Penn State-Ohio State Matchups: What to expect from Nittany Lions, Buckeyes

A primetime meeting between Penn State and Ohio State is one of many contests headlining this weekend's college football slate.

It goes without saying that the 7:30 p.m. ET showdown at Ohio Stadium lost plenty of its luster after the Nittany Lions dropped a 20-18 contest against Illinois at home while the Buckeyes blew out Indiana on the road, but the game will still be played despite all of that as the home side looks to better its chances of reaching the Big Ten title game while the visitors aim to get back in the win column at the end of October.

Just like every week at this time, we're breaking down the matchups prior to kickoff.

Will Sean Clifford actually be 100 percent by kickoff in Columbus, and if so, how long will that last?

There is really not another question that matters when trying to assess the chess game that will feature Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich matching whits with Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Barnes.

Penn State coach James Franklin said Tuesday that Clifford is further along from a health perspective this week compared to last and that the program expects him to be 100 percent. There's a difference between expecting it and seeing it, of course, and also one between it being so before the first snap is taken compared to where things stand after a few series.

We saw earlier this year what Penn State's offense is capable of when Clifford moves the pocket to help get receivers open or takes off for a first down. We also saw against Illinois that things break down spectacularly when he can't or is trying not to do that since there is no run game to speak of.

Maybe Clifford will be fully healthy so the offense can fully function on Saturday, but it's hard to imagine that being the case for 60 minutes beforehand. And, since a magic fix to the run game isn't coming down the pipe, it's impossible to think that the Lions' offense can do enough scoring and even ball control to keep this one close.

Ohio State's defense looks vastly different in a good way with Barnes at the controls compared to when Kerry Coombs was earlier this year, and that's not good news for a visiting attack that's trying to sort things out after the halfway mark of the season with a quarterback who is, at best, banged up.

EDGE: OHIO STATE

Throughout a 6-1 start, Ohio State has amassed the following total yards per game:

495

612

511

622

541

598

539

The point here is that the Buckeyes' offense is going to move the ball a lot, even if Penn State is one of if not the best defense it will face to date. The Nittany Lions took a hit when they lost defensive tackle PJ Mustipher for the season two weeks ago, of course, and are playing a lot of starters a lot of snaps.

Quarterback CJ Stroud leads the Ohio State attack. He's thrown for 1,965 yards to date and has a prolific 22-to-3 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave lead the way with 36 and 32 catches for 605 and 518 yards, respectively, and have caught 14 of the scoring passe so far. It doesn't stop there, however. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert can do it all and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is another receiver that the Nittany Lions will have to account for. TreVeyon Henderson can run and catch out of the backfield, and he'll lead the way. Master Teague was hurt last week but may be back, but either way, expect a heavy dose of Henderson early and often.

When watching the film, you can briefly envision Penn State's defense holding up for a bit in this game, but ultimately, it's hard to look at what happened against Illinois and think that the offense will help Brent Pry's unit enough to keep it fresh and off the field for four quarters. That is unlikely to happen, but a barrage of yards and points for the hosts is.

EDGE: OHIO STATE

--Could Penn State find an edge in the return game? Jordan Stout should have no problem continuing to blast touchbacks and force fair catches, but on the other side of things, Buckeyes punter Jesse Mirco has only forced four fair catches on 16 punts while kickoff specialist Noah Ruggles has just 15 touchbacks on 58 kickoffs. It could be something to keep an eye on.

--It's worth noting that Ruggles is a perfect 7-for-7 on field goal tries.

--Since it always comes up before this matchup, former five-star receiver Julian Fleming seems to be dealing with some kind of injury but is expected to be available against the Nittany Lions. So far, he's only played in three games this season and netted two catches for 17 yards

Penn State has its work cut out for it considerably in Columbus. Ohio State's defense does not have a bunch of standout stat guys so far this season but they're accountable in the run game, agile in the pass game, and play well as a unit. Collectively, that should be enough to stifle the Nittany Lions' attack barring some kind of major turnaround.

Then, on the other side of the coin, no one doubts that Brent Pry's defense is very good, last weekend's rushing gaffes aside, but it's difficult to see them holding Ohio State to less than 30 points based on what we've seen from the Buckeyes' offense so far.

Put it all together, and 17.5 points just feel a bit short entering the weekend.

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook