While not a night game or White Out at Beaver Stadium, Day expects “a good environment” that will test his team's focus as it scratches and claws for every point against the No. 13 Nittany Lions.
With only a few hours to go until Ohio State's second road test of the regular season, our beat writers share some final thoughts, questions and players to watch entering today's contest.
Final Thoughts
Prediction: Ohio State starts fast, scores quickly and plays in front
This week, Day said it took time for Ohio State “to crack the rock” against Penn State last year. He expects a similar script for Saturday's game, but I don't believe that will be the case once the boot hits the ball at noon.
My hot take is that the Buckeye offense will score on its first possession, and the defense will force a punt or turnover on Penn State's first drive (in whatever order that might occur), allowing Ohio State to play with the lead early. With the Buckeyes in the driver's seat, C.J. Stroud and Co. will turn on cruise control as they navigate to another comfortable win over the Nittany Lions and solidify the team's resume with a solid road win the week before the initial College Football Playoff Top 25 drops on Tuesday.
- Chase Brown
A chance for Stroud and the Buckeyes to make a statement
All that really matters in an Ohio State/Penn State game is just getting the win, but whether the Buckeyes will admit it or not, I’m sure they’d love to make a statement with a decisive victory in Happy Valley.
As dominant as Ohio State has been this season, it’s still easy for critics to write off the Buckeyes’ dominance as a result of their schedule, as none of their first seven opponents are currently ranked in the top 25. On Saturday, though, the eyes of the nation will be watching as Ohio State plays in the weekend’s only game between two top-15 teams.
If the Buckeyes can win decisively, they can make a strong case for being college football’s best team through the first two months of the season entering the initial CFP rankings. Let Penn State hang around, though, and questions will linger about how Ohio State will fare against top competition.
Saturday’s spotlight also presents the opportunity for Stroud to have his first true “Heisman Moment,” which he needs to maintain his standing as the Heisman frontrunner with Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker gaining ground. Stroud has said all year that he cares more about the team’s goals than individual statistics, so he won’t be chasing stats in State College, but an efficient performance in a Buckeye win would only help his case.
– Dan Hope
Questions
PSU always plays OSU tough, will this game be any different?
It's no secret Penn State has played the Buckeyes the most competitively of any Big Ten team over the past few seasons. You have to go back to Ohio State's 38-10 win over Penn State in 2015 to find a game decided by more than 13 points between these two programs.
But Ohio State has been rolling of late and is seemingly unstoppable offensively regardless of who's available and who the opponent is. Could this be the game where the Buckeyes finally win by at least a comfortable three-score margin? Or will the raucous Penn State crowd help keep the Nittany Lions in the game throughout?
- Garrick Hodge
Will the Buckeye corners pass the test?
Despite giving up the third-fewest passing yards per game in the FBS, questions remain about how the Buckeye secondary might fare against a higher-caliber pass attack. In particular, it’s the Ohio State cornerbacks who have faced criticism this season for inconsistent play in the early stages of the season. The Buckeyes will certainly be tested against the Nittany Lions, who don’t have nationally elite passing numbers, but still possess plenty of talent with receivers like Parker Washington – who has burned Ohio State before – and Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley.
Sean Clifford gets his fourth crack at the Buckeyes this season, and although Jim Knowles’ defense may be the best he’s faced in an Ohio State matchup, his unit could give the Buckeyes more trouble than they’ve encountered thus far in 2022.
– Griffin Strom
Players to Watch
Julian Fleming
The Pennsylvania-born Buckeye wideout is coming home this weekend.
Fleming made the trip to Happy Valley, just an hour-and-a-half from his hometown of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, back in 2020 for Ohio State’s 38-25 win over the Nittany Lions. But Fleming, then a true freshman, played just one snap in the contest and no fans were in attendance due to COVID-19 restrictions. Saturday’s matchup will be different in multiple regards, given the hostilities of a packed house at Beaver Stadium and the fact that Fleming will be a crucial part of the Buckeye offense.
Fleming’s scored a touchdown in all five games he’s played in since returning from injury in Week 3, with six scores during that stretch. The five-star recruit had a career-high 105 yards against Iowa last weekend and is on the precipice of a truly dominant performance for Ohio State. Perhaps it will come with the added motivation of playing in front of fans who long thought Fleming would be a Nittany Lion.
– Griffin Strom
Marvin Harrison Jr.
There will be a battle between the sons of famous NFL greats on Saturday as Marvin Harrison Jr. battles with Joey Porter Jr. in a WR1 vs. CB1 matchup. I have no doubts about the ability of Route Man Marv, but I will be looking at how he fares against a player with the potential to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. This season, Porter leads his team in pass breakups with 11 and has primarily shut down the receivers he covered in the first seven games. All signs point to this being an incredible duel between the talented footballers. It's time to see if Harrison can prove that good offense beats good defense. Grab the popcorn, Buckeye Nation.
- Chase Brown
TreVeyon Henderson
Henderson ran for 152 yards against Penn State last season, and I anticipate he’ll be motivated to deliver a similar performance against the Nittany Lions this year. The Buckeyes are looking to get their run game back on track after rushing for only 66 yards against Iowa, and Henderson hasn’t yet rushed for more than 121 yards in a game this year. Considering Penn State gave up 418 rushing yards in its loss to Michigan, the Nittany Lions could be ripe for Henderson to run through them again.
– Dan Hope
Tommy Eichenberg
The Ohio State linebacker famous for his grunts and his playmaking ability this season is coming off one of his better performances of the season that included returning a pick-six in OSU's 54-10 win over Iowa. Now, Eichenberg will lead OSU's defense in the efforts to limit true freshman running back Nicholas Singleton, the leading rusher for the Nittany Lions.
If OSU can help take away the running game, that will force Penn State to rely on 16th-year quarterback (OK, only slightly exaggerating) Sean Clifford to beat them. While Clifford threw for 361 yards against the Buckeyes last year, that doesn't seem likely this time around with a revamped defense courtesy of Jim Knowles.
- Garrick Hodge
