For the second time in series history, Ohio State and Penn State meet with both teams ranked inside the Top 5.
Following last week’s close call against Nebraska, Ohio State will have another tough test when they hit the road to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions, who enter this week ranked third in the country.
This will be the second game between Top 5 teams that the Buckeyes have been involved in this season. Earlier this month, Ohio State lost a tight battle with Oregon 32-31 in Eugene.
The Top 5 clash with the Nittany Lions will be the second in series history. The Buckeyes won the first game of highly ranked foes 38-7 in 1996. Ohio State entered that game ranked third, while Penn State was ranked fourth.
Recent history in the series between the conference foes has been hotly contested, as the last eight meetings have been decided by an average of 7.5 points. Last year the Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 20-12 in Columbus. Marvin Harrison Jr. hauled in a career-high 11 passes for 162 yards and the game-winning touchdown with just over four minutes remaining in the game.
The victory marked Ohio State’s seventh consecutive win over Penn State, extending their edge in the series to 24-14.
Ohio State’s most recent game
The victory over Nebraska left the Buckeyes with more questions than answers heading into this week’s game. The biggest concern for Ohio State is with the offensive line. After losing tackle Josh Simmons for the rest of the season to an injury in the Oregon game, Zen Michalski was terrible against the Cornhuskers before leaving the game with an injury.
Head coach Ryan Day said it is up in the air if Michalski would play this week, but if he is healthy enough to take the field he will be the starter at tackle. If not, guard Donovan Jackson could slide over to tackle and Luke Montgomery or Carson Hinzman could step in to fill Jackson’s spot at guard.
The Buckeye offense is looking to bounce back
With Michalski’s ineffectiveness before his injury, Ohio State struggled mightily to run the football despite having two of the best running backs in the country. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined to rush for just 54 on 20 carries against the Cornhuskers. Judkins did end up scoring the game-winning touchdown with six minutes to go in the game on a nine-yard pass from Will Howard.
With seven more rushing yards, Henderson will move past Carlos Hyde and Keith Byars into ninth spot on Ohio State’s all-time rushing yardage list. The senior running back enters this week’s game with 3,194 career rushing yards.
At least Will Howard was able to pick up some of the slack for a non-existent rushing attack last week. The Kansas State transfer threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska. By completing 13 of his 16 passes in the game, Howard became the first Buckeye quarterback since Justin Fields in 2020 to complete at least 80 percent of their passes in three straight games.
Howard also surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in his career, sitting at 1,012 rushing yards heading into this week’s contest.
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
In the first half of the Nebraska game, Howard used a couple deep passes to give Ohio State a 14-3 lead. The first was a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate, who set career highs with four catches for 102 yards in the game. Both were tops among Buckeye receivers against the Cornhuskers.
The second touchdown was a 60-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith, who was able to get behind the secondary of the Cornhuskers. Smith now has touchdowns in each of his first seven collegiate games. With a receiving touchdown this week, Smith will join Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, and Terry Glenn as Ohio State receivers to find the end zone in eight straight games.
Along with chasing that mark, Smith is close to setting a number of Ohio State freshman receiving records. Last week Smith matched Cris Carter’s record of eight receiving touchdowns as a freshman. So far this season Smith has 35 catches for 623 yards, putting him seven catches and 26 yards shy of passing the totals Carter posted in 1984.
While Tate and Smith had solid games last week, Emeka Egbuka was pretty quiet against Nebraska. The senior receiver caught just three passes for 20 yards. The three receptions raised Egbuka’s career total to 167, which is now just one grab shy of tying Cris Carter for fourth in school history. Last year Egbuka missed the Penn State game as he was still recovering from an injury he suffered earlier in the season.
Ohio State’s defense has bent but been not broken
Had it not been for the defense last week, Ohio State would have been in serious trouble. The Buckeye defense was constantly in the backfield against the Cornhuskers, registering 13 tackles for loss, which was their highest total since they had 15 TFLs in 2021 against Indiana. Other impact plays made by the defense were a stop at the one-yard line on 4th and goal, and a Jordan Hancock interception late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
For the second straight week, Cody Simon led Ohio State in tackles, making eight stops against Nebraska. Simon was also a fixture in the backfield of the Cornhuskers, notching a team-high three TFLs. The linebacker from New Jersey enters this week’s games as the team’s second-leading tackler, with his 33 tackles only surpassed by fellow linebacker Sonny Styles’ 43 tackles.
Late in Saturday’s game it looked like the Buckeyes would be without Arvell Reese for the first half of this week’s game after he was ejected for a questionable targeting call that made head coach Ryan Day go ballistic. Luckily for Ohio State the suspension of Reese was overturned earlier this week on appeal.
Even though their performance wasn’t perfect, the Ohio State secondary was improved last week against Nebraska. Denzel Burke didn’t have as many issues tackling as he did against Oregon, finishing with six stops and two TFLs against the Cornhuskers. Safety Caleb Downs extended his streak to four straight games with at least one tackle for loss, while also picking up some of the slack for safety Lathan Ranson, who wasn’t active for the game because of injury. There is optimism that Ransom will be able to return to the field for this week’s game.
Beaver Stadium was the setting for one of the best individual defensive performances in college football history. Back in 2022, J.T. Tuimoloau recorded three tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, with one being returned for a touchdown, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the 44-31 win. Had it not been for Tuimoloau’s efforts, it is questionable if the Buckeyes would have won the game, which they trailed 16-14 early in the fourth quarter.
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Tuimoloau enters this week’s contest coming off one of his better games of the season. Last week the senior defensive end had five tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage, and a sack. Tuimoloau leads the team with four sacks, while fellow defensive linemen Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams, and Ty Hamilton all have recorded 2.5 sacks so far this season.
Penn State enters this week undefeated
With their 28-13 win last week at Wisconsin, Penn State secured their 20th 7-0 start in school history, and the third under current head coach James Franklin. Now in his 11th season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, Franklin has posted a 95-39 record.
One hurdle Franklin hasn’t been able to regularly clear is Ohio State, who he has a 1-9 record against. The lone win for Franklin against the Buckeyes came in 2016 when the Nittany Lions needed to return a blocked field goal for a touchdown to secure the 24-21 victory in State College.
Allar’s injury raises questions for the Nittany Lion offense
Despite their undefeated start to the season, Penn State is facing a big question this week at quarterback. Drew Allar was injured against the Badgers, leaving Beau Pribula to take the snaps the rest of the game. Combined, Allar and Pribula went 25 for 31 with 246 yards passing and two passing touchdowns in the victory.
In his second season as starter for the Nittany Lions, Allar is currently the only FBS quarterback since 1956 to attempt 500 passes, throw at least 40 touchdowns, and be intercepted six or less times. Currently Allar is a game-time decision.
If he isn’t able to play, Pribula will bring a bit of a different dynamic to the Penn State offense. Pribula has been effective as a runner during his limited time behind center, with his seven rushing touchdowns equaling the number of touchdowns the sophomore has passed for. Last week’s game was the first time Pribula has attempted more than 10 passes in a game.
No matter who starts at quarterback for Penn State, they’ll have one of the best tight ends in the country at their disposal. Tyler Warren enters Saturday’s game with 47 catches for 559 yards, scoring four touchdowns. Warren had a game for the ages at USC last month, with the tight end hauling in 17 passes, racking up 224 yards in the overtime victory.
Not only is the 224 yards a Big Ten record for receiving yards by a tight end in a conference game, the 17 receptions tied a conference record. Warren is certainly going to be a finalist for the Mackey Award at the end of the regular season, given annually to the best tight end in the country.
One player who will get plenty of attention on Saturday is wide receiver Julian Fleming. Unfortunately it won’t be because of his production so far this season, instead it will be because Fleming is a former Buckeye. After appearing in 37 games in scarlet and gray, catching 80 passes for 990 yards and scoring seven times, the Pennsylvania native has just 10 catches for 148 yards in 2024.
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Harrison Wallace III has been the most productive Penn State receiver so far this year, entering Saturday’s game with 22 grabs for 350 yards. The two receiving touchdowns Wallace has is tied with Omari Evans for the most among Nittany Lion wide receivers. Liam Clifford also has been a trusted target in the passing attack, recording 14 catches through the first seven games of the season.
Much like Ohio State, Penn State has a dynamic duo at running back. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have both rushed for over 2,200 yards during their time in State College, making them just the second pair of Nittany Lion teammates to rush for over 2,000 yards with the school. The first pair of running backs to achieve that feat were Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris.
Through seven games, Singleton and Allen have combined to carry the football 176 times, rushing for 992 yards and seven touchdowns. The tandem didn’t find much success last season in Columbus, rushing 18 times for 74 yards.
2022 was a little better for Allen and Singleton, with the two rushing for 121 yards and an Allen touchdown on the ground. They had to work hard to reach that mark, totaling 26 carries in the 44-31 Ohio State win. This year the two should find comfort in running behind an offensive line that has had the same five starters in all seven games.
The Penn State defense has been roaring
The Penn State defense is one of the toughest units in the country to crack. Through seven games this season, the Nittany Lions have only allowed more than 13 points in a game twice.
As tough as it has been for opponents to put points on the scoreboard against Penn State, it has been almost impossible to do so after halftime. In the second half of games this year, the Nittany Lions have only allowed 30 points, with just six of those coming in the third quarter.
Over the last few seasons, the bread and butter of the Penn State defense has been their rush defense. By allowing just 81 yards rushing to Wisconsin last week, with only 10 of those yards coming in the second half, the Nittany Lions have now held 24 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing since the beginning of the 2022 season. After defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took the head coaching job at Duke in the offseason, Franklin brought in former Indiana head coach Tom Allen to replace Diaz.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The star of the Nittany Lion defense is defensive end Abdul Carter, who spent the last two years at linebacker before moving to the defensive line. Last year Carter was one of the best defenders in the conference, regardless of position, earning All-Big Ten first team honors. So far this season Carter has been a menace for opposing offenses, registering 9.5 TFLs and four sacks. Joining Carter on the defensive line are defensive tackles Dvon J-Thomas and Zane Durant, as well as Dani Dennis-Sutton at the other defensive end spot.
Taking snaps at linebacker for Penn State are Tony Rojas and Kobe King, who have combined to record 64 tackles and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage. The Nittany Lions also utilize a hybrid linebacker/defensive back spot, which has seen defensive back Cam Miller line up at that spot. With Ohio State’s ability to throw the football, it’s likely that Penn State will continue to use this strategy to get more resources on the field to cover Egbuka, Smith, Tate, and the other Buckeye receiving options.
One defensive back that Will Howard will have to be aware of at all times is safety Jaylen Reed, who had a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown last week against Wisconsin. Along with his two interceptions this season, Reed’s 44 tackles are the most on the team, and the junior from Detroit also has a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
At the other safety spot is another junior, Zakee Wheatley, whose 37 tackles ranks second on the team. Wheatley was extremely active against Wisconsin, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles. The cornerback spots will be manned by A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber. The duo have a mix of youth and experience, as Harris is a sophomore and Kimber is a senior.
Prediction
Unlike the Oregon, which provided plenty of offensive fireworks, this is going to be more of your typical Big Ten clash, even more so if Allar isn’t able to suit up. Penn State will look to use Singleton and Allen to open up the passing game for Allar with play-action. If Pribula ends up starting in this game, the backup will provide another running threat the Buckeyes will have to account for.
When it comes to the Ohio State offense, it all comes down to the offensive line. Even though Ryan Day said if Michalski will play if he is cleared after suffering an injury last week, the best course of action will likely be to slide Donovan Jackson to tackle, especially since the Nittany Lions have a destructive defensive end in Abdul Carter. If Michalski plays and hasn’t significantly improved from what he showed against Nebraska, Will Howard and the Buckeye offense will be under constant pressure.
What Ohio State has going for them is their dominance over Penn State over the last decade. The Buckeyes have gone into State College multiple times and quieted the raucous crowd. The mystique of Beaver Stadium isn’t quite as daunting in the daylight as it is at night. Even though the coaching of Ryan Day leaves a lot to be desired at times, James Franklin has failed to meet the moment in nearly every big game during his time at Penn State.
In the end, Ohio State is a little too talented on both sides of the football for the Nittany Lions to handle. The Buckeyes received a scare last week from Nebraska, which will make them take an even harder look at what they hope to accomplish, and how they are going to meet those goals. Will Howard shines in his return to his home state, as Ohio State hands Penn State their first loss of the season.