Penn State hosts the number two ranked team in the nation on Saturday night as Ohio State will be welcomed to Happy Valley by a sea of white. The Nittany Lions are 4-0 at home this season and look to knock off their third consecutive undefeated opponent. However, it will be no easy task as the Buckeyes hold the nation’s longest road winning streak at 20 games. This will be the 15th whiteout in Beaver Stadium history and will be the setting for what ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit calls the best student section in all of college football. In order for James Franklin to earn his first signature win, his Nittany Lions will have to execute on the following things.
1. Force J.T. Barrett to beat them with his arm
Penn State is historically awful against quarterbacks who are two dimensional. The defense constantly struggles to contain quarterbacks who decide to tuck it and run, no matter how athletic they are. When they face someone as athletic as Barrett, it could get really ugly, really fast. “Don’t let their best player beat you,” is a popular motto in sports. In this case, Penn State can’t let Barrett and the rest of the Buckeyes’ rushing attack defeat them. I am not saying he can’t throw the ball, but I am saying that the Nittany Lions’ pass defense has been impressive this year only giving up 9.87 yards per completion, the sixth best in the country. The Buckeyes’ rushing attack is fourth best in the country so limiting their yards on the ground will be crucial.
2. Find more creative ways to get Saquon Barkley the football
Penn State’s offensive line is much improved this year, but still subpar. While the unit has done a better job protecting the quarterback, they were exposed in the run game most notably against Michigan, a similar football team who brings as many athletes to the table as Ohio State. In the blowout loss to Michigan, Saquon Barkley had only 59 rushing yards. New offensive coordinator, Joe Moorhead, has experimented the last few weeks with some new plays for Barkley, yet none have been too successful. Using Barkley in multiple facets of the game is going to create bigger plays. The man is a highlight waiting to happen. He can only create these highlights when he isn’t getting hit four yards behind the line of scrimmage.
3. Win the turnover battle
The last time Penn State hosted Ohio State was another whiteout game in 2014. In the game, each team turned the ball over twice and a controversial interception by Ohio State highlighted these turnovers. Ohio State went on to win the game in double overtime, but if Penn State doesn’t turn the ball over twice, they easily win the game. It will be the same case Saturday night. Penn State is undefeated when winning the turnover battle this year and was only able to squeak out a win over Temple when they lost it. Penn State quarterback, Trace McSorley, and company have been able to clean up some early season turnover woes and need to continue to do so against Ohio State. Valuing every possession is crucial when facing a tall task like this one. On the defensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions have one of their best defensive back units in years and have turned into ball hawks. The possibility of getting linebackers Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda back will only strengthen that defense.
4. Start fast
Penn State’s two losses this year have been the product of extremely slow starts. Well, Michigan waffled the Nittany Lions, but they still started slow! In the three point loss at Pitt, Penn State did not score its first points until there was less than three minutes left in the 1st quarter. They went down 21 points in that first half and came back to outscore the Panthers 25-14 in the second half. Another slow start against Minnesota nearly cost the Nittany Lions that game as well as they were held scoreless in the first quarter and were down two possessions at halftime. Penn State outscored the Gophers 26-13 in the second half and overtime to win the game. There is no question that Penn State can put up points in bunches, but they have to be able to do it for all 60 minutes, especially against the second ranked team in the country.
5. The crowd has to be the 12th Man
The Penn State whiteout is a magical thing. It becomes even more intimidating at night and the Buckeyes struggled in 2014 when faced with it. There have been accounts of players’ helmets vibrating from the noise, players’ unable to communicate from inches apart, and what Ohio State head coach, Urban Meyer, calls a top five college football atmosphere. It is absolutely up to the crowd to know their role in this game. Be as loud as possible when Ohio State has the football and nice and quiet when McSorley is calling out Penn State’s signals. There is no doubt that the noise will have an effect on Ohio State’s ability to run its offense. However, an 8 p.m. kickoff is always dangerous as college students don’t all know how to pace themselves, but a Penn State whiteout has never disappointed before.
