The Ohio State Buckeyes host the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday in one of the premier matchups of the college football season. Let’s get to know the Buckeyes’ next opponent: 

Ohio State welcomes Penn State to the Shoe this Saturday, with a noon kickoff that has a lot of fans upset with night game aspirations being the expectation. The Nittany Lions enter the game 6-0 and had their bye week two weeks ago like the Buckeyes.

Arguably the biggest game besides That Team Up North every year, Buckeye fans usually keep an eye on Penn State every week. After beating Notre Dame, many fans shifted their mindset to this matchup.

So, let’s take a look at our non-rival.

The Undefeated Record

The Nittany Lions come into the game ranked seventh nationally and bring another undefeated matchup for the Buckeyes. They opened the season with a unique matchup with West Virginia, who they handled 38-15. They followed this with an easy matchup against Delaware which resulted in a 63-7 win.

Their first conference game and road test came in week three against Illinois, who they beat 30-13. They followed this with their first ranked win against Iowa 31-0 at home, followed by a road win at Northwestern 41-13.

They faced another easy foe against Massachusetts on their previous outing, shutting out Massachusetts 63-0. With three conference games and a win against West Virginia, the Nittany Lions have had some middle-of-the-pack opponents but have not been truly tested like Ohio State has.

The rest of the schedule for Penn State features trips to Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan State, and a big home test against That Team Up North. They also host division teams Indiana and Rutgers.

Balanced Offensive Attack

The offense has scored 30 or more points every game, with two games of 63 points against weak competition.

Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar from Medina, Ohio has helped them get off to a quick start. Through six games he has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 1,254 yards with 15 total touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The rushing attack is spear-headed by Sophomore duo Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Both have pretty even numbers and are a big part of the Nittany Lion offensive game plan every week. Allen has 375 rushing yards on the year averaging 4.8 per carry, and has found the endzone three times. Singleton is not far behind with 362 rushing yards, 4.1 per carry, and six touchdowns.

Both running backs have led the team in rushing in three games, with Allen having the season-high in week two with 103 rushing yards.

Junior wide receiver Keandre Lambert-Smith has been Allar’s favorite target by far, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards He has 31 receptions for 402 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He also averages 13.0 yards per reception.

Junior tight ends Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren are also big parts of the air games and have 16 catches each for a combined 296 yards and seven touchdowns. Warren leads the team with five touchdown catches.

Stout Defense

Like the offense, the Penn State defense has shown great flashes through six weeks and has yet to have a bad game.

The defense has not given up more than 15 points in any game and has shut out two opponents. With a lot of games that have been blowouts early, a lot of players have seen the field for their defense.

Their defense is amongst the best statistically in the nation, and they have not allowed a point in two and a half games at home. They also allow just 193.7 total yards per game and 72.5 rushing yards per game. Senior defensive end Adisa Isaac is amongst the leaders on the defensive side of the ball, leading the team with five sacks.

Junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs leads the team with 23 tackles and 17 solo tackles, and the Nittany Lions have three other linebackers with 15 tackles or more. The defense has 27 sacks on the year and has forced and recovered six fumbles. They have also returned seven interceptions for 105 yards.

It is hard to judge where their weaknesses are, with their most respectable opponent being Iowa who struggles on offense and scored zero points.

It is safe to say a big part of the game will be winning the line battle to gain some yards on the ground, which will take pressure off Kyle McCord, Marvin Harrison Jr., and the Buckeye offense.

Prediction

Penn State has not been tested as Ohio State has, and the Shoe should be rocking even with the noon kickoff. A steady dose of the run game with some explosive throws will be the recipe for success for the offense, and the defensive line playing well should halt the Nittany Lions’ drives.

Both teams will try to get a feel of how the other will play for most of the first half, and I see Ohio State holding on late in the game.

Ohio State 27, Penn State 20