Comparing Ohio State vs. Penn State at Every Position

The Buckeyes lost the first time they played a team with truly comparable talent this season, suffering a 32-31 defeat at Oregon. Ohio State came dangerously close to being upset by a team with decidedly less talent last week, when the Buckeyes trailed in the fourth quarter before pulling out a 21-17 win, so Ohio State will need to play better on Saturday than it did in either of those two games to earn a victory in Happy Valley.

Ohio State enters Saturday’s game with some very real concerns, particularly along the offensive line as the Buckeyes have struggled up front since the season-ending injury to left tackle Josh Simmons. The Buckeyes should still have the overall talent advantage over the Nittany Lions, though, making them a 3.5-point betting favorite even though Penn State has an undefeated record and home-field advantage.

With that in mind, we take a position-by-position look at how Ohio State and Penn State stack up against each other and make our picks for which team has the edge at each position – though there’s an argument to be made for either team at many positions. At the end of the article, I put together a composite lineup of who I think the starters would be if both teams’ rosters were combined.

Quarterback

Drew Allar has improved significantly in his second year as Penn State’s quarterback, completing 71.3 percent of his passing attempts for 10 yards per attempt after completing just 59.9% of his passes for 6.8 yards per pass a year ago. If Allar plays on Saturday, which he appears on track to be, Ohio State should expect a tougher test than last year, when Allar went just 18-of-42 for 191 yards against the Buckeyes.

But even if Allar wasn’t dealing with a knee injury that forced him out of the second half of last week’s game against Wisconsin, I’d still give the slight edge to Will Howard based on how well he’s been playing for the Buckeyes. Howard is currently on pace to break Ohio State’s single-season completion percentage record with a 74% rate, and his current quarterback rating would be the second-best in school history behind only C.J. Stroud in 2021. Penn State has the best running quarterback on either team in Beau Pribula, who would start if Allar can’t play and will likely get some playing time regardless, but Howard offers plenty of running ability himself to make him a player Penn State will have to account for on all downs.

Advantage: Ohio State

Running Back

The two best running back tandems in college football will be in the same stadium on Saturday. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have teamed to rush for 969 yards and 10 touchdowns for Ohio State this season while Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined for 992 yards and seven touchdowns.

Ohio State’s rushing offense has struggled in its last two games, but that has much more to do with its offensive line than its ballcarriers. I still believe Henderson and Judkins are the nation’s best running back tandem, though Singleton and Allen are also a dangerous pair that will force Ohio State’s defense to be sound in its tackling and run fits.

Advantage: Ohio State

Wide Receiver

This is the most lopsided advantage Ohio State has over Penn State at any position group. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka are two of college football’s absolute best receivers, and Carnell Tate is also averaging more yards per game than any Penn State wideout after his 102-yard effort last week vs. Nebraska.

Harrison Wallace III is a solid No. 1 wideout for Penn State, but he’d be fighting Tate to be OSU’s No. 3 receiver if he was a Buckeye. Julian Fleming was a starter at Ohio State in 2022 and 2023, but he would have lost his spot in the lineup to Smith and Tate if he had stuck around, and he’s caught only 10 passes for 148 yards in his first seven games as a Nittany Lion.

Advantage: Ohio State

Tight End

This is the most lopsided advantage Penn State has over Ohio State at any position group. Ohio State’s tight ends have combined to catch 18 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns this season; Tyler Warren had 17 catches for 224 yards and one touchdown in a single game vs. USC.

For the season, Warren has caught 47 passes for 559 yards and four touchdowns, establishing himself as a frontrunner for the John Mackey Award. He presents a far greater playmaking threat than any of Ohio State’s tight ends do, and he’s a player Ohio State will need to account for all times as the Nittany Lions will move him all over the field to try to exploit mismatches.

Advantage: Penn State

Tyler Warren is a much bigger playmaking threat than any of Ohio State’s tight ends. (Photo: Matthew O'Haren – Imagn Images)

Offensive Tackle

Ohio State would have had a case for the advantage here if Josh Simmons was healthy, but his season-ending injury has turned left tackle into a glaring hole for the Buckeyes. Penn State, on the other hand, has a quality starting left tackle in Drew Shelton who has yet to allow a sack this season.

Right tackle is a position of concern for both teams as Ohio State’s Josh Fryar has struggled against top pass rushers while Penn State starter Anthony Donkoh missed part of the Wisconsin game with an injury. But the Nittany Lions at least have an experienced backup who can step in there if needed in Nolan Rucci whereas it remains a major question mark what kind of play Ohio State will get from the left tackle spot this week.

Advantage: Penn State

Interior Offensive Line

Ohio State arguably has the two best interior offensive linemen on either team in Donovan Jackson and Seth McLaughlin, but the likelihood that Jackson will need to kick out to left tackle for this week’s game makes guard another position of concern for the Buckeyes. Tegra Tshabola and Austin Siereveld have each seen plenty of playing time this season, but both have been inconsistent, particularly as Ohio State has faced better competition in Big Ten play.

Penn State has one of the Big Ten’s better guard tandems in Olaivavega Ioane and Sal Wormley and will have consistency on its interior offensive line as it starts the same three players in the middle that it has all season. McLaughlin has been the better center than Penn State’s Nick Dawkins, but it’s questionable whether he’ll get the help he needs from the guards flanking him in this game.

Advantage: Penn State

Defensive End

Penn State has the best edge rusher on either team in Abdul Carter, a projected first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. While JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer have that kind of talent, neither of them has consistently played to that level for the Buckeyes.

It appears the Nittany Lions could be without their other star defensive end, however, as Dani Dennis-Sutton was sidelined from practice on Wednesday while working his way back from a groin injury he suffered against Wisconsin. Add in the fact that Tuimoloau has played his best football in past games against Penn State, and I’m giving Ohio State’s overall defensive end unit the very slight edge here as the Nittany Lions’ depth at the position will likely be tested.

Advantage: Ohio State

Defensive Tackle

Much like the exterior of the defensive line, this is another one that could go either way. Both teams have a highly disruptive 3-technique – Tyleik Williams for Ohio State and Zane Durant for Penn State – and they’ve had similar production, with Williams recording four tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks in five games this season and Durant recording six tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks in seven games this year.

Penn State’s defensive tackle depth is stronger than Ohio State’s, but I’m again giving the slim advantage to the Buckeyes based on the play they’ve gotten this season from Ty Hamilton, who has been more of a difference-maker throughout the year than any Penn State DT other than Durant.

Advantage: Ohio State

Ty Hamilton has paired with Tyleik Williams to form a standout tandem of starting defensive tackles for Ohio State this season.

Linebacker

Penn State has the best linebacker on either team in Kobe King, who’s been excellent both as a run defender and in pass coverage as the leader of the Nittany Lions’ defense. First-year starter Tony Rojas has also played well for PSU, recording 30 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss, an interception and two pass breakups.

Ohio State’s linebacker tandem of Cody Simon and Sonny Styles has gotten better as the season has progressed, as Styles leads the Buckeyes with 43 tackles and Simon is coming off a career game in which he recorded three tackles for loss. The Nittany Lions’ duo has been better against the pass, however, and I’d take them for that reason if I was forced to pick one tandem over the other.

Advantage: Penn State

Cornerbacks

Ohio State’s cornerback unit is more of a question mark now than it was before the Oregon game, when what was supposed to be one of its biggest strengths turned out to be its demise as the Buckeyes surrendered 341 passing yards to Dillon Gabriel. Denzel Burke, in particular, struggled in that game, allowing eight catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

Going off of how he’s played in every other game this season, though, I still think Burke will be the best cornerback on the field in this game. Davison Igbinosun should have an advantage over Penn State’s mediocre receiving corps too if he can avoid the pass interference penalties that have plagued him. Penn State’s starting cornerback trio of A.J. Harris, Jalen Kimber and Cam Miller has played well, but Burke, Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock remain one of college football’s elite cornerback units when they’re on their A-game.

Advantage: Ohio State

Safeties

Caleb Downs has lived up to his billing as one of the best safeties in college football in his first season at Ohio State, and the Buckeyes appear poised to return to full strength at safety as Ryan Day said Wednesday that Lathan Ransom is “ready to go” after missing last week’s game against Nebraska due to injury.

Penn State has an excellent safety duo as well in Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley. Reed, in particular, has been a standout for the Nittany Lions’ defense this season with 44 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble. The safety unit is a strength of both defenses, but the return of a healthy Ransom paired with the all-around playmaking ability of Downs and the versatility Hancock showed playing safety last week makes me side with Ohio State.

Advantage: Ohio State

Projected Composite Lineup