After finding its footing in the second half against Iowa last Saturday en route to a 54-10 victory, Ohio State must pull up its scarlet and gray bootstraps, hit the road and face what should be its most difficult opponent of the season to date when it takes on Penn State in Happy Valley.
The Nittany Lions have historically played Ohio State closer than any other team in the Big Ten over the last few years. The fact the game is on the road in Beaver Stadium will most likely create a significant hurdle for the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Even the most casual fan knows a decent amount about the Penn State program, but each year does provide its own different strengths, weaknesses, and identity.
To get you up to speed before the game this weekend with this Nittany Lions squad, here are five things to know about that plain-Jane uniformed team.
Penn State has very good talent in the secondary
Penn State is built better than most teams in the country when it comes to stopping the Ohio State passing attack. That’s because the strength of the defense is probably the third level where All-American candidate Joey Porter Jr. likes to roam.
The numbers haven’t exactly mirrored that so far in 2022, because of the teams and schemes the Nittany Lions have gone against this season, but expect the windows and opportunities in the passing game to be a little less than other games on Saturday.
Quarterback Sean Clifford is coming off his best game of the year
If you’ve followed the career arc of Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, you know the story well. He has been terribly inconsistent, but when he’s making good decisions, he can be a significant weapon as a dual-threat quarterback.
The much-maligned Ohio native has had verbal arrows flung at him his entire career, but he’s coming off his best game of the season against a good Minnesota defense. Clifford was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after completing 23-of-31 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
Penn State will go as Clifford goes, and he’s going to be coming into this one with a lot of confidence — or so you would think.
Penn State has arguably the most explosive freshman in the Big Ten
If you are looking for a mid-season early Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate, he’s probably on Penn State’s roster as the starting running back.
Out of Shillington, Pennsylvania, true freshman Nicholas Singleton is one of the youngest and brightest starts in the league. In 2022, he’s already rushed the ball 82 times for 561 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.8 yards per carry and has breakaway ability.
Fellow freshman back Kaytron Allen will also get some carries in spelling Singleton, but Ohio State will have to find a way to limit the big play potential out of the backfield — namely via Singleton’s two legs and vision.
Penn State has a balanced offense
You’ll hear most college football coaches like to praise the need for a balanced offense, one that can gain yards both on the ground and by cashing in air miles. Meanwhile, other coaches eschew one or the other no matter who the opponent is.
Penn State is truly a balanced team. It doesn’t rank very high in either the rushing or passing game nationally, but it can utilize both depending on the matchup and game plan. The Nittany Lions average 245.1 yards through the air and 178.4 on the ground per game.
You can bet Ohio State will try to make Penn State one-dimensional by stopping the run and making Sean Clifford throw the ball more than the coaching staff would want. Michigan was able to do it and it really hampered the Nittany Lions’ offensive effectiveness and consistency.
Penn State's defense is a top 20 unit
The Ohio State offense was tested last week against Iowa, and it’ll face another test against a good defense on Saturday.
That’s because the Penn State defense is ranked No. 20 in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 18.9 points per contest. And that’s with the Nittany Lions giving up 41 points at Michigan two games ago.
Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will not implement the same tough bend but don’t break defense Iowa did last week,. He will use more of an aggressive tendency that’ll give up some big plays, but create more negative moments as well. It’ll be up to the OSU offense to be on the winning side of that equation.
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