Nov. 2 — A lot is on the line Saturday when No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 3 Penn State.
Not only is this another top-five game for the Buckeyes, who lost to current No. 1 Oregon three weeks ago, but this game is one they can’t probably can’t afford to lose if they want to make the Big Ten championship game.
As usual, there is no shortage of intrigue. Here are five to know before kick-off at noon on Saturday:
1. Will Howard has something to prove.
The Ohio State quarterback hasn’t spoken to reporters this week, but he said everything he needed to after the Buckeyes beat Nebraska last Saturday.
“Thrilled,” Howard said after throwing three touchdown passes in a 21-17 win over the Cornhuskers. “I’m excited. I can’t wait. This will be a homecoming for me. I grew up a Penn State fan. I’ve wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was pretty good. I guess we will. I’ll see next week if I was.”
A three-star prospect, Howard was Pennsylvania’s No. 7 prospect as a senior at Downington West in the class of 2020. He was the No. 33 pro-style quarterback in the 247Sports Composite rankings, but had a dozen Division I offers, including Cincinnati. , Maryland, Minnesota and Rutgers.
He became a second-team All-Big 12 quarterback at Kansas State and led the Wildcats to a conference title before entering the transfer portal last winter with an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hoping to improve his NFL Draft stock and return the Buckeyes to the top of the Big Ten, Howard is second in the nation in passing efficiency (183.9), third in completion percentage (74 .0) and tied for 14th in TD passes (17). ) this season.
2. Penn State is iffy at quarterback.
Ironically, Penn State could counter with a quarterback who grew up in Ohio.
Drew Allar is a second-year starter for the Nittany Lions, but the Medina junior missed the second half of Penn State’s win over Wisconsin last week after twisting his legs during a late tackle. second quarter.
PSU coach James Franklin said earlier this week that Allar would be a game-time decision, but the offense appears to be in good hands if Beau Pribula is to take over the reins.
He led the Nittany Lions to a come-from-behind victory in Madison and presents more of a running threat.
3. Ohio State’s defense has a lot of concerns.
After getting beat up and down at Oregon on Oct. 12, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit has a chance to redeem itself Saturday against a multi-faceted offense that features two capable running backs, a strong offensive line and one of the best tight ends in the country, Tyler Warren, no matter who plays quarterback.
The 6-foot-6, 261-pound Warren has proven to be the ultimate chess piece thus far for new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who lines him up throughout the formation (including quarterback) to keep defenses guessing and use his unique skills. .
“You never know where he’s going to be and what he’s going to do, so you always have to know where he’s at,” Knowles said.
“I think when you’re out and it’s loud, you really have to get back to your basics and you have to be able to quickly line up and adapt to a thousand different formations,” Knowles said. “And you can’t get too cute, you know? You just have to go back to your fundamentals and your basics when you’re in these situations.”
4. Ohio State wants to move the ball better.
The Buckeyes have averaged 222 rushing yards in their first five games this season, but they have just 305 rushing yards in their last two outings.
That includes a low 64 yards on 31 carries (including sacks) against the Cornhuskers.
“We can’t live with the way we used the ball last week, and so that’s part of what we have to do going into this game, because you’re going to have to win the rushing battle to win games in the Big Ten ” said offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. “So we certainly understand that.”
As Ohio State continues to deal with injuries at left tackle, the Nittany Lions are eighth in the nation in rushing yards allowed per game (93) and No. 1 in the nation in stuff rate, which measures the How often they stop a run for no gain or loss.
5. Every coach could really use a top-five win.
Day has faced criticism for leading the Buckeyes to just two wins in nine games against top five teams (but a 10-8 mark against top 10 teams) since becoming Buckeyes head coach in 2019.
However, Day is undefeated in five matchups against Franklin, which is 1-12 against top-five teams and 3-17 against top-10 teams, so the Nittany Lions mentor faces just as many questions at home than Day.
“We don’t need to change anything,” Franklin said when asked about his team’s struggles against Ohio State. “We don’t need to do anything other than what we’ve been doing every week. We just need to get better and refine our process. Yes, that’s the plan, is to prepare for a really good team.
“This is one of the most talented teams in the country, year in and year out.
“We have a chance to play them. We’re excited about the opportunity. That’s what we’re focused on: this year’s Ohio State team and this year’s Penn State team, and what we have to do to find a way to win.”
SATURDAY GAME
Ohio State at Penn State, noon, FOX, 1410
