#3 Penn State

Nittany Lions

7 – 0 (4-0)

NOVEMBER. 3, 2024 – NOON

Kunduz Stadium

University Park, Pennsylvania

That’s likely because the Buckeyes lost to Oregon earlier in the season, eliminating the margin for error in the Big Ten Championship race, but Ohio State’s first Big Ten title since 2020 is almost certainly off the table with the loss to No. 3-ranked Penn State. Saturday.

The No. 1 Ducks, Nittany Lions and No. 13 Indiana remain undefeated in conference play. Penn State faces two losses other More than Ohio State should the Buckeyes fall to the Nittany Lions, and it seems nearly impossible for Indiana to pick up an additional upset to force a major tiebreaker scenario of teams with two losses.

Those risks are countered by a terrific Penn State team. A defense that ranked in the top 15 in the four biggest statistical categories — scoring, total defense, rushing and pass defense — combined with a much improved offense under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who previously ran a relatively productive attack at Kansas.

As in Oregon this week Five Things You Need to Know We are completely focused on football in this important match and not interested in any fun facts. Bugeaters or Boogey Cats.

Invincible but not untested

Even though Penn State is 7-0 this season, it’s still up and down.

It all started in Week 2 against a 4-4 Bowling Green team. The Nittany Lions trailed 24-20 at halftime and eventually earned a 34-27 victory. Penn State outgained its MAC opponent by just 63 yards as a result of several long scoring drives that shortened the game by the Falcons.

On October 12, the Nittany Lions went on the road to USC and struggled to adjust to the time zone difference and the Trojans’ early offense and defense, falling behind 20-6 at halftime. Quarterback Drew Allar and tight end Tyler Warren (more on both later) led a sharp comeback effort to tie the game at 30 in overtime.

USC went three plays and missed a 45-yard field goal. Penn State’s offense was also pushed off the field three plays into overtime, but kicker Ryan Barker set up the winner with a 36-yarder and he sank it.

The Nittany Lions had a bye following an overtime challenge and faced another challenge on the road at Wisconsin last week. Penn State again trailed 10-7 at halftime and Allar was eliminated from the game due to an injury. left knee injury. Backup Beau Pribula went 11-of-13 for 98 yards and a touchdown in relief of the ailing star, safety Jaylen Reed opened the second half with a 19-yard pick-six and the team left Madison with a 28-13 victory. .

suffocating defense

Defensive end Abdul Carter headlines the fearsome Penn State defensive front. (Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images)

Without left tackle Josh Simmons on Saturday, Ohio State’s offensive line was in disarray. Due to the elite nature of the front six in Penn State’s 4-2-5 defense, this group will need to handle things, likely with regular starting left linebacker Donovan Jackson throwing out after an inning. additional injury To Zen Michalski.

RELATING TO Ohio State Offensive Line Struggles Without Josh Simmons Against Nebraska

Defensive end Abdul Carter can take over games if left unchecked. Projected on the second day of the NFL draft, Carter has a team-high four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He added 30 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble, up to 15 during his career.

Linebackers Kobe King and Tony Rojas have a combined 64 tackles this season with seven TFLs, and King added a sack. On defense, Zane Durant accumulated six TFLs and 2.5 sacks.

But that’s not to belittle Penn State’s second-place finish. Reed is a playmaker all over the field with his pick-six, 44 tackles and two interceptions, including 1.5 tackles. Fellow safety Zakee Wheatley ranks second on the team in tackles at cornerback with 37 points. AJ Harris, a top five-star target for Ohio State in the 2023 recruiting class, transferred from Georgia this offseason to break up three passes and intercept a pass. interception over seven games.

Ranked in the top 15 in all four major defensive statistics per game, Penn State ranks 13th nationally in yards allowed per carry at 3.2 and 6th in yards allowed per pass attempt at 5.7. The bracket may have given up 27 points to Bowling Green and 30 to USC, but that paved the way for a 34-12 win at West Virginia for the Nittany Lions to open the season and then stifle No. 19 Illinois, with a 21-7 victory.

Buy it completely

Allar deserves the five-star award he received in the third year of his university career. If he can play on Saturday, he will be a significant challenge for Ohio State’s defense to contain.

Completing 71.3% of his passes for 1,640 yards and 12 touchdowns, Allar threw just four interceptions and averaged 10 yards per pass attempt through seven games. And he hit those numbers despite not having a wide receiver averaging over 50 yards per game.

Allar has been ruthlessly consistent in 2024. After connecting on 59.9% of his passes in 2023, his worst completion percentage in a game is 64.7. He had three interceptions against USC but made up for it with a furious comeback effort in the second half. soaring 391 yards in the air.

A native of Medina, Ohio, Allar was overlooked by the Buckeyes early in the 2022 recruiting cycle in favor of Quinn Ewers and rose through the ranks as time went on to earn five-star status. Allar was already a lock at Penn State when Ewers reclassified to 2021 and transferred to Texas after spending a few months in Columbus.

Penn State’s rushing attack also can’t be ignored; The duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton leads Penn State with 5.1 yards per carry, ranking 29th in the country.

But if Allar is healthy, he’ll be looking for revenge after completing just 42.9% of his passes in the Nittany Lions’ top-10 matchup at Ohio State. We lost 20-12 last year. This was the Buckeyes’ seventh straight win in the two sides’ series.

Be wary of Warren

Tight end Tyler Warren is the most productive weapon Penn State has on offense. (Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

I think I forgot to mention Warren’s stat line against USC, noting that he and Allar led a two-score comeback in Los Angeles. Warren had 17 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown.

This firmly tied the NCAA record for receptions in a game. That’s the second-most by any pass catcher in Nittany Lion school history, regardless of position, surpassed only by wide receiver Jahan Dotson’s 242-yard performance at Maryland in 2021.

During the season, Warren had 47 receptions for 559 yards and four touchdowns, leading the team in all three categories. The appearance against the Trojans isn’t his only big game this season, as he had eight catches for 146 yards against Bowling Green.

Another note to keep in mind: Warren has completed two passes on trick plays this year, including a 17-yard field goal against Kent State in Week 4.

Big Game James

Ryan Day has stories to tell about his ability to win the biggest games at Ohio State. On Saturday, he will be competing against another coach with the same narrative, albeit perhaps a notch lower.

Penn State head coach James Franklin is 3-17 against top-10 teams with the Nittany Lions. That includes the aforementioned seven consecutive upsets against the Buckeyes, though he had one of his three top-10 wins against the Buckeyes in 2016.

Franklin’s squad has reached 10 wins in five of the last seven full seasons, excluding the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, but has never reached 12 wins. That same 2016 season is also Penn State’s only Big Ten Championship under Franklin. Entrenched at the top of the conference’s second tier for nearly a decade, they have failed to overcome the next hurdle and become one of college football’s elite programs.

Whichever head coach prevails on Saturday could be rewriting some of the narrative of his career.