James Franklin Re-Lives Last Year's Matchup Between Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions
The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes host the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions in Columbus on Saturday in what is set to be one of the top matchups of the college football season.
The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 23-17 and are currently on a six-game winning streak against the Nittany Lions, which includes last season's 44-31 win at Beaver Stadium. But while most teams might choose to look ahead instead of in the past in preparation for a big game, Penn State coach James Franklin is choosing to use last year's loss to Ohio State as a chance to teach and motivate before Saturday's clash of 6-0 teams.
"I think last year's experience was a learning tool for our entire team, for all of our coordinators and all of our coaches," Franklin said. "I think we played really well for three quarters and didn't finish."
Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) runs for a 7-yard touchdown past Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tyler Elsdon (43) and linebacker Curtis Jacobs (23) during the fourth quarter.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
Franklin is right. The Nittany Lions, who were ranked No. 13 for last year's game, took a 21-16 lead over No. 2 Ohio State at the start of the fourth quarter after being down 10-0 early.
A big-time win for Penn State was close to becoming a reality, but the Buckeyes proceeded to score a whopping 28 points in the fourth quarter en route to a double-digit win.
Based on last year's game and all the ones that came before it, Franklin made sure to show his admiration for Ohio State.
"We've got a ton of respect for Ohio State and their history. And not just now," Franklin said. "Like literally from a historical perspective, it's something, kind of looking at what Penn State's records were, again, all these teams before we even got here. Those things are important to study and understand."
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are set for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday from Ohio Stadium.
