Game Preview: Ohio State Expects “Dogfight” Against Penn State On Saturday Night

The last five meetings between the two programs have been decided by 13 points or less.

Fifth-ranked Ohio State enters Saturday’s game against No. 20 Penn State (7:30 p.m. on ABC) having won four straight in the series.

However, those games have all been decided by an average of 6.5 points – including a pair of one-point victories in 2017 and 2018 – which is why head coach Ryan Day won’t let the Buckeyes overlook the reeling Nittany Lions.

“When you look at the games that we’ve had with them in the past, they’re always a dogfight,” Day said during his press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “That’s just the way it’s been, and I know it’s going to be that way. They have a lot of pride and they’re one of the best programs in the country.

“It’s hard to beat those types of teams, and we know when Penn State comes into town, we have to be on our game. This is going to be one of those games where it’s going to be physical, back and forth, and we have to start fast and be ready to play four quarters.”

Penn State’s ranking doesn’t necessarily reflect it following back-to-back losses at Iowa and in nine overtimes against Illinois, but the Nittany Lions are a significant step up in competition from what Ohio State has faced in the last five games, which includes wins over Tulsa, Akron, Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana.

So, in order to continue their march toward a fifth-straight Big Ten title and a third consecutive College Football Playoff berth, the Buckeyes must be focused on this game and this game only.

“If you look at it like a heavyweight fighter and you mess around one round, then you get knocked out,” Day said. “We have to just show up every single game, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Penn State is a very good defense and will be a very big challenge for us, and we know that.

“It’s most likely not going to play out the way that the last few games have played out or play out like any game that’s happened before. We know that and understand that, and we have to adapt for whatever that means.”

General Info

Date: Oct. 30, 2021
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH)
Expected Weather: 54 degrees, showers
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Current Betting Numbers

Spread: Ohio State (-18.5)
O/U Total: 61
Betting: Check out the new SISportsbook!

How to Watch/Listen

Television: ABC
Streaming: fuboTV (get a 7-day free trial)
Announcers: Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)

Local Radio: Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield IMG College
Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The Fan
Announcers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter), Skip Mosic (pregame/halftime/postgame host and producer)

Series History

Ohio State leads Penn State, 22-14
* OSU record at home: 13-7
* OSU record on the road/neutral: 9-7

LAST TIME THEY MET
2020: Ohio State 38, Penn State 25

Coaching Matchup

* Ryan Day
* At Ohio State: Third Season, Record: 29-3
* Overall: Same

* James Franklin
* At Indiana: 8th Season, Record: 65-30
* Overall: 89-45

Ohio State Capsule

Ohio State’s offense is firing on all cylinders as of late and currently leads the nation with 49.3 points and 559.7 yards per game, but the Buckeyes have not yet faced a defense like Penn State’s.

In fact, the Nittany Lions give up just 14.7 points and 324.4 yards per game, good for sixth and 25th in the country, respectively. And that could be a challenge for quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has thrown 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three starts.

“The defense has played well,” Day said. “Brent Pry is an excellent defensive coordinator and has been for a long time. They have a very good scheme, very good players. When you look at their front, they’re very active. The linebackers are very good, and the back end is veteran now.

“They’ve played a lot of football, so they’re one of the better defenses in the country, in my opinion. There’s a lot that goes into that. I think it’s scheme. I think it’s coaching. But they have really good personnel, as well.”

On the other hand, the best offense Penn State has faced so far this season is Auburn’s, which puts up just 34.6 points and 447.7 yards per game and has struggled at times with consistency.

The Nittany Lions will now have to deal with an Ohio State offense that scored on 21 straight drives – including a touchdown on all but one – until Indiana forced a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half of last week’s game. The Hoosiers were already down 44-7 at that point.

“Stroud is playing with tremendous confidence,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said during his media availability on Tuesday afternoon. “He’s getting better every single week and obviously surrounded with a bunch of explosive players.”

Penn State Capsule

If Penn State is going to keep up with Ohio State’s offense, it will need fifth-year senior quarterback Sean Clifford fully recovered from an undisclosed injury he suffered in the second half of the loss to Iowa on Oct. 9.

Clifford was clearly limited physically in the loss to Illinois, as he completed just 19-of-34 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown and rushed just once for a loss of two yards. He was also sacked four times for minus-26 yards.

“Sean’s much further ahead now to being back to 100 percent, so that’s a positive. I feel really good about that,” Franklin said. “I know Sean felt great physically on Sunday. We expect to have a 100 percent Sean Clifford this week.”

Clifford’s ability to make plays on the ground on designed plays or scrambles will be key for a Nittany Lions offense that averages just 118.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks 100th nationally.

“He was limited obviously in what he could do, and we tried to limit it as much as we could, as well,” Franklin said. “When you’ve got a guy like Sean – and that’s a big part of what he does and how he plays – being limited, it obviously impacted him and us."

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have certainly been reminded this week of the big plays they gave up to Clifford and senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson is last year’s meeting in Happy Valley.

Dotson caught eight passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns, including an incredible one-handed reception over former cornerback Shaun Wade.

“That was probably one of the best games of my career. A game I’ll never forget,” Dotson said on Tuesday. “To be honest, I’m trying to do the same thing this year, if not even better. That’s the mindset I was born with, raised with.”

Freshman cornerback Denzel Burke will likely draw a matchup with Dotson, who leads the Big Ten with 49 catches for 563 yards and six touchdowns, and could cement his status as a freshman All-American by shutting him down.

“He’s a pretty good receiver,” Burke said on Wednesday. “Nothing I can’t handle, though."

Major Storylines

• Ohio State is asking fans to wear scarlet to the game to match the team, which will wear all-scarlet “Color Rush” uniforms.

• The Buckeyes have never won five straight games against the Nittany Lions, something they’ve done against every other team in the Big Ten.

• This will mark the 37th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Penn State, with the former leading the series 22-14 – including the vacated win in 2010.

• The Buckeyes have converted on 28-of-29 red zone attempts this season with 23 touchdowns scored.

• Ohio State’s defense is eighth nationally with 25 sacks, including 21 in the last four games. Leading the way are fifth-year senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett (4.5) and freshman defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (4.0).

• The Buckeyes have allowed an average of just 12.8 points in their last five games, bringing their scoring defense to 18.6 points per game on the season, good for 18th nationally.

• Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson previously coached at Penn State (1996-2013), while Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in 2019.

• Former running back Keith Byars (1982-85) will be honored during the game on Saturday for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He remains second in school history with 50 rushing touchdowns.

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