Well it’s here. Penn State and Ohio State face off for the first season defining game of the year for the Nittany Lions and the second for the Buckeyes, who narrowly escaped Notre Dame thanks to a last-minute drive. Saturday will be tense for fans and fun for onlookers. Five storylines is probably 100 too few, but for the sake of consistency here are five to keep an eye on.
Out Of The Gates:
Penn State has turned the ball over on its first drive against Ohio State each of the last three years. In 2022 it was an interception, in 2021 it was a fumble, in 2020 it was a turnover on downs inside of its own 50. The Nittany Lions don’t need to drive down the field 75-yards and score a touchdown, but showing up and not immediately making a mistake in a game that can’t afford to many of them wouldn’t hurt. In general Penn State has dominated the second half more than the first and while the Nittany Lions will need to play a full four quarter game, they can’t afford to start too slowly. This Ohio State team might be beatable but that doesn’t mean Penn State can get away with taking a quarter off, no matter when that is. The sooner the Penn State eases into the game the better off the Nittany Lions will be.
Be Who You Are:
James Franklin hammered home the point this week that Drew Allar – and Penn State as a whole – don’t need to be a different team or quarterback this week than they’ve. he has been all year. That can be easier said than done in these big moments, but Penn State’s chances will go a very long way if Allar continues to be the quarterback who takes what the defense gives him and if the offense in particular is happy with grinding it out. It doesn’t seem likely that Penn State’s defense will lose its personality in a game like this, but the more Penn State’s offense can dictate terms the better off the Nittany Lions will be. That does’t mean there won’t shots down the field, but Penn State has to stick with what has worked this year and lean into it.
Four Quarters:
Previewing the things to do against Ohio State probably opens up the door to fans experiencing some PTSD but it goes without saying that Penn State can’t play a good three quarters and then evaporate in the fourth. At the risk of stating the obvious this game doesn’t seem – on paper – to be the sort of thing that will be decided before its over. It’s probably easier for Penn State to get four quarters out if its trailing, but having a fourth quarter lead has been the Nittany Lions’ boogyman more than you probably want to think to hard about. Those last 15 minutes to could define a lot of things, show up for it.
WR1:
Penn State might not be trying to blow the top off of Ohio State’s coverage but the more KeAndre Lambert-Smith and the newly returned Harrison Wallace can make the most of their moments the better off Penn State will be. It stands to reason that the Nittany Lions will continue to pound away on the ground, but it also stands to reason that Penn State won’t win this game without throwing down the field.
In Check:
Ohio State has too many good players on both sides of the ball to reasonably expect that Penn State will just lock them all down, but the more the Nittany Lions can keep the stars in check the better off they’ll be. Penn State probably doesn’t win if somebody is having a career day. Kalen King has his hands full with Marvin Harrison Jr but King might also be one of the few corners in the nation who can handle Harrison Jr in man coverage. Similarly can Penn State’s defensive line handle defensive end JT Tuimoloau? He broke the game last year when it mattered most. Penn State isn’t going to just stop Ohio State’s best players, but it can probably keep them in check. Do that and they have a much better chance of winning. ON a similar note, nothing will help Penn State out more than getting to the quarterback. That’s the easiest way to slow down the best receiver in the country.
