GAME NOTES: Big Ten Conference border rivals square off on Saturday night, as
the 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes come calling on the Penn State Nittany
Lions.
Ohio State enters the fray having won five of its first six games, and the
team has been victorious in 18 consecutive regular-season conference games.
The Buckeyes have won four straight since suffering their lone defeat of the
campaign (35-21 vs. Virginia Tech), with their most recent triumph coming in a
56-17 rout of visiting Rutgers last Saturday.
Penn State opened the 2014 season with four consecutive victories, but has
since lost two in a row, both in conference to Northwestern (29-6) and
Michigan (18-13). The Nittany Lions, who were idle last weekend, have
struggled offensively in their two losses, and they will face another major
test in this outing. Following this clash, PSU will play four winnable games
against Maryland, Indiana, Temple and Illinois, before finishing the regular
season at home against defending conference champion Michigan State.
The all-time series between these two teams leans in favor of Ohio State,
15-13, and the Buckeyes won the last meeting two years ago in Happy Valley,
35-23. OSU has won three straight on Penn State’s home field, with the Lions’
last home win in the series being a 17-10 decision back in 2005.
The Ohio State offense has been on fire recently, scoring at least 50 points
in four straight outings to establish a new school record. In those games, the
Buckeyes have amassed at least 500 yards of offense — also a new program
benchmark. As a result, OSU ranks first in the Big Ten in total offense (533.8
ypg), and fourth in the country in scoring (46.5 ppg).
Coach Urban Meyer’s club has outscored its last four opponents by a 224-69
margin.
The Buckeyes are led by quarterback J.T. Barrett, who has filled in admirably
for injured star Braxton Miller by completing 65.2 percent of his passes for
1,615 yards, 20 TDs and only five INTs. Barrett is also a threat to break out
of the pocket, and has done so for 383 yards and four scores. The team’s
leading rusher is Ezekiel Elliott with his 531 yards and four TDs, while the
top target in the passing game is Michael Thomas (21 receptions, 377 yards,
five TDs).
From a defense standpoint, Ohio State has excelled against the pass (181.7
ypg, seven TDs), and has performed fairly well versus run (137.8 ypg, eight
TDs). As a result, foes are scoring an average of only 20.2 ppg. The Buckeyes
have proven themselves to be an opportunistic bunch, coming up with 10 INTs
and 16 sacks, the former ranking them second in the Big Ten. Their +5 turnover
margin ranks them third. Joshua Perry leads the team in tackles with 45, while
Joey Bosa paces the conference in TFL (9.0) while sitting second in sacks
(5.0).
Ohio State outgained Rutgers, 585-345, last week, getting another outstanding
individual effort from Barrett. The young signal caller threw for 261 yards
and three TDs, while adding a team-high 107 yards and two additional scores on
the ground, doing so on only seven carries. Elliott tacked on 69 yards and a
TD on a dozen totes, while Thomas paced the receivers with 55 yards on four
grabs.
The Buckeyes permitted 192 passing yards last week, but allowed only a pair of
rushing TDs to the Scarlet Knights. Perry and Doran Grant each had seven
tackles in the win, and the unit as a whole was credited with three takeaways
and four sacks, two of which belonged to Bosa.
Meyer was obviously pleased with the outcome last week, in particular how
quickly his team started, which has been commonplace of late.
“We had a lot of respect for Rutgers. They came in, 5 and 1. Really could have
been 6 and 0, other than the slam pass that the Penn State receiver caught
against them. So pleased with the get out, that we got out of the locker room
fast, 14-0, that’s a good sign of several games right in a row.”
Despite the Big Ten’s top-rated passer (average yards per game) wearing a Penn
State uniform, the offense for coach James Franklin’s squad has been rather
lackluster this season. Penn State averages just 21.2 ppg (13th in the
conference), with its effort through the air (282.3 ypg) resulting much more
favorably than when it decides to keep the ball on the ground (league-worst
93.2 ypg).
Christian Hackenberg is averaging a league-best 272.8 ypg, but has thrown only
five TD passes while being intercepted seven times. His pass efficiency rating
is one of the lowest in the conference. DaeSean Hamilton has reeled in 43
balls (a new PSU freshman record) for 560 yards, and Eugene Lewis has 32 grabs
for 512 yards. Bill Belton serves as the team’s top ground gainer, but he
averages just 43 ypg. Belton and Zach Zwinak had found the end zone three
times apiece.
Penn State has given up the second-most sacks of any team in the Big Ten (20),
but is among the league leaders in time of possession (32:43).
Penn State’s effort on defense this season has resulted in opponents scoring
just 15.2 ppg, while averaging only 283.3 ypg — both of which rank the team
first in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions have been particularly strong against
the run in allowing a league-low 60.8 ypg, with foes scoring only six rushing
TDs. They also lead the conference in red zone defense (.632), as well as in
the fewest first downs allowed (85).
Mike Hull, who made 11 stops in the loss to Michigan, is clearly the team’s
most productive player on defense, amassing 64 total tackles, 40 of which have
been solo efforts. His closest teammate, Nyeem Wartman, has only 26 stops.
The Wolverines tallied a meager 64 rushing yards on the night, but the Lions
had only 54. Hackenberg threw for just 160 yards with a TD and an INT, and he
was sacked six times. Hamilton caught his first career TD pass in the loss.
Ohio State is only two wins away from matching the Big Ten mark for
consecutive regular-season conference victories, which it set back from
2005-07. While inching closer week on the road against a staunch defensive
squad won’t be easy, it should still happen.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 27, Penn State 17
