Hunt the Lions: Ohio State – Penn State Preview

An unmistakable sense of suspense permeates The Ohio State University before night games. Students, faculty, alumni, and fans spend the whole day preparing for the game. As the Big Ten plays its matinee slate, the anticipation begins to climb. Buckeye Nation hydrates all day to make sure they are at their very best for kickoff. As the sun sets, the happy multitude makes its way to the seats anticipating greatness. With a full day to marinate, the pressure reaches a boiling point as the band takes the field. By kickoff time, the crowd is hoarse as the ball flies downfield. The night is dark and full of Buckeyes, but the Nittany Lions show no fear.

Ohio State leads the all-time series with Penn State, 16-13. The two clubs have clashed every season since 1993 when PSU joined the Big Ten. As conference opponents, the Ohio State-Penn State game featured at least one ranked team every year but 2001 and 2004. On 13 different occasions both teams were ranked. Ohio State leads the intra-conference battle,14-7. While there is no doubt which Big Ten team is Ohio State’s number one rival, Penn State could make a legitimate claim as the second.

Penn State enters the game with a 5-1 record (2-0 Big Ten) after conference victories over Rutgers and Indiana. The Nittany Lion season began on a historically bad note; Penn State dropped their season opener to in-state foe Temple, 27-10, their first loss to the Owls since 1941. Since then, Penn State has mostly righted the ship with five straight wins.

This week’s program takes us back to September 16, 1978 when Ohio State and Penn State clashed in Columbus. Joe Paterno and Woody Hayes prominently occupy the cover, both already icons in their respective communities. Paterno enjoyed remarkable longevity; Buckeye coaches Hayes, Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Jim Tressel, and Luke Fickle all stared across the field at the old man from “Up.” I also find it notable that the coaches are not facing each other on the program. While rivals, both men respected the other and the schools they represented. The Nittanies won the game in question, 19-0.

Penn State’s claim to fame in 2015 is their strong defense. The team averages 4.17 sacks per game (2nd in the nation) and has held its first two Big Ten opponents to 10 total points. Defensive end Carl Nassib leads the nation with 10.0 sacks. The defense ranks tenth in the country with 275.7 yards per game allowed and eleventh in fewest points allowed with 14.3.

Offensively, junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg has thrown seven touchdowns and two interceptions on 87-of-164 passing (53 percent) and 1,086 yards. He ranks third all-time in career passing yards at Penn State with 5,932 and may only have a few games at State College left. Before the season began, many prognosticators expected Hackenberg to declare for the NFL draft after the season ends, with some pegging him as high as a top-10 pick. While his numbers have not sizzled as expected, his skillset and pedigree suggest that he could still occupy an NFL sideline.

In Ohio State’s win over Maryland, Urban Meyer unveiled a new approach for handling quarterbacks Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller. Jones initiates drives and yields to Barrett if the offense reaches the red zone. While the idea of a relieving signal caller sounds strange in Columbus, it is old hat for Meyer. He used a similar system with Florida in 2006 – Chris Leak managed the offense until the goal line when Tim Tebow would take over.

When asked if he expects the system to continue, Meyer said, “I think so, but I’m not writing it in Sharpie yet.” He spoke of how the arrangement seemed to energize the team. “I think J.T.’s got the personality and the work ethic and respect amongst everybody in this room, and that’s not saying Cardale doesn’t. Cardale works his way tail off now, so that’s a good issue right now.” If nothing else, the offense finally showed the competency Buckeye fans have longed for. Barrett scored three rushing touchdowns, all from within the field’s last 20 yards, and Jones completed two long touchdown passes. With players as talented as Barrett and Jones on the roster, I am pleased to see both of them make an impact in the game.

The Ohio State-Penn State rivalry doubles as a border war that both parties highly value. To better understand the Penn State perspective, I spoke with 30-year PSU season ticket holder and Nittany Lion Club member Dave Roberts. On the year so far, he feels the team’s play has been mixed. “The defense here is [historically] very good, and this year is no exception. The offensive line is the weakest link.” Quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s numbers dipped from preseason expectations. On the year, Dave would give him a B grade. “He was an ‘A’ [quarterback] as a freshman…Hackenberg flourished under Bill O’Brien, but has not had the same quarterback coaching under [head coach James] Franklin.” Perhaps it was my pro-Buckeye bias, but I wanted to talk about how the OSU-PSU matchup ranks in State College. Dave quickly noted that it is not as big as Ohio State-Michigan. Penn State’s biggest rivalry surprised me – Pittsburgh. “That’s the one everyone really wants.” The Nittany Lions and Panthers will rekindle that battle with their 97th meeting next season.

Surprisingly, Dave said he was happy to see Maryland and Rutgers join the Big Ten in 2014. “Lots of bad blood between Penn State and Rutgers. We picked their pocket [in recruiting] for years.” Despite last year’s result, he also seemed happy to see the Terrapins on the schedule. “[In years past] Penn State beat Maryland like a drum.” Overall, Dave seemed very happy with the direction the conference is heading. “Penn State is on their way back, but I don’t think they’re totally there yet.” He says once Penn State and Nebraska are back to prominence, “This’ll be the conference the SEC wishes they were.” When pressed for a prediction for Saturday, he forecast The Ohio State University defeating The Pennsylvania State University, 34-17. He made a point to mention that the visiting school also has a “The” in its official title, but doesn’t make a big deal about it because, “We are OK in our own skin.” Touché, Mr. Roberts.

Regardless of the final tally, Ohio State will make fashion history on Saturday. For the first time, the Buckeyes will wear all-black uniforms at home. Coach Urban and his wife Shelley have both beseeched Buckeye Nation on Twitter to wear black and create “A Dark Night in the Shoe.” Uniforms in college football create a divide between fans old and young. Kids today seem to prefer the Oregon Ducks style of never wearing the same look twice. Older fans love the consistency of uniforms and the familiarity of seeing the same Scarlet and Gray every autumn their whole lives. Major deals with clothing brands such as Nike open the door to such design experimentation and have become a part of the modern game. Personally I do not care what the home team wears so long as they score more points than the visitors. When the sun sets over Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes will play for their 20th straight win; look for a low-scoring game that Ohio State claims on a late score.