The No.1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes return home, coming off the bye week, as they face the struggling Penn State Nittany Lions.

The world-famous Ohio State Buckeyes occupy the number-one spot in the rankings yet again and had a deserved bye week after two road victories, where they left no doubt. The Buckeyes are 7-0 and 4-0 in conference play, with a pretty favorable schedule the rest of the way. They have proved to be elite on both sides of the ball and will give the Nittany Lions fits in this matchup.

The Penn State Nittany Lions come to the Shoe in what was supposed to be a top-three, top-five, or top-ten at worst matchup. Well, the coaster fell off the track early in the season, and the blue and white have lost four straight. James Franklin was known for not being able to beat the Buckeyes, and he won’t get a chance at redemption, at least not yet.

These two teams, similar to Ohio State’s matchup with Wisconsin in their last outing, are trending in polar opposite directions at the moment. One team has everything in front of them, conference and national championships in sight, and multiple Heisman trophy candidates. The other, preseason number two-ranked team, had already fired its coach and is on a four-game losing streak.

This game had all the potential to be a classic, and likely will not be at this point. There is still a lot to talk about, so let’s dive into some headlines and recap both teams’ last outings.

Ryan Day’s Side Handle Business Again

October 18th was the last time the Buckeyes played football, and they played a clinical game for four quarters, shutting out the Wisconsin Badgers 34-0. Julian Sayin stole the show on offense, completing 36/42 passes for 393 passing yards and four passing touchdowns with no turnovers.

Carnell Tate made highlight after highlight and earned ‘You Got Mossed’ honors from NFL legend Randy Moss. He had two touchdown grabs, six total receptions, and 111 receiving yards on the day. Jeremiah Smith had a “quiet” nine catches for 97 receiving yards. It was nice to see everyone get some love through the air, as Bo Jackson (five catches, 57 yards), Quincy Porter (two catches, 30 yards), and Max Klare (five catches, 29 yards) all made some plays. Can’t forget about Brandon Inniss and Will Kacmarek, who both hauled in touchdown catches on the afternoon.

The ground game was one of, if not the only, flaws in this one, as the Buckeyes struggled to move the ball on the ground at times. The two main running backs to start the year, CJ Donaldson and James Peoples, combined for just two rushes and 12 rushing yards. Peoples did not register a rushing attempt and had one reception on the day. Bo Jackson has been the main guy at times as of late, but he had just 26 rushing yards on ten carries. Freshman Isaiah West got his chance this game and made the most of it with nine carries, 55 rushing yards (led team), and 6.1 yards per carry (led team).

The Silver Bullets’ defense showed once again why they are the best unit in the entire country. The Badgers’ offense, playing from behind the whole game, had just 49 passing yards on 7/15 attempts. The ground game had 95 rushing yards and 3.1 yards per carry, with no rusher having more than 35 yards. 144 total yards of offense, an interception, 3.3 yards per pass, and 2/11 on third-down are just some of the stats that show the beatdown that occurred in Madison, Wisconsin.

Arvell Reese, Caden Curry, and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. all got into the Badger backfield and each registered a sack. The defense had seven tackles for loss, led by Arvell Reese with two. Sonny Styles had a first-quarter pick on Wisconsin’s second drive that really helped put the pressure on early in the game. Mr. Everything for this defense, Caleb Downs, led the unit with six total tackles, all solo.

The Buckeyes had three road games in four weeks, including back-to-back at Illinois and at Wisconsin. They have not had a home game since October 4th and will be ready to work back at home against the Nittany Lions.

It is Getting Worse and Worse for Penn State

Penn State also had a much-needed bye week this past weekend, but for the wrong reasons. Their previous outing against the Iowa Hawkeyes ended in a 25-24 loss, their fourth straight defeat this season. Not to mention, they lost starting quarterback Drew Allar for the season with a leg injury against Northwestern.

Now under center is freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who struggled against the Hawkeyes’ defense in his first start. He completed just 15/28 passes for 93 yards, 3.3 yards per attempt, and two interceptions. No player for the offense had more than three catches or more than 19 yards, which is crazy for a team that had National Championship expectations all off-season. Trebor Pena, Luke Reynolds, and Kaytron Allen each had three receptions on the day.

Running back Kaytron Allen tried to provide a spark on the ground, carrying the offense with 28 carries, 145 rushing yards, and the only two offensive touchdowns they had. His running mate, Nicholas Singleton, had just six carries for 15 yards. This was supposed to be the best duo in the country, and while Allen has been a bright spot at times, Singleton has not.

The Nittany Lions’ defense held the Iowa passing offense to just 10/16 for 68 passing yards and an interception. The rushing attack is where they got gashed, as senior quarterback Mark Gronowski had 130 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on just nine attempts. Running back Kamari Moulton had a solid day as well with 99 rushing yards on 17 carries.

No Hawkeye receiver had more than two catches, as four different players had two receptions. The leading receiver had just 21 yards, as it was a ground attack for both teams in this one. The Penn State defense was unable to register a sack, as it mostly rushed and recorded two tackles for loss. Safety Zakee Wheatley and linebacker Dominic DeLuca led the team with 10 and eight total tackles, respectively.

Penn State battled Oregon and lost in double overtime, followed by losses to UCLA, Northwestern, and Iowa. With Ohio State and Indiana, the top two teams in the country, up next in back-to-back games, it is hard to be optimistic about this Nittany Lions team.

What To Expect In This One

Ryan Day has proven that this group will get up for any game, and even though the hype around this game is far from what could’ve been, it is still an excellent opportunity to fine-tune some things against some talented players for Penn State.

The offense should try to get everyone involved as they did against Wisconsin, where everyone had chances to make plays and move the ball down the field. One thing to work on, especially if the game script favors the Buckeyes early on, is running the football behind our solid offensive line with a variety of backs. We know what to expect from Smith, Tate, Inniss, and Klare, but let’s see more from Jackson, Donaldson, Peoples, and West.

The defense has been elite and will look to keep their insanely impressive numbers in this one. Penn State still has some solid players, especially at running back, and the defensive line and linebackers will need to be big in this one. Penn State will likely avoid throwing the ball unless it trails big, so the secondary will look to make plays when they can.

Ohio State is currently favored -1800 for the moneyline and -20.5 for the spread. The over/under total is set at 43.5 points, with a big Buckeyes victory expected. This one shouldn’t be too stressful for Buckeye fans, as Penn State has looked as bad as it possibly could lately.

I expect the scarlet and gray to come out hot and leave no doubt, which they have done against lesser opponents as of late. The offense will hopefully let Sayin and the wideouts feast while the running backs find their footing. The defense will continue to ball out and frustrate the opposing offense. On offense, I think Bo Jackson will return to form and have a good game. On defense, I think the defensive line has the potential to wreak havoc, led by Caden Curry. The Buckeyes jump out to an early lead and coast to victory, led by the defense.

Prediction: Ohio State 31 Penn State 10