The Ohio State Buckeyes added another strong win to their repertoire last week with a win over the Wisconsin Badgers. The Buckeyes overcame a 10 point deficit at halftime to win in overtime 30-23. Penn State is currently 4-2 this season with a blowout loss to No. 3 Michigan and a close loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Nittany Lions will be looking to wrap up their three game home stretch with their third consecutive win after beating Minnesota and Maryland in the weeks before. Ohio State and Penn State will both look to extend their winning streaks.
What to Watch: Ohio State at Penn State
J.T. Barrett vs Penn State Secondary
Junior quarterback J.T. Barrett has had a Heisman caliber season so far. Barrett has accounted for 1,641 total yards this season with 22 touchdowns. After trailing 16-6 to the Badgers last week, Barrett was 11-15 for 145 yards and a touchdown. Barrett will likely look to continue to target Curtis Samuel who caught six passes for 58 yards against Wisconsin.
Despite Penn State having a solid season so far, the only area they have truly excelled at a national level at is their pass defense. The Nittany Lions currently allow the 12th fewest passing yards and have only allowed six passing touchdowns this season. The senior safety Malik Golden has been one of the best in their secondary, intercepting one pass this season while breaking up three, and deflecting four more.
Trace McSorley vs Ohio State Secondary
Sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley has been strong so far this season. McSorley has accounted for 641 yards and five touchdowns in the last two contests with no turnovers. If Penn State wants to keep up with the electric Ohio State offense, McSorley will have to keep the ball out of the hands of the Ohio State secondary. To do this, Penn State may want to continue to use tight end Mike Gesicki. Gesicki has caught 14 passes in the last three games and has been the perfect check down target for McSorley.
The Ohio State secondary consisting of Malik Hooker, Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore have been able to intercept 11 passes this season, ranking them 5th in the country. The young Buckeye secondary has been able to have a lot more success than most people expected. Of their starting four corner backs and safeties, only two are upperclassmen.
Saquon Barkley vs Ohio State Front Seven
Sophomore running back Saquon Barkley has either shined or disappeared in every game this season. Barkley has broken 100 yards twice this season with a 202 yard performance last week against Maryland. Penn State has begun to utilize him more heavily the last three weeks where he has not had less than 15 carries in any performance. Last season, Barkley also had a breakout week against Ohio State with 194 yards on 26 carries. Head Coach Urban Meyer will look to shut him down this year.
For the Buckeyes, their rush defense has dropped the past few weeks. The Buckeyes now give up the 20th least amount of rushing yards after giving up 78 to Devine Redding and 164 to Corey Clement. While the Buckeyes have been giving up more rushing yards than normal, they have still held backs out of the endzone. Ohio State has only allowed one rushing touchdown all season which came in the middle of the fourth quarter last week. Ohio State prides themselves on strong defense and will look to shut down Saquon Barkley this week.
Overall
This is a game that the Buckeyes should win. It is not an easy task to go into Beaver Stadium however so Ohio State fans should not expect a blowout. If the Ohio State defense can keep the Nittany Lion offense stagnant, Urban Meyer should be able to extend his road winning streak to 21 games.
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