Can Penn State Harness the Past Into a Win Over Ohio State?
Penn State took a fourth-quarter lead against Ohio State last October, the latest in the program's recent series of raised hopes vs. the Buckeyes. And then... you know. Ohio State scored 28 points in barely 6 minutes, winning 44-31 and providing the Nittany Lions with more game film for the learning-tool file.
And that's how Penn State coach James Franklin wants to approach Saturday's visit to Ohio State. The Lions seek to harness all that accumulated knowledge, and those callouses, into ending their six-game losing streak against the Buckeyes. At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Franklin called his team a "combination of our previous experiences" and said history is important.
"I think all those experiences, both positive or adversity, if you approach them the right way, they help you grow," Franklin said. "But we've got a ton of respect for Ohio State and their history, and not just now, but literally from a historical perspective. It's interesting kind of looking at what Penn State's records were against all these teams before we even got here [in 2014]. Those things are important to study and understand."
That history vs. Ohio State is stark. Penn State is 8-22 against the Buckeyes since joining the Big Ten, losing 10 of the series' last 11 games. Franklin's career record against the Buckeyes is 1-8, his teams are 0-4 at Ohio Stadium and Penn State hasn't beaten a ranked Ohio State team on the road since 2008.
And yet, Penn State has tormented the Buckeyes. Penn State has led or been tied with Ohio State in the fourth quarter five times since 2014. The Lions are 1-4 in those games, losing two by one point and another in overtime. Last year, Penn State took a 21-16 lead early in the fourth when Kaytron Allen capped a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Thirty-five seconds later, TreVeyon Henderson scored on a 41-yard run to begin the learning tool.
"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. I think that's a combination of a lot of things, but there are opportunities to grow and get better as long as you approach them that way."
Five years ago, Penn State recorded one of its most acute learning experiences against the Buckeyes, when it failed to convert a run play on 4th-and-5 in the last minute. After that 27-26 loss, Franklin famously called his program "great" and Ohio State "elite" and explained the difference.
The Penn State coach didn't revisit that night Tuesday, nor did he try to frame Saturday's game in terms of benchmarks or hurdles. He called this Penn State-Ohio State game a "tremendous opportunity," as he does before every game, and remained consistent to the theme. The Lions are 6-0 with a chance to go 7-0 for the first time since 2019. They also can extend their win streak to 12 games, the longest of Franklin's career.
Penn State's last loss? To Ohio State at Beaver Stadium last season.
"You're going to ask these questions, I get it," Franklin said. "We're trying to find a way to get a win this week against a really good team, against a program we have tremendous respect for. ... But we approach it the same every single week. Everybody on the outside is talking, we’re approaching it the way we do every single week. This is a really important game. Why? Because of how we've handled the previous six. If we didn’t handle the previous six the right way, you wouldn't be asking that question. So each week is really important, and that’s how we approach it."
Penn State and Ohio State kick off at noon ET Saturday at Ohio Stadium. FOX will televise.
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