Haha, your stadium looks like a toilet
The Good
Coming into the season, the Buckeyes had just won the National Championship and became the first school in the history of the AP to start out the year as the consensus #1 team in the country... and yet, they are not playing well right now, or at least not up to their usual lofty expectations. I would go as far as to say they've looked disinterested in their first six games, probably because they haven't played anyone with a pulse. Well, the Lions are definitely showing signs of pulse these days. No, I'm not kidding people, this could happen, they could pull the upset! I never would have said that to start the year, and certainly not after the Temple loss, but with how these teams are playing at this very moment, it's a possibility.
Personnelwise, key pieces of the PSU roster continue to come back from injury. Andrew Nelson and Brandon Bell were back in action this past week, and rumor has it Saquon Barkley will make his triumphant return come game time (although you never know with James Franklin's super secret injury policy). As for the players already contributing, I have some stats to share with you: Carl Nassib leads the nation in solo sacks, total sacks, sacks/game and sack yds. He has 10 sacks (all solo) through only 6 games and had 2 sacks and forced fumbles this past week against the Hoosiers. All this from a former walk-on! In fact, the entire defense is playing out of its mind, and the offense is slowly catching up. They had their most complete game of the season last week. If they keep the momentum building, this team will be dangerous.
As for the special teams, Franklin said at his weekly press conference that kicker Joey Julius is still the starter and that having a bad day doesn't necessarily mean you lose your job. I like this philosophy, and I like Julius, so I'm happy about this decision. The Big Toe will be mighty helpful in Columbus. However, it should be pointed out that too many coaches take this thinking too far. If a player is exhibiting tendencies instead of just one time mistakes, get him out of there before he does more harm than good.
The Bad
Ohio State is the #1 team in the country, the defending National Champs, and we have to play them at night on the road (something Penn State has been traditionally bad at, especially under James Franklin). Nothing about this game will be easy. I truly hope this young team is up for the challenge of a place like the Horseshoe and fans like the Buckeyes. Their only chance will be to score some early points and silence that crowd. Otherwise, they'll be finished by halftime.
Just how good is Ohio State? Go print out a copy of their roster. Now close your eyes. Point to a random spot on the page. In all likelihood you just pointed to a future 1st round draft pick. It's honestly that loaded. Normally, I struggle to find a few key players on the opposing team to look out for, and most of the time I have to do some research. Well, not today; I can do this by memory. So let's look at both sides of the ball independently.
On offense, you have to start with the two-headed monster at QB in J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones. Last year both were playing at a Heisman-caliber level; this year not so much. But you never know when either one could unleash an explosion of points. They'll be throwing to some incredible WRs like Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall, as well as former QB and two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Braxton Miller. Then, of course, there's Ezekiel Elliott who is one of the best RBs I've ever seen. When parts of the offense slow down, Elliott carries this team to victory in spite of the troubles. Even against a defense like ours, he will be virtually unstoppable.
Defensively, DE Joey Bosa is the big name and his ability to disrupt QBs is on par with Carl Nassib. He will make it his mission to harass Christian Hackenberg all game long. Bosa is joined on the line by Adolphus Washington, who is no slouch himself. In the middle roams Raekwon McMillan, a powerful LB with speed to cover the entire field. Vonn Bell is a scary good safety who specializes in shutting down short passes and bubble screens (you know, those plays John Donovan is so fond of). And if our WRs think they'll have an easy time separating from CB Eli Apple they've got another thing coming. Any points Penn State plans to score will come at a premium.
The Story
First of all, can I just mention that at the halfway point of the season, this will be the first time all year Penn State will travel outside the state of Pennsylvania. That is ridiculous! So of course that means they'll bust out the always classy, never duplicated, all-white road unis. Behold them, in all their glory!
Now hopefully this game won't be a repeat of the 63-14 drubbing we received the last time Penn State traveled to Columbus. And to think, that was under Bill O'Brien, an offensive guru who actually knows how to call plays. This year's defense is a significant upgrade from that version, though, so it should stay closer. Don't think it's not on the minds of the more veteran players, though. Losses like that stay with you.
I know that Michigan will always be the arch rival for Ohio State, and that's fine (Pitt will always be #1 to me). However, the Buckeyes need to stop treating us like an after thought. Statistically, the Nittany Lions have been the most competitive team in the conference against OSU over the last decade. We won in 2005, 2008, 2010, and nearly knocked them off last season in double overtime! We can compete, we will compete, and they better watch out!
The Prediction
Penn State opens as 17.5 point underdogs. That seems high to me. Our defense is for real and so far I just haven't been impressed enough with Ohio State's offensive production to think they can put up a lot of points against us. Hackenberg and the offense will struggle, naturally, but they will get in the endzone, especially if Saquon Barkley comes back from injury. I think the team comes out hyped up, plays out of their minds and maybe even takes a lead into halftime. However, the 3rd quarter hasn't been kind to these Lions while Ohio State has proven to be dominant in the 2nd half. Both trends continue and the Buckeyes pull away at the end. I'm not even going to try to predict individual performances, but I will say: final score 24-34 OSU.
Alright, that will do it for tonight. Win or lose, enjoy this one. Games like these are what college football is all about! Check back on Monday for the wrap up and in the meantime head on over to my Facebook page and give it a like. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
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