Last time the Ohio State football ream stepped foot into Beaver Stadium an eerily cold, snowy, and rainy day overtook State College. Neither team could get going consistently on offense or fully gain momentum. Finally as the Buckeyes attempted a late field goal, Marcus Allen blocked it and Penn State took the lead setting the Whiteout crowd on absolute fire. The stadium was actually shaking, I had never seen or heard anything like it before if I’m being honest. As a HUGE Ohio State fan, it brings me much pain to post this, but here is the block again:

Penn State had pulled off the upset which ignited their 2016 season and program from that point forward. Head Coach James Franklin got his first signature win in Happy Valley. This year, the Nittany Lions welcome back the Buckeyes to one of the toughest venues in all of college football…especially at night. Revenge is on the minds of Penn State because of the previous meeting in Columbus where Ohio State stormed back with a fourth quarter for the ages led by JT Barrett who bolstered his Buckeyes to an emotional win. This was the best game I have seen in a while and here is what I am talking about:

However, avenging 2016 is still resonating in the hearts and minds of the Buckeyes. The new look offense propelled by Dwayne Haskins’ air attack will get its first true road test of the season. Quite frankly, their hardest test of the season for Urban Meyer’s team all things considered. Last year in Ann Arbor, Haskins entered The Game in a replacement role for the injured JT Barrett where he flashed his brilliance and precision passing skills leading Ohio State to a comeback victory with the weight of the state of Ohio counting on him. The moment did not seem too big for the young quarterback, who is widely known to be unnervingly calm yet humble when on the field.

Playing in front of 107,000+ in a Whiteout setting is unlike any other atmosphere in sports. The Whiteout is almost like a superpower and will truly push these young Buckeyes to dig deep and give every ounce of effort in their beings. Ohio State will be without star defensive end and top NFL Draft prospect Nick Bosa for likely a good bit of the regular season. His loss is monumental for the Buckeyes because Bosa is virtually unblockable and requires a separate game plan for himself.

However, Ohio State is one of the deepest teams in the country especially on the defensive line, but that does not discount they will certainly miss having Bosa out there wreaking havoc. So in all honesty, I see Ohio State winning this game because their team this year has looked basically flawless. Minus a few hiccups in the TCU game, they still have looked great. But I will not be surprised if Penn State keeps it a close game like they usually do.