Here it is, a noon kick against No. 2 Ohio State at Beaver Stadium a chance to turn the Nittany Lions’ season into something truly special or a loss that would still send Penn State toward a solid year but without the program-boosting win fans have longed for since 2016. Either way it should be an interesting afternoon in State College on what looks to be a perfect day in the sky. Check back later about the day on the field.
Playing With House Money: Penn State might be 6-1 and have home field advantage but nothing about this game gives off the same sort of “upset alert” vibes of previous meetings. That might have a lot to do with the fact Penn State already got handled easily by Michigan earlier in the year, but the Nittany Lions aren’t coming into this game with the same sort of swagger as in previous years. There is an element of “playing with house money” in this game for Penn State by virtue of the fact nobody is expecting them to win or really hold the Nittany Lions’ feet [paws] to the fire when/if they come up short. In turn, can Penn State play loose and with the kind of confidence that comes with not being scared of failure? That could got a long way towards an actual upset alert. The looser Penn State looks, the better.
Make Them Uncomfortable: Fans gave Minnesota plenty to think about – or hear – last weekend en route to helping Penn State earn five false start penalties. Ohio State is going to be more comfortable in a difficult environment than most teams but this Buckeye roster hasn’t seen Beaver Stadium in full throat before. Don’t forget, Ohio State has played one game in Beaver Stadium full of fans since 2016. The 2018 meeting was the last time Ohio State made the trip to State College with fans in the stands since the 2020 game happened during the COVID season. The Buckeyes are used to getting everyone’s best shot, but Beaver Stadium is always an x-factor, even at noon.
Is The Second Time Better?: Penn State getting run off the field by Michigan is sometimes simply how the game goes. Can Penn State take a second crack at a Top 5 team and come out looking better than last time? This could be the sort of game that is much closer than the final score and even in defeat Penn State can win back some skeptics if the Nittany Lions can improve on their performance just two weeks ago. Teams don’t really get that much better in a short span, but they can certainly limit mistakes and some bad habits in fairly short order. Will it be enough to make this game a game? Time will tell, but if it is, the red flag that came up in Ann Arbor might fall to at least half mast.
Start Like You Mean It: The last few weeks Penn State hasn’t started off with much forward momentum on offense and it’s one thing to do that against Minnesota but another thing to do it against Ohio State. If the Nittany Lions want to win this game they can’t afford to wait a quarter or two to show up. The longer Penn State is within striking distance the better and the fewer early drives the Nittany Lions waste the smaller the eventual deficit might end up being. This is the sort of game where Penn State needs Sean Clifford to be sharp early, it’s also the sort of game that the Nittany Lions need to establish – on both sides of the ball – that they are here to stay.
The Fallout: The Ohio State and Michigan games always provide James Franklin with a messaging test when it comes to the benchmarking that goes on between his program and the two premiere programs in the Big Ten. It would be safe to say that Franklin hasn’t won over many fans in this department this season and has done a lot to point the finger at anyone but himself. At the end of the day Franklin’s qualms might be legitimate, but he could also do for some public introspection, especially if Penn State loses both of the biggest games of the year – even if his team was never going to win them in the first place.
