No. 20 Penn State (5-2) faces a tall order as it visits No. 5 Ohio State (6-1) on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions are trying to bounce back from consecutive losses to Iowa and Illinois, while the Buckeyes have won five straight since their loss to now-No. 7 Oregon, including four straight blowout victories where they scored more than 50 points.
Here are five keys to look for if Penn State is going to pull off the upset. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
The Interior:
It’s hard to win games against Ohio State without having a decent outing in the trenches and that so often starts in the interior of the line. The loss of PJ Mustipher loomed large against Illinois but the good news for Penn State is that Ohio State’s rushing attack ought to look significantly different than Illinois which had nearly nine guys on the front most of the day. That won’t make life any easier for the Nittany Lions up front, but the fewer people you’ve got to deal with in the trenches the better. Penn State doesn’t have to win in this area to win the game, but it does have to hold its own. Can it?
His Legs:
If Sean Clifford can run the ball on Saturday the Nittany Lions have a punchers’ chance at things. If he can’t he could be a long afternoon for Penn State. Clifford’s health is basically the most important storyline in this game since he’s the difference between a legitimate upset shot and maybe the first blowout Ohio State has handed the Nittany Lions in the post sanction era. If Clifford can move with his legs and is willing to take some hits – and it able to get back up from them – then he’s a totally different player than he was against Illinois.
If Not Now, Then Never:
It’s not a surprise at this point that Penn State simply can’t run the ball with any regularity. That is what it is, but it’s not for a lack of talent in the backfield. The Nittany Lions aren’t going to turn into a running team overnight, but if they can convert short yardage situations on the ground that will go a long way towards any upset chance that might be in the cards. Time will tell if this team can ever establish a legitimate rushing attack, but there’s no time like the present, and no place like Columbus, to find your legs.
Make Them Count:
Big games have big moments, or rather they have big opportunities. At some point Penn State will have momentum on its side, or a chance to swing the game slightly in its favor – can it make the most of those moments? This could be a defensive stop, a big third down, a chance to covert deep in Ohio State territory or Jahan Dotson open and Clifford getting ready to throw. Only time will tell what these moments end up looking like, but you’ll know them when you see them. Can the Nittany Lions execute when the opportunities are there?
On Schedule:
Penn State was plagued with long yardage situations against Illinois all game long and even longer situations against Iowa once Ta’Quan Roberson was in the game. The Nittany Lions almost pulled off wins in spite of that against both teams, but they simply won’t have a chance to win if the third down yardage is long. If Penn State can keep most of its third downs inside of five yards, the Nittany Lions will have a chance, anything longer than that is playing with fire, and a game that could mean a lot of punts. Punting is never good against Ohio State, not if you want to win.
