Campus Clash
(20) Penn State Nittany Lions at (5) Ohio State Buckeyes
Penn State: They dropped the ball significantly in week eight. Now, does everyone see what I mean when I say to stay focused on what’s in front of you at that particular moment?! If anyone overlooked an opponent, it was them by far. I sometimes feel teams think they just have to show up because of their ranking and who they are so that immediately tells you they can just show up. Listen to this. Saturday’s game against the Illinois Fighting Illini was the longest game ever in college football history! Nine overtimes! You read that correctly! Penn State ran out of gas and ended up losing the game by two points. That’s back-to-back losses. Before their bye week, they looked to be rolling against the Iowa Hawkeyes until Sean Clifford got hurt and they struggled to hold the lead. On Saturday against Illinois, my biggest takeaway in watching them was how much the offensive line struggled. Sean was sacked four times. Isn’t it crazy how things can change in an instant? Just a few weeks back, I was saying I thought they were the best team in the Big Ten and they were even ranked within the inside of the College Football Playoff brackets and whatnot. In other words, the offense hasn’t been functional since the loss to the Hawkeyes. On Saturday night, they will travel to Columbus to face a streaking Buckeyes team.
Ohio State: Since the loss to the Oregon Ducks on September 11th, they’ve regrouped nicely. They have won five in a row to be exact. I know there was some chatter about C.J. Stroud and his struggles. It’s tough coming in and replacing a guy like Justin Fields. I always say in situations such as that, all you can do is simply be yourself and that’s it. As of late, C.J. has settled in his zone. In his last six games, he’s thrown a total of 15 touchdown passes and one interception. Sometimes, I feel fans expect too much from these guys and you also have to realize that he’s only a freshman, so this is a learning curve for him. As of late, I’ve noticed a guy who’s taking tremendous care of the football. He stands tall in the pocket and fires away. C.J. does such a great job at hitting his receivers in stride. Also, he’s a solid leader that the team gravitates to. As expected, the Buckeyes are in the running for the Big Ten East and the conference. After all, they’ve won the last four Big Ten titles since 2017 and they won’t go down without a fight. The other side of the ball is also improving, but let’s be realistic here, they haven’t played any firepower offenses as of late since Oregon so also factor that into consideration. This Saturday night, they will welcome a familiar face to town for a showdown.
Penn State X-Factor: Noah Cain– Jahan Dotson gathers most of the attention of this offense and rightfully so. I don’t think many people know about Noah Cain. When you feed him the football continuously, good things are bound to happen. In their last game against the Fighting Illini, Noah only had 11 carries. That isn’t going to cut it! He must touch the football at least 20 times to have an impact on the game. Ohio State has also been shaky when it comes to stopping the run.
Ohio State X-Factor: Chris Olave– He’s the smoothest route runner in the country to me. This year, he’s been such a reliable target for the young quarterback and that helps his game tremendously. Chris isn’t the fastest or flashiest receiver in college football, he just knows how to position himself in the best way possible to make a play for his team. When you need that catch over the middle or in the flat, this is who you look to target.
Final Thoughts: This is my fourth consecutive year previewing this matchup. If Penn State doesn’t lose in week eight, the game would have more chatter surrounding it, but now, it lost some of its luster. This Nittany Lions offense must wake up if they want a chance to win this game. I’m also wondering what Sean Clifford are we going to see? For most of the season early on, he was playing with control and poise. I’m establishing the ground game to help open up the passing lanes for Penn State. The Buckeyes were so dominant against Indiana. At this moment, nobody is playing better than Ohio State. How they come out defensively will tell me if they are contenders and are to be taken seriously. I’m not sure if Penn State has enough fuel to limit this offensive attack of the Buckeyes.
Prediction: Ohio State 41, Penn State 17
