(Photo: Clutchpoints)
Saturday Spotlight
(4) Ohio State Buckeyes at (3) Penn State Nittany Lions
Ohio State: I’ll just come out and say it. They looked ahead last weekend and got a challenge from a much improved Nebraska Cornhuskers team. I find myself saying this often and quite usually, it wasn’t pretty, but they found a way to win the football game and add another W to the win column. Let’s give Nebraska their credit because they held a prolific offense to 21 points which is their lowest amount scored this season and both Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson didn’t contribute much on the ground in the running game either as they combined for 54 rushing yards on just 20 carries. Instead of winning the shootout as they’ve been known to do, this was that dog fight of a football game they were competing in and had to rely on a defense which has been the best I’ve seen in the country this year. After the loss in Eugene to the Oregon Ducks, I really didn’t know what to make or think of this football team. Coming into the year, I was high on these Ohio State Buckeyes. One, this was the best roster Ryan Day has had since replacing Urban Meyer as the Head Coach, they have two Running Backs that would be number ones on any other team’s depth chart in the nation and lastly, they have the defense which has improved considerably throughout the years. This year, they have averaged 40 points per game which is 11th in the nation in scoring and on the other side of the football, they are ranked fourth and give up 11.9 points a contest. At the beginning of the year, they were getting what they wanted, when they wanted it, and how they wanted it. Conference play can always be a challenge for many teams. Today, they will be in Happy Valley for a big-time showdown in the Big Ten.
Penn State: Three teams are undefeated in the Big Ten. That’s the Oregon Ducks, the Indiana Hoosiers, and this group playing in Happy Valley. You can say all you want about them not necessarily facing the toughest competition, but they’ve played who they’ve played and won those football games. I remember week one in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers and just watching their offense. If you’ve kept up with this football team, the biggest question mark outside of their offense has been their passing attack. Sean Clifford couldn’t move the needle all those years ago and Drew Allar has been inconsistent. That game against West Virginia was the best he’s looked. I’ve noticed the Penn State offense has more of a balanced attack where they want to take shots down the field with the passing game. Plus, two weapons make this aerial attack hum with the first being Tight End, Tyler Warren who’s the best at his position and it isn’t even close anymore. Go watch the highlights of their game against USC and then we can talk. Harrison Wallace III is also a nice weapon that can make those catches when necessary. I called their game last weekend against the Wisconsin Badgers a trap game because as I always say, football teams can overlook opponents, but they remained focused on who was in front of them. Their big loss though was Drew Allar’s injury and he was out for the remainder of the game. James Franklin still has something to prove in my eyes. They will be home today with the fourth-ranked team in the country in town.
Ohio State X-Factor: Emeka Egbuka– He missed this matchup last season. Finally, he’s available for this one! Emeka is the veteran of this Wide receiver room for the Ohio State Buckeyes. This kid works and lets his play do all of the talking. He’s always moving and never stops moving. Even when a play appears to be breaking down, he’s still doing all he can to free himself to get open. Emeka has never been the flashiest guy, nor is he explosive. He goes about his business and tries to make the best possible play to put his team in a position to win. How could you not respect a guy like that?
Penn State X-Factor: Jaylen Reed– He has emerged as a big-time playmaker for this defense this year and it’s showing. Jaylen is a Safety who brings the intensity to one of the best defenses in college football. I can tell he was a Cornerback during his playing days because he can drop back and play the ball meaning he can cover ground and play in coverage. On the other hand, he’s a missile that can play downhill and make tackles. If you lure the ball up in the air in his direction, he will make a play upon it. Jaylen is a tackling machine and it’s no surprise that he leads the Nittany Lions in tackles this season.
Final Thoughts: I’ve previewed this matchup seven times and this marks my eighth time. I’ve loved every chance I’ve been able to break this matchup down. One team is ranked fourth and the other is third, what more could you ask for? Ryan Day and James Franklin haven’t fared well against top-five opponents in their coaching careers. Ryan hasn’t defeated a top-five opponent since September of 2022 when Ohio State faced Notre Dame and James hasn’t beaten a top-five team since October 22nd, 2016, and guess who that was against? These Ohio State Buckeyes. Since then, he’s lost ten straight. One of these two men will have to break through, who will it be? The success in this matchup for Ohio State has been defined by their great individual performances. J.T. Barrett in 2017, Chase Young in 18, Justin Fields in 19, JT Tuimoloau in 22, and Marvin Harrison last season. Who will be that guy today? Penn State’s biggest question mark is will Drew Allar play? All eyes are on that storyline. This running game for the Buckeyes must get going early on and often, win their downs on offense and take this crowd out of the game early on and strike first. This will be the best defense the Nittany Lions will have seen all season long. Having an in-depth plan for Allar and the backup Quarterback, Beau Pribula will be key. Defensively, stuffing the Ohio State ground attack will be crucial, and most importantly, can Penn State win their third downs? Here’s where the challenge is: Ohio State has one of the best third-down defenses in the country. Many of these matchups as of late have been decided by one score and I think we get the same game today. Ohio State prevails here.
Prediction: Ohio State 29, Penn State 25
