Things you need to know about the Penn State Nittany Lions — and a few you don’t need to know, but are fun anyway

James Franklin’s squad looks like a legit national title contender… No, but like, for real this time. I mean it. And as a Buckeye(s) fan, I am very, very concerned.

The Ohio State Buckeyes head to Happy Valley this weekend, to take on Keegan Michael Key’s James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions. It pretty much goes without saying that this game has (and will have, residually speaking) massive Big Ten and CFP implications.

Frankly, I’m not sure what – if anything – else needs to be said. I mean, we’ve got two national title contenders, both of which are banged up but looking to prove something. Coached by two men who could (both) be on a very hot seat with a loss… This is a big one, folks. So let’s just get to it.

Here are a few things you should know about the Nittany Lions:

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Penn(sylvania) State University started out as a high school exclusively for farmers!

Maybe… Kinda… Sorta… But not really.

In 1855, a U.S. Congressman donated a bunch of land to the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, which was designated as a degree-granting institution shortly thereafter. But apparently Pennsylvanians didn’t care for the use of “college” or “university”, so the school’s name stuck until 1862, when it was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania.

It did not become Pennsylvania State University until 1953, when U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower’s brother Milton pushed for the change. Now you know.

The school’s official colors were originally black and dark pink. A color scheme that I think would make for some sick uniforms.

The Nittany in Nittany Lion(s) is a reference to Mount Nittany. Not a breed, species, or classification of the king of the jungle. I’ll be honest, for most of my life I just assumed that Nittany was a type of lion.

Does that make me a dope? Maybe. But I’m definitely not a big cat enthusiast, so give me a break.

Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Penn State thought it was Notre Dame for more than a century. Sort of a jab there, but the Penn State football team competed as an independent (no conference affiliation) from 1887-1890 and then again from 1892-1992.

Joe Paterno coached the Nittany Lions for 62 years. A lot of people might already know this, but prior to becoming the head coach at Penn State – a position he held for 46 (!) years/seasons – “JoePa” spent 16 years as an assistant in Happy Valley.

PSU quarterback Drew Allar is an Ohio kid who grew up rooting for Ohio State.

Allar grew up, attended high school, and obviously played football in Medina, OH, where he finished his HS career as the No. 1 QB in 247Sports’ 2022 recruiting rankings.

However, despite Allar’s “local” roots and lofty recruiting ranking, the Buckeyes were never really in the race for his services. That is because Ryan Day and Co. landed the commitment of Texas QB Quinn Ewers in November of 2020 and assumed, like the rest of us, that he (Ewers) was going to be the crown jewel of OSU’s 2022 class. Only, things didn’t shake out that way.

Ewers ended up reclassifying to 2021, and by the time he did so, Allar was firmly committed to Penn State. Day and Cory Dennis made a late offer to the in-state talent, but there was no changing his mind. Allar has since found his footing as the Nittany Lions’ signal caller and thrown 41 career touchdowns to only six interceptions.

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Penn State’s running back duo is right up there with Ohio State’s, in terms of both talent and production. Nick Singleton and Kayton Allen, both true juniors, form one of the best RB duos in the country. Though many view them as the burner and the bruiser, they are perfectly interchangeable and complement each other very well.

Singleton has been the slightly more productive back in terms of both total yardage and TDs, while Allen is about as consistent as they come with yearly averages of 5.2, 5.2, and 5.0 yards per carry. And though OSU was able to stifle both last season (18 combined carries for 74 yards), Jim Knowles and the Buckeyes would be wise to prepare for another heavy dose of PSU’s dangerous duo on Saturday.

PSU is making a case for TE U. Gesicki, Freiermuth, Strange, Johnson… Warren?

Alright, so Iowa is still TE U. The Hawkeyes’ extended run of Clark, Kittle, LaPorta and others has been insane. But going back to 2017, Penn State’s last four starting TEs have all been taken in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft.

And Warren will almost assuredly become the fifth. He currently leads the Nittany Lions in all receiving categories, after racking up an impressive 34 receptions, 422 yards, and 7 TD last season. He is a giant target at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and has proven to be one of the most versatile weapons in the Big Ten if not the entire country.

In addition to his work as a pass catcher, Warren has also rushed for a TD and thrown for a TD. He’s basically a younger, better, bigger, not shoved down our throat(s) version of Taysom Hill.

But don’t forget about the Nittany Lions’ consistently stout defense.

Let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you are likely (already) very familiar with this group. As you should be. Because not only does Penn State produce studs at all three levels, but the team’s defense also has not finished outside the top-10 in points per game allowed since 2020.

This year’s unit is led by a group of players that includes Jaylen Reed and Abdul Carter, the latter of which/whom has terrorized the Big Ten since his freshman season. Now a true junior, Carter boasts 15 career sacks and dozens, possibly hundreds of QB pressures.

But he is far from the only playmaker on PSU’s Tom Allen-coached defense… Yes, that Tom Allen. The former head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers has several former four and five-star recruits at his disposal, which speaks to the program’s recruiting prowess.

James Franklin is 1-9 vs. Ohio State. Look, facts is facts. Key from Key & Peele just struggles against the Buckeyes. However, this year’s version of Penn State squad is as good if not better than any of Franklin’s previous squads. And this weekend’s game is being played in Happy Valley. So I am certainly not taking anything for granted.

In fact, I would say that I’m quite nervous.