Ohio State then-junior wide receiver Chris Olave (2) hauls in one of his seven catches against Penn State during the Ohio State-Penn State game Oct. 31, 2020. Ohio State won 38-25. Credit: Courtesy of Noah Riffe | The Daily Collegian
In what is expected to be a scarlet-out at Ohio Stadium Saturday, No. 5 Ohio State will look to make the visiting Nittany Lions see red all night.
The Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) enter the prime-time matchup on a five-game winning streak, outscoring their last four opponents by 187 points. No. 20 Penn State (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) was caught off guard a week ago, falling in nine overtimes to lowly Illinois at home for its second-consecutive loss.
Despite last week’s debacle, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said the Nittany Lions still pose a tremendous challenge for his squad.
“When you look at the games that we’ve had with them in the past, they’re always a dogfight. That’s just the way it’s been. I know it’s going to be that way. They have a lot of pride. They’re a very good program,” Day said. “We know when Penn State comes into town, we got to be on our game. This is going to be one of those games. It’s going to be physical, back and forth. We got to start fast and be ready to play for four quarters.”
Despite their difficult loss last week, the Nittany Lions still boast plenty of talent to contend with Ohio State, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Cracking the Penn State defense will be the most difficult task for Ohio State’s nationally top-ranked offense to this point in the season. The Nittany Lions allow just 14.7 points per game — the lowest mark for an Ohio State opponent thus far — while holding opposing passing offenses to just 178 yards per game.
“You can see it on tape, they’re very physical. They come at you downhill on defense. They have a really strong defense. They always play us tight every year,” senior tight end Jeremy Ruckert said.
Leading the Penn State secondary is senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown, who has hauled in a team-high three interceptions and broken up four passes thus far this season. Redshirt sophomore Daequan Hardy and senior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields lead Penn State in pass breakups with five.
Senior safety Jaquan Brisker and redshirt sophomore Joey Porter Jr. round out the Nittany Lions’ elite secondary, with each collecting four pass breakups. Brisker has corralled two interceptions, while Porter has nabbed one.
Day pointed to numerous factors, including experience, as reasons for Penn State’s secondary dominance.
“I just think across the board, they’re athletic back there. It allows them to run some different schemes,” Day said. “They can man you up, they can zone you up, they can do a couple different things. They do a lot of pressuring now. They’re aggressive with that. I know they’ll continue to do that in our game.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State boasts one of the conference’s best wide receivers in senior Jahan Dotson — who leads the Big Ten with 49 receptions. The Nazareth, Pennsylvania, native has churned out 552 yards and six touchdowns as well.
With attention to his primary cover Saturday, freshman cornerback Denzel Burke said Dotson is a “pretty good receiver.” Burke added that the star wideout is “nothing [he] can’t handle, though.”
A year ago, Dotson shredded then-Ohio State No.1 cornerback Shaun Wade for eight catches, 144 yards and three touchdowns. Day said the Buckeyes will be keyed in on Dotson throughout Saturday’s contest.
“I think Dotson is one of the better wide receivers in the country. We got to know where he is at all times,” Day said. “They’re going to try to find ways to get him the ball for sure.”
Throwing Dotson the ball is likely to be redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford — who played high school football at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. Although he has battled some injuries this season, Clifford has proved to be a solid option behind center for the Nittany Lions.
Clifford has completed 137 of his 212 attempts for 12 touchdowns and five interceptions thus far this season. But he took a step back in performance last week, going 19-of-34 for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Ohio State graduate defensive tackle Haskell Garrett said the task for the Buckeyes’ front remains the same, despite who’s serving as the signal-caller.
“For me personally, I’ll watch how other teams play us and how they played us in the past years and what they’ve done against top-notch opponents,” Garrett said. “I’m always watching the guy across from me, not really the quarterbacks, just watching how they do things.”
While the Buckeyes’ focus on this game has been noticeable, Penn State head coach James Franklin’s has come into question. Franklin is rumored to be one of USC and LSU’s top candidates in their head coaching searches, and has appeared distracted at times this week.
In a press conference Tuesday, Franklin referred to Ohio State as “Illinois” on numerous occasions and said they’d have a challenge heading into “The Big House” rather than the ‘Shoe.
On Wednesday, Franklin said while he was committed to Penn State, he added that “there are a lot of moving parts.”
Despite the question marks for the Nittany Lions’ head coach, Day said his team’s approach to this game is unchanged.
“Our standard is not going to change, but we also know what’s in store. We got to utilize everything in the week. That’s what’s important. When you’re playing in big games, no stone is unturned,” Day said. “Everybody’s got to utilize every minute of the day. You can’t waste a rep, you can’t waste a minute in meetings. You got to be efficient as a coach.”
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions kick off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on ABC. Ohio State fans are encouraged to wear red in order to scarlet-out Ohio Stadium.
