Buckeyes Seeking Complete Game Against the Nittany Lions

Ohio State (6-0) enters its annual clash with Penn State (5-1) on Saturday night with a chance to silence the doubters. The Buckeyes were a unanimous No.1 in preseason polls, but their up and down play over the first half of the season have caused many to wonder if they deserve it.

Much of the criticism is based on the Buckeyes’ looking unmotivated against inferior opponents, doing just enough to win unconvincingly. Will Penn State finally get the team’s attention? Joey Bosa got the message telling Eleven Warriors,

“I remember watching them their first game this year and it’s nowhere close to where they’re looking now,” Bosa said. “It’s Penn State, so they’re going to get their stuff together and it’s always a big game.”

Ohio State is trying to win its 21st consecutive game and fourth-straight against the Nittany Lions. It will be in another dogfight unless it comes ready to play. Here are three keys to victory:

Offense Consistently Scoring Against Penn State’s Defense

As the chart below shows, the Nittany Lions’ defense is the best the Buckeyes have played this year. Of course they has not faced an offense as powerful as the Buckeyes so there is some doubt on their overall strength.

Defensive Category	Average	FBS rank
Scoring	14.3 PPG	10
Rushing	117 YPG	26
Passing	158.7 YPG	13
Sacks	4.17 SPG	2
Turnovers	2 PG	14

Over the last two games, head coach Urban Meyer’s offense has started to hit its stride. Cleaning up the red zone inefficiencies and turnover problem are significant reasons why the offense is playing much better, but a lot of the improvement is due to the playmakers getting more comfortable working with each other.

The offense will continue its progression this week as long as the line wins the trench battle and it executes better on third down. Penn State’s strategy is hardly a secret. It will load the box to stop Ezekiel Elliott. To make them pay, the line needs to give Cardale Jones time to let big plays down the field develop. If Jones makes the plays, the running lanes will open in the second half for Elliott to work his magic.

Shockingly, the offense is also struggling on third down this year converting just 36-percent of the time. Running power and playing with tempo will help. Plays designed to get to the edge with speed have not worked as well. Give the ball to Elliott and let him get a few yards on first down to make second and third down more manageable.

Defense Stopping the Run

Is last week’s containment breakdown a sign of a weakness or a minor aberration? Penn State is hardly an offensive powerhouse so expectations are the defense will be much improved over last week. The chart below shows how unproductive the Nittany Lions’ offense is this year.

Offensive Category	Average	FBS Rank
Scoring	25.2 PPG	92
Rushing	157.3 YPG	86
Passing	187.0 YPG	99

Christian Hackenberg is a true pocket-passing quarterback so he’s not going to hurt the defense the way Maryland’s Perry Hills did last week. Instead, the Nittany Lions are hoping running back Saquon Barkley returns from an ankle injury to carry the load and keep the Buckeyes’ honest. The 5-11, 222-pound true freshman leads the team with 373 yards and two touchdowns. His 8.9 yards-per-carry is No. 4 in the FBS.

Making Penn State’s offense one-dimensional is crucial to making this a comfortable win. Hackenberg is best off play-action. Stopping the run will force him to win the game though the air and that is when Bosa and company will make his night miserable.

Starting the Game with Urgency and Determination

The last thing the Buckeyes need to do is start this game going through the motions again. Allowing Penn State to gain confidence and linger around late could backfire.

No doubt the heart of this team is its resilience and confidence. Nothing really rattles them and it always pulls through in the 4th quarter. Perhaps it is time to sprinkle in a little anger early in the game to avoid flirting with disaster. I am confident Buckeye Nation would appreciate a game that is not a nail-biter.

Analysis

Franklin is still seeking his first signature Big Ten win and an upset over the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe is exactly the type of win to restore the shine around the program. Penn State was on the wrong side of a few bad calls in last year’s 31-24 double-overtime loss. Make no mistake, the Nittany Lions are coming to Columbus to win, not just look good.

The Buckeyes will come out on fire fueled in part by the”Black Out’ crowd. Expect the team to feed off the crowd’s energy and have its best first half performance of the season. Penn State will fight hard and keep the game close, but the Buckeyes weapons will help them pull away late again. Buckeyes win 35-24.

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