Ohio State football vs. Penn State: Three players to watch
By Ryan Stano
3. Julian Fleming is the X-factor for the Ohio State football team
People forget that Julian Fleming was the number one receiver in the 2020 class when he came to Ohio State. In fact, he was the number three overall recruit in that class. He was expected to be another ridiculous weapon to a receiver room already full of them.
Unfortunately, injuries took hold of him. He only played in 12 games in his first two years with the Buckeyes and caught a total of one touchdown pass in that time. He caught a total of just 19 passes too. Simply put, he was an afterthought on this offense.
The Buckeyes missed him in the first two games of this season too. Since then though, Fleming has made an impact on the game. With JSN hardly playing this season, it’s opened up opportunities for Fleming. He now has caught a touchdown in every game he’s played this year and has six of them total.
Fleming has a chance to play well in this game too. He caught a long 79-yard bomb from Stroud against Iowa last week. If Porter Jr. is going to be locked in on Harrison Jr., that leaves more chances for Fleming to get targets and do something with them.
I think Fleming keeps his touchdown streak alive in this one. I see him catching at least one touchdown pass in this game. Penn State just doesn’t have enough guys to cover all of Ohio State’s weapons and I think Fleming is the beneficiary.
Next. Ohio State vs. Penn State: Three bold predictions. dark
I’ll be watching all three of these guys intently throughout the game. All three should have a big say in how this game plays out.