Penn State faces another memorable opportunity on Saturday, when host Ohio State has a chance to improve to 8-0 for only the second time under head coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions are seeded higher, are off to a less than full-strength start at quarterback, are at home for the first time in four weeks and are trying to end a seven-game losing streak to the Buckeyes.

So let’s get started, shall we?

No. 3 Penn State (7-0) and No. 4 Ohio State (6-1)

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Story Line

Andy Kotelnicki has been the most dynamic person Penn State found in the offseason; The offensive coordinator reciting lines from the movie “Anchorman” at practice. trains his players in public speaking and tight end Tyler Warren. ultimate five-team football player. But that’s why James Franklin traded Kotelnicki from Kansas and coach Lance Leipold on Saturday: to score more than 20 points against Ohio State.

“It wasn’t easy to recruit him,” Franklin said this week, referencing the value Kotelnicki places on both Kansas and other programs. If Kotelnicki continues I call fun gamesHe who distributes his assets in unique ways and frames Penn State’s offense as a fun place to play will soon do so elsewhere — for coaching money. “Super, super fun,” Penn State receiver Anthony Donkoh said of running Kotelnicki’s offense. “… We have a lot more crazy stuff in store that I can’t wait to actually get into the game.”

Now is the time, because Franklin hired Kotelnicki to run a high-scoring, explosive offense while also being able to run the ball, use his backup point guard wisely, and do it all to beat Ohio State. The Nittany Lions looked lost offensively in Columbus last season. They scored 15 points on third down on their final series, converted a play longer than 15 yards through three quarters, and watched quarterback Drew Allar and his receivers make different plays (4.5 yards per attempt). Kotelnicki put it all together to move Allar into the national top 10 in quarterback rating, passing efficiency, completion percentage, yards per attempt and yards per completion. He bred Warren into one of the following types: best players in the country. And he did a good job with what he had at wide receiver.

“We’ve done some really good things the last few years,” Franklin said this week. “Where we were lacking last year was explosive plays. We started looking at who the coordinators were and who were the teams that were producing explosive plays, not just because their genetics were better. Where do explosive plays come from? How are they created? Are they happening consistently? And also to their biggest rivals. “When you look at those things, the list narrowed down pretty quickly.”

The dynamic is even more interesting Saturday as Penn State analyzes who will start at quarterback, how much playing backup Beau Pribula will be played and where the best will be deployed. Penn State had multiple plays against Ohio State in the fourth quarter but was unable to make another play offensively to win (except for 2017). Kotelnicki is in State College to create it. If he does that, Franklin can get back on that list, enjoy.

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Penn State Players to Watch

Nicholas Singleton: The rushing hasn’t surpassed 100 yards or broken a run longer than 20 yards since Week 2 against Bowling Green. It’s imperative that he and Kaytron Allen get yards and minutes against the Buckeyes’ run defense, which is ranked sixth nationally.

Omer Evans: Penn State’s deep threat at receiver has been an afterthought for the past month. He has just three catches in the last four games, none longer than 16 yards. Ohio State’s secondary doesn’t let it pass him by. So Evans needs to break physical coverage at the line of scrimmage, make a contested catch, and give his quarterback a tertiary passing target.

Jalen Kimber: Penn State has good man coverage, which means cornerbacks will get Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka or Carnell Tate at some point. Ohio State wins if its receivers consistently beat the press man. Kimber, AJ Harris and Zion Tracy will oppose it.

Jaylen Reed: Penn State’s safety have a monster seasonthe last two goading the opposing quarterback into critical interceptions in the second half. He will be important not only in keeping Ohio State quarterback Will Howard honest, but also in providing support against Ohio State’s two-back system.

Ohio State Buckeyes to Watch

Jeremiah Smith: Nebraska got some pressure and cut into Will Howard’s receiving time, but Ohio State targeted the Big Ten’s top receiver just four times in last week’s stranglehold. One made a long touchdown pass. Smith should get at least 10 targets on Saturday.

Left struggle: This is where the Buckeyes are vulnerable. Zen Michalski, who replaced Josh Simmons who was injured last week, struggled hard before his injury. Day told reporters this week that Michalski “trend” towards missing the game. So the Buckeyes face even more juggling. All-Big Ten guard Donovan Jackson is a likely tackle candidate, but Ohio State is becoming more responsive up front.

Caleb Downs: The safety might be Ohio State’s best defensive player with 5.5 tackles for loss and two key stops against Nebraska. He has the ability to neutralize a potential Pribula run play or a free-for-all Warren play.

Denzel Burke: Burke had a standout performance in Ohio State’s busy secondary, racking up 42 starts this season, 26 career passes and two interceptions. He didn’t have a great day at Oregon, but he will make route running tiring for Penn State receivers.

RELATED: Ohio State QB Will Howard “excited” for Saturday’s game against Penn State

Predictions

Mark Wogenrich: The recent history of Penn State-Ohio State has been defined by great individual plays by the Buckeyes: JT Barrett in 2017, Chase Young in 2018, Justin Fields in 2019 (despite two interceptions), JT Tuimoloau in 2022 and passing year Marvin Harrison Jr. . Ohio State has another player that Penn State has been missing lately. The dynamic of this year’s game is different, but Ohio State still has a few more players. Last week’s slump against Nebraska was an outlier. The Buckeyes show up with one more player on Saturday (perhaps receiver Jeremiah Smith) and look to engineer another win. Ohio State 24, Penn State 23

Daniel Mader: This is the most top-down Nittany Lions team Ryan Day has faced in years; Which doesn’t guarantee Penn State will win, but it does make things a lot more interesting. The pressure and run defense that Penn State displayed in this 2023 matchup are still there, but more importantly, Andy Kotelnicki’s creativity on offense completely changes how these two teams stand against each other. I think a lot depends on Drew Allar’s injury status, but it still wasn’t very convincing when the Buckeyes beat Nebraska 21-17 last week. Assuming Allar plays, I think Penn State will finally come away from this historic rivalry with a big win. Penn State 27, Ohio State 24

Sam Woloson: Penn State has lost its last seven games against Ohio State, but offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki could be the guy to help the Nittany Lions get over the hump. The way Kotelnicki adjusted his scheme to address backup quarterback Beau Pribula in the second half at Wisconsin was impressive, and his ability to make halftime adjustments will be important once again. The Buckeyes defense will be tough, but whether Allar or Pribula starts, I believe Kotelnicki can put his players in position to succeed, especially if weapons like Tyler Warren create matchup problems all over the field. Penn State 23, Ohio State 20

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Match odds are updated periodically and may change.

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