We’ve said this before, but now we really mean it. Everything up until now has been pointing to this very game. It’s No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Penn State and there’s a slew of things on the line. If the Buckeyes win, they clinch the outright Big Ten East title and an all-expenses paid trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.
If Penn State wins, it will most likely get at least a share of the Big Ten East title because it plays a Rutgers team next week that’s still trying to figure out how to play American football. Couple that with owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over OSU, and it would be off to Indy even if the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines a week later.
Both keep a shot at the College Football Playoff alive with a win. Penn State would more or less be eliminated with a loss, and Ohio State would have to have some things break the right way for it to still be out front in the mix.
So who’s going to win this titanic struggle between lions and nuts? Here’s five reasons we believe the Buckeyes will walk out of the ‘Shoe victorious Saturday evening when all the shouting and athletic feats of endeavors end.
Next … Downright offensive
Ohio State’s offense is the difference
Both of these defenses are good. Ohio State is now statistically the best in the country, but Penn State isn’t too far behind with the No. 7 ranked scoring defense in all the land. It is especially stout against the run, giving up just 75.5 yards per game. That’s better than the Buckeyes are allowing on the ground, and good enough for fourth in FBS.
So both defenses will likely make plays Saturday. Though last time we saw a really good defense come into Columbus, Ohio State exposed some issues on the way to a 38-7 win over Wisconsin.
Where the Buckeyes have a serious advantage though is offensively. OSU leads the country in scoring at 51.5 points per game. Penn State has not faced an offense anywhere near what it’s going to try and stop this weekend. It might get Ohio State off the field from time-to-time, but not as many times as the Buckeyes stuff the Nittany Lions’ offensive attack.
Next … Justin Fields
Ohio State has a QB that’s underrated at slinging it around the yard
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields hasn’t had to put the cape on much for this Buckeye squad, but if he has to, he’s more than capable. So far in 2019 we’ve seen a rinse and repeat performance from OSU. Use a balanced attack to beat the opponent into submission, let the starter play a little into the 3rd quarter, then let the guys deeper down on the depth chart cruise through a blowout.
But don’t think last week was a mistake. Ryan Day let Fields unleash some throws down the field more because he likely knew what was coming this week. And the Buckeye signal-caller didn’t disappoint, throwing for his first career +300 yard day and only misfiring four times in nineteen tries. Oh, and he threw in four touchdowns for good measure.
Penn State might very well key in on J.K. Dobbins and the running game Saturday, and it has the personnel to make life difficult. A lesser team might fold, but there will be things open down the field in one-on-one matchups and Fields could make the difference with his arm.
Next … Chasing Young
Chase Young is back
Ohio State has been without the services of Chase Young for a couple of games now, but that hardly mattered against the likes of Maryland and Rutgers. What the two-game absence has done is let the rest of the edge rushers nationally catch up a bit statistically.
But now he’s back, and he might have a little chip on his shoulder after sitting in the penalty box for taking out a loan from a family friend then paying it back.
Simply put — Young is a game wrecker and he’s going to have a big impact in this one. As he’s done all year, he’ll get pressure on Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, and since the D-line will hold its own with a push up front, the back-end will be able to cover guys in the secondary.
Next … Welcome to Columbus Nits
The ‘Shoe will be lit
I get a feeling in talking to many Ohio State fans that they are sick of hearing about Penn State’s fascination with beating the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lion fans now believe the program invented football ever since it got outplayed but found a way to win on a blocked field-goal in 2016.
And boy are they boisterous and confident.
This game is in the ‘Shoe and as if he had to, Ryan Day has asked fans to show up in a big way and make life difficult on Penn State’s ability to communicate. No problem there.
It’s a noon game, but this one might be one of the loudest mid-day atmosphere’s you’ll ever hear on the banks of the Olentangy. Part of that is because it’s a big game with a lot at stake, part of it is because everyone is yearning to put the Penn State program back in its place again.
Next … Tendencies be gone
Ryan Day, more unpredictable than Urban
One of the things I believe has contributed to the lopsided scores in 2019 is the fact that new head coach Ryan Day doesn’t have as many predictable tendencies as what Urban Meyer had. For all the winning the former OSU coach experienced in Columbus, he did tend to fall in love with the Q-run when the tough yards were needed.
That’s not to take anything away from one of the greatest coaches in college football history, it’s just part of what Meyer’s DNA was.
He also had a bucket of plays that he most trusted in key situations. I think some coaching staffs that went against Meyer’s teams began to figure that out a bit. In fact, it’s quite a testament to he and his staff that the wins still piled up despite it all.
Ryan Day is a new man and the rest of the league doesn’t quite have a fix on his play-calling patterns now that he’s fully calling the shots. Remember, Meyer had the last say on plays if he wanted to pull that trump card.
No, Day will throw it on running downs, run it on passing downs, and run multiple plays out of the same formations. I’m sure he’s got some trusted plays he likes to go back to, but it’s more of a guessing game now when you’re going against this Ohio State offense than what it was in the past.
James Franklin and crew will have a hard time counteracting the thinking of what’s going on over on the Buckeye sideline. More so than in past years.
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