This week the Penn State Nittany Lions will have a season-defining game. They will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in a game that will have an impact on the rest of the season. If the Nittany Lions win, they have real playoff hopes and will earn respect across the college football world. If they lose, they will seem like the same team as in past years. Here is a look at what to expect this weekend as Penn State faces off against Ohio State in a crucial Big Ten matchup.
What to Watch For
What has kept the Ohio State Buckeyes going has been their defense. The Penn State offense needs to be ready to fight this weekend. They are going to put a ton of pressure on the line of scrimmage. The Nittany Lions may not find a ton of success running the ball down the middle for a large gain. If there have not been many explosive plays yet from plays like that, they are definitely going to have to figure something out early.
Another thing the offense will need to do is rotate who they pass to. This is something that the team has done well with. Quarterback, Drew Allar does tend to go to the open receiver as opposed to forcing passes, and that will be important to do this weekend.
Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton (10) – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
With having to make sure to come out strong on offense, this also means scoring early. If Penn State can score on their first drive of the game, they will be set up nicely. In previous weeks, the first drive has not been the best, but then they pick up by the second or third. In an important game such as this one, the team will have to get the momentum going early. They then have to stay in it for the entire game. In the 2022 season, the Nittany Lions played really well against the Buckeyes, but couldn’t get the job done in the fourth quarter.
This Penn State defense has done well putting pressure on the quarterback. This gives them little time to throw, causing inaccurate passes. This will be crucial this weekend. If they can throw off the Ohio State quarterback, Kyle McCord, Penn State could end up with the win. This season, McCford has had 109 completions out of 170 pass attempts for 1,651 yards, according to ESPN. He has passed for 11 touchdowns compared to one interception and has been sacked seven times.
Of course, the defense will also have to lock up wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. He is bound to get receptions, but the key will prevent him from having any big plays.
Penn State DE Adisa Isaac (20) – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Penn State Players to Watch
Drew Allar
The young quarterback needs a good game this weekend. He needs to play smart and quickly. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be clean. This will be the best defense that Allar has faced as a starter. What will help is while Allar is not a go-to runner, he has the ability to run out of the pocket and pass the ball accurately. This will be a big help against Ohio State this weekend. This season, Allar has had 118 completions out of 181 attempts for 1,254 yards, according to Sports Reference. He has also passed for 12 touchdowns. All Allar has to do is play smart and quickly.
Adisa Isaac
Defensive end, Adisa Isaac has been making his name known this year. He is going to be a name to watch in this year’s NFL Draft, but also a player to watch against Ohio State. Isaac has been having a stellar season. In six games, Isaac has had 12 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks, according to Sports Reference. Even if he does not put up the numbers this weekend, he will be one of the top players that Ohio State will have to watch for. If the focus shifts to him, that leaves room for other players on the Nittany Lions defense to make big plays.
Daequan Hardy
Daequan Hardy will be another player to watch this weekend. It is not just for what he does, how the team utilizes him should be watched for. Hardy had two punt return touchdowns last weekend against UMass. Now that the team sees how strong of a returner he is, it can definitely be expected that they use him more often. Hardy is a cornerback too, but he is not used unless the team is up by a lot normally. Hardy has had two interceptions this season and three pass deflections, according to Sports Reference. It will be interesting to see how Hardy and Kaden Saunders are both used as punt returners.
Penn State DC Manny Diaz – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Game Predictions
This is a difficult game to predict. This will be an Ohio State home game, but Allar is from Ohio, and expected to have people there for him. Still, it is a tough environment to be in. This is a game that can go either way, it depends on who shows up first, and who plays until the end. The score prediction for this weekend is 35-31 with Ohio State taking the win. This is going to be a big game for the Penn State Nittany Lions and is set for a Noon kickoff.
