What will tell us the most about Penn State when it plays Ohio? Saturday’s 2 key matchups
Penn State has its first home game of the season Saturday afternoon against the Ohio Bobcats and will try to win its second game of the year. The Nittany Lions will have extra time to prepare for the game after opening the season with a win against Purdue on a Thursday night. Fortunately for them, this game shouldn’t be nearly as close as the 35-31 nail-biter in West Lafayette.
Let’s take a look at the two matchups that will be the most telling about the game.
Jon Sauber: Penn State’s running game vs. Ohio’s run defense
Penn State — for better and (mostly) for worse — forced the issue when it came to running the ball last week. The Nittany Lions ran the ball on first and second down on their first four sets of downs against Purdue in their season opener. Despite the attempts to will their running game to success, their running backs still only had 95 yards on 27 carries. The Boilermakers have a good defense, but not good enough to limit good running backs — which Penn State has — to 3.5 yards per carry.
Fortunately for those backs — primarily Keyvone Lee, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen — they should have an easy go at it this week. The Bobcats struggled to tackle for stretches of their 41-38 victory over Florida Atlantic, including a long run that was called back that featured four missed tackles. The Bobcats only gave up 60 yards on 14 carries to Larry McCammon against the Owls, but will be much more susceptible to a more talented running back room. Singleton and Allen, especially, should be able to break off a few big gains to help get the ground game going. Those are the types of gains Penn State head coach James Franklin has emphasized this offseason and the kind that evaded the offense during the season opener.
Lee, like his freshman position mates, should have some big-play upside Saturday too, especially if Ohio struggles to tackle like it did against FAU. He’s strong enough to break through arm tackles and keep pushing forward and that could create a big play, even if his long speed isn’t at the same level of Singleton and Allen. This is the type of game that could break Penn State’s streak without a 100-yard rusher that extends back to November of 2020 when Lee went for 134 yards against Michigan. Singleton seems like the most likely candidate to reach that mark, especially if he can break off a big one. He has the long speed and strength that can be an enormous asset in that regard and should have the type of game that proves why he was a five-star recruit out of high school.
There isn’t much Ohio can do to pull off an upset, but this is the matchup that will be the most telling about what kind of team Penn State can be on offense this season.
Kyle J. Andrews: Sean Clifford vs. The Critics
Sean Clifford went 20-for-37 (54.1%) on passes for 282 yards, four touchdown passes and one interception with a 148.3 rating in Penn State’s 35-31 win over Purdue last Thursday. The redshirt senior quarterback marched down the field in the Nittany Lions last drive, completing six of his seven passes for 72 yards and capping off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown. He was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Rose Bowl Player of the Week.
One could just take a look at the stats and say that he was outstanding on the road in a pivotal opening week game against a Big Ten opponent. However, the game wasn’t without its misgivings from the sixth-year senior.
Clifford earned a 28-24 lead following his 29-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith with 10:44 left in the game. He later followed it up with a 72-yard pick six to Boilermakers safety Chris Jefferson with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter to give Purdue a 31-28 lead. The tension from Penn State faithful, the media and general onlookers on social media could be cut with a chef’s knife.
Looming largely over Clifford’s late inconsistency was the beginning of freshman quarterback Drew Allar’s career. Allar trotted on the field for Penn State’s first drive of the half while Clifford was in the locker room — the ball flew out of his hands with speed akin to a bullet train or fighter jet. Nonetheless — he was accurate despite a drop by tight end Tyler Warren and a misfire. Allar went 2-for-4 and had 24 yards on his lone drive.
From the incessant jokes about the 24-year old quarterback’s age by coaches and fans alike, to the allure of bringing in a 5-star talent to replace him — Clifford has to silence the critics. Fair or unfair, this isn’t just for a game against an Ohio team that gave up 464 total yards and 38 points, this is for the soul of his own season.
He wants it. He must seize it immediately.
