Additional parking signage has been stored away, abandoned blue and white Mardi Gras style bead necklaces have been discarded and talks of Columbus and Ohio State have become the topic of discussions. Penn State’s Homecoming Weekend has come and gone, and it’s time to focus on the next task at hand: Ohio State, in Ohio Stadium.
The Homecoming game wasn’t without excitement, however. The Nittany Lions delivered just what Happy Valley could’ve dreamed of. Saturday was in a word, perfect. Regarding the weather, although not the typical yin-yang relationship of down pour rains and a win, blue skies and breezes throughout the day allowed Christian Hackenberg to have ideal throwing conditions to connect with his receivers with a 54% completion ratio (21-39) without any interceptions. Not only did Hackenberg improve on his pass completion ratio from last week’s game against Army, he also was able to record two rushing touch downs for the Nittany Lions—assisting the Lions in recording 420 (154 rushing and 266 passing) offensive yards.
Happy Valley also witnessed the reemergence of DeaSean Hamilton’s star power. Although sophomore receiver Chris Godwin was Hackenberg’s go-to receiver with four catches, Hamilton’s 39 yard reception gave the Nittany Lions the lead that they would never let go of for the rest of the game. The offense did have its glitches, however. Joey Julius missed two extra points following back-to-back touchdowns for Penn State; and the offensive line allowed Christian Hackenberg to be sacked—the first of four—on just the third play of the game.
The Nittany Lion defense, lead by senior defensive tackle Austin Johnson and senior defensive end Carl Nassib, made their impact on the game as well. Due to the defensive presence on the field, Indiana was held to just 234 yards—they had been averaging a total of 498.2 yards per contest. Nassib recorded two sacks for a total loss of 14 yards. Johnson’s single sack resulted in a ten yard loss for the Indiana offense.
Looking forward to Saturday’s match up against number one Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have to prepare to put on a performance of a lifetime. Across the board, Ohio State has the advantage. My word of advice to the Nittany Lions for this week’s preparation: don’t be afraid of the challenge, respect it. Sure, they have three exceptional quarterback options, but that’s only one part of the battle. Ohio State’s running game is strong, and without the presence of Saquon Barkley or Akeel Lynch—neither saw game time against Army or Indiana—Penn State needs to determine whose hands the team will put its running game trust in.
The Nittany Lions know what they need to do and what’s expected out of them come Saturday evening in Ohio Stadium. Just like Coach Franklin (…or was that the Homecoming Grand Marshall Keegan-Michael Key…?) said during Thursday night’s team meeting before the victory against Indiana: create a big play and take it “one game at a time, one week at a time, one day at a time, [and] one play at a time”.
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