Here are the 3 questions that will decide Penn State football’s matchup with No. 5 Ohio State
Penn State football has its back against the wall as it heads on the road to take on a top-five opponent this weekend. The Nittany Lions will travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
The No. 20 Nittany Lions are coming off two straight losses after starting the season on a five game winning streak. The first loss came at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road in Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 9 in a 23-20 game. The loss came after redshirt senior starting quarterback left the game in the second quarter with an injury. They then followed that up with a 20-18 9OT loss to unranked Illinois Saturday in Beaver Stadium. Clifford played in the game but was clearly banged up.
The No. 5 Buckeyes are 6-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of the Oregon Ducks in Week 2, 35-28. They’ve rattled off five wins in a row since then with their offense scoring at least 52 points in each of their last four games.
Let’s take a look at the three questions that will decide the outcome of Saturday’s Big Ten matchup between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
How healthy is Sean Clifford?
The answer on Saturday against Illinois seemed to be “not very.” Clifford struggled as a runner and his accuracy was off in the game. After every hit he took an extra second to get up and routinely grabbed at his side after throws. That being said, Penn State head coach James Franklin set a clear expectation at his Tuesday press conference that Clifford would be much better this week than he was last.
“Last week we weren’t sure,” Franklin said. “We were kind of trying to see where he was going to be at. Sean is much further ahead now to being back to 100%. ... We expect to have a 100% Sean Clifford this weekend.”
That would be very impactful for an offense that struggled mightily against a bad Illinois defense last week. The Ohio State defense isn’t necessarily one to write home about, but it’s still better than the Illini’s. A repeat performance from last week would spell imminent doom for the Nittany Lions in Columbus, but a healthy Clifford could change things.
His ability to be mobile and make throws accurately — including deep shots that he didn’t seem interested in throwing Saturday — will have a big impact on the offense this weekend.
Can Penn State’s offense keep pace with the best offense in the country?
The Nittany Lions will need Clifford healthy because it will be trying to keep pace with the best offense in the country in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes are multifaceted in their attack, with quarterback C.J. Stroud showing the ability to make big plays with his arm while also taking care of the ball. He has thrown 22 touchdowns this season to only three interceptions and has taken a major step forward in recent weeks.
It helps that Stroud has three excellent receivers to throw the ball to. Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson are not just the three best wideouts on the team, but they’re also three of the best wideouts in the conference, with Olave and Wilson having a stake to the claim that they’re the best duo in the country. All three have at least 29 catches and 518 yards on the season. Stroud distributes the ball fairly evenly between the three and should look to do the same while also changing the pace by handing off to TreVeyon Henderson on occasion. It helps that Henderson is also one of the best — if not the best — running backs in the country.
Ohio State can attack the Nittany Lions on the air and on the ground and Penn State’s offense, led by Clifford and Jahan Dotson, will need to match it if there’s a chance at an upset.
Will the Penn State defense slow down the Buckeyes?
The other way the Nittany Lions can win, of course, is if they can stymie Ohio State when it has the ball on occasion. Frankly, holding the Buckeyes below 30 points would be a major victory for Penn State. That would mean the run defense has held up without injured defensive tackle PJ Mustipher and the secondary would have slowed the dominant trio of receivers Ohio State boasts.
There isn’t much of a chance Penn State can stop the Buckeye offense but slowing it down would be an important step. It would allow the offense an opportunity to make a mistake or two while keeping the game close. That matters because the offense has been prone to those mistakes this season and has sputtered more than its fair share.
Otherwise, the offense will have to score on nearly every possession if the Nittany Lions want a chance to earn the upset. That may seem extreme, but that’s how good the Ohio State offense has been this season — and how good it has especially been in the last four weeks.
