Penn State vs Ohio State Staff Predictions
Kickoff is less than 24 hours away, which means it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Below, members of the Happy Valley Insider staff give their predictions for No. 7 Penn State's Saturday afternoon matchup against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Dylan Callaghan-Croley (Managing Editor)
I think it's fair to say that Saturday is the most important game of the James Franklin era. It has the chance to be Penn State “finishing” that journey from being a great program to an elite program. A win on Saturday wouldn't mean that the job is done for the Nittany Lions, but it has the opportunity to be a monumental win in the history of the program.
Entering Saturday, I firmly believe that the Nittany Lions are the better team, but it doesn't make this an easy one to pick. There are very few places in college football that are harder to play in than The Horseshoe, and this Ohio State team is an elite one. That being said, as I said above, I believe Penn State is the better team through the first seven weeks of the season. For the first time in a long time, the quarterback position is not widely in favor of the Buckeyes and should be considered a tossup. I think that's an important factor coming into this game.
That being said, I believe this Penn State defense is not just the best in the Big Ten but the best in the Big Ten, and it really doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. The defensive tackle spot could be a bit of a question on Saturday, but the defensive ends, linebackers, and secondary are good as they come. It's that defensive end spot that I believe is where the difference may be on Saturday, the Nittany Lions have four or five legitimate pass rushers who they believe could get to Kyle McCord in this game and if they can get to Kyle McCord on a regular basis, it could end up being a long day for the Buckeyes offense.
The Penn State defense as a whole has played with a swagger that we have not seen in Happy Valley in quite a while, and they appear to be a team on a mission. It's also a defense designed to specifically beat the team across from them on Saturday afternoon.
Offensively, it's fair to question if the Nittany Lions will have the explosiveness to win this game, but I'm not sure if they'll need it to beat this Ohio State team. This is a much better offensive line than a lot of outside media members give it credit for, their pass protection has been very good this season and their run blocking has gotten the job done. Finally, for the first time perhaps in a long time, Penn State has the depth on both sides of the ball that can last four quarters with Ohio State.
Penn State 27 - Ohio State 24
Marty Leap (Contributor)
Opportunity is knocking for Penn State. A golden opportunity to finally climb over that Buckeye Mountain. A mountain that James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have only climbed once, and it led to a Big Ten Championship.
It’s more than that, though. This is a legacy type of game, a legacy type of game that Penn State enters as very possibly the more talented team. This is a great matchup for the Nittany Lions. Ohio State’s weakness is their offensive line, especially the offensive tackles, while Penn State’s defensive line is one of the best in the country. Hell, their defensive ends may be the best in the country. Also, for as good as Marvin Harrison Jr. is, Penn State has the secondary capable of containing the superstar.
Offensively, the Nittany Lions need to continue to control the clock and protect the football. Finding explosive plays is important too. They have not been there this year but the Nittany Lions likely need to hit 2 or 3 to win on Saturday. Those big plays could come from the tight ends. Theo Johnson was a terror for opposing defenses down the seams last season and we saw that return last weekend, Johnson and the tight ends can expose the Buckeye linebackers.
It’s hard to believe I am picking the Nittany Lions to walk into Columbus and pick up a victory. Yet, here we are. Penn State is the healthier, more rested team, which is a factor as well. Franklin and the Nittany Lions get a signature victory.
Penn State 24 - Ohio State 21
Richard Schnyderite (Publisher)
Look for this to be a tight one all game long and while both teams are very talented, I think this one will come down to who will make the mistake on offense first thus likely leading the other team to points. With Penn State having very talented edge rushers and Ohio State not having as good a quarterback prospect as they've had in previous years, I think the Manny Diaz led defense could cause some havoc for Kyle McCord and cause him to make some erratic throws thus leading to the Nittany Lions finally getting over that hump."
Penn State 28 - Ohio State 20
Anthony Hazan (PSU 365)
This game comes down to the wire. The difference in this one is the PSU DE’s, which are able to get just enough pressure on Kyle McCord to force him into making some mistakes. The depth, especially defensively, allows the starters to stay somewhat fresh going into the 4th quarter, which was a major contributor to the collapse 6 years ago. Get ready to have your blood pressure at high levels throughout this one.
Penn State 30 - Ohio State 24
Clay Sauertieg (HVI alumnus ; Guest picker)
There’s probably a bit of an element of speaking this into existence here, but Penn State really *should* win this game.
I can count on one hand how many times I’m felt that way since the turn of the century.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to not making mistakes on offense and creating them on defense.
Penn State’s needs to and should win up front in a big way defensively. If it can do that, I think the Nittany Lions leave Columbus with a message-sending victory.
Penn State 24 - Ohio State 16
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