Penn State Football: Five Keys To Beating Ohio State

Beating the No. 4 ranked team in the nation is no walk in the park. Beating the No. 4 ranked team on the road isn’t any easier. The Nittany Lions will try and pull off the impossible Saturday night against an Ohio State team that hasn’t lost in 19 games. 

Sure, Penn State is an underdog but any team is beatable though and that includes Ohio State. So what are some of keys to victory? In honor of Penn State’s trip to Columbus, here are the Five Cs to beating the Buckeyes. 

Contain:

If Penn State is going to beat do-it-all quarterback Braxton Miller the first key will be to contain him. Miller is far too talented to keep bottled up in the pocket all game. but if Penn State can just contain him to a certain extent, it’ll go a long way towards stopping the big plays. Containing Miller doesn’t mean preventing him from running — it means preventing him from running all night, at will, and without a few guys ready to take him down as he gallops down the field.

Control:

Emotions always run high in big time games, and keeping those in check can be the difference between a bad penalty and a simple tackle. Little things can make a big impact in a game like this, and keeping emotions in check and under control is one of those little things.

Capitalize:

Ohio State is bound to make mistakes, like any other team, and being able to capitalize on those mistakes will be key. When Penn State gets the ball with great field position the Nittany Lions must to capitalize. Quick three-and-outs will be a recipe for losing if it the game is close and Penn State squanders scoring chances off of turnovers.

Composed:

There has been little evidence that Christian Hackenberg can be rattled by pressure, but if he’s going to be the engineer behind Penn State’s upset bid he’ll need to have his wits about him. The freshman has played beyond his years almost all season, but the not-so-friendly confines of Columbus will test his abilities both physically and mentally.

Careful:

Hand-in-hand with Hackenberg’s need to be composed, he’ll need to be careful. This means he needs to be careful to make good reads and careful with his audibles. But yet, he must still play with confidence. It’ll be a delicate balance but if Hackenberg can do it, Penn State can avoid turnovers. And turnovers could be the difference in the outcome of Saturday night’s game.