How can Penn State knock off Ohio State Saturday? Here are the game’s 2 key matchups
Penn State got back on track last week and will now take on the best team it will play all season. The No. 13 Nittany Lions are set to face the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in Beaver Stadium in a game that could flip the conference on its head if Penn State can pull off the upset.
Let’s take a look at the two key matchups that will have a massive impact on Saturday’s game.
Jon Sauber: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. vs. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
There might not be a more anticipated one-on-one matchup this season on Penn State’s schedule. In fact, I’ll just go ahead and say that their definitely won’t be. This is everything you could want from that perspective. Joey Porter Jr. is the son of a former NFL Pro Bowler and Marvin Harrison Jr. is the son of a NFL Hall of Famer. They have the genetic profile to be among the elite of the elite and thus far both have more than delivered in their college careers.
Porter was projected to be a first round pick and has lived up to the billing this season. He had some issues with Purdue in the first half of the season opener but quickly settled in after. He’s currently tied for second in the country with 11 pass breakups and has made life difficult for all of the receivers that have lined up across from him this season. He hasn’t picked off any passes yet, but he’s been disruptive and has done a good job of limiting some of his biggest flaws. Most noticeably, he hasn’t grabbed as many receivers and drawn holding penalties on himself this season.
Harrison is in the midst of a predictable breakout season. He’s the top receiver in Columbus with Jaxon Smith-Njigba missing chunks of the season with an injury. He’s an unbelievable athlete who has excellent precision running routes, which is unsurprising given that’s what made his dad a hall of famer. He has 38 catches through seven games for 598 yards and 10 touchdowns. Harrison has torched almost every corner that has lined up across from him this season.
Which brings us to these two clashing on Saturday. Corners struggle with Harrison because he’s so strong and fast to go with his technique. Receivers can’t get open against Porter because he’s long, athletic and defends like he knows the play call the offense is making. Something will have to give this weekend. The outcome may not dictate who wins Saturday’s game, but the fact that it might says a lot about the impact both players are capable of having on the game. Chances are they’re both going to win certain reps, it’s just a matter of whose wins matter more. Harrison could break open for an enormous big play, or Porter could pick off a pass intended for the star receiver and flip the script. Either way, this is as good as it gets in the Big Ten when it comes to a wide receiver-cornerback matchup.
Kyle J. Andrews: Ohio State defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr. vs. Penn State’s interior offensive line
Michael Hall Jr. is one of — if not the most important — impact players on Ohio State’s defense. The sophomore defensive tackle sets the tone with his one-man wrecking show play, with 15 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one fumble recovery this season. Not many players bring interior pressure like Hall Jr. does. And he does it all from the “2i” technique on the defensive line, usually lining up on the inside shoulder of the left guard or right guard.
One thing that Hall does well is to get skinny, sifting through the double team of left guards and centers or right guards and being able to find the running back or quarterback. When he isn’t making tackles on a double team, he’s eating up multiple blockers. This allows Ohio State linebackers to go downhill and meet their opponents for a loss of yardage.
A perfect example of Hall Jr.‘s play came against Notre Dame on Sept. 3. He had four total tackles (three solo), two for loss and a sack. One particular play that stood out with 13:46 on the clock in the first quarter. Notre Dame center Zeke Correll snapped the ball and quarterback Tyler Buchner handed the ball off to running back Logan Diggs — Hall Jr. split between Correll and left guard Jarrett Patterson for the easy tackle for loss. That’s the usual challenge that the 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman presents on a weekly basis.
As for Penn State, the team will need to get its best from the interior offensive line. They’ve played with meanness, nastiness, intensity and ruthless aggression all season. It’s proven in Penn State’s 4.2 yards a pop in the running game and 140.1 yards per each contest on the ground.
The freshmen running back duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have benefited from middle of the offensive line weekly. They’ve found the end zone a combined 11 times on the season, adding in 957 yards on 160 carries for 5.98 yards per carry. The offensive line — including Landon Tengwall, Juice Scruggs, Sal Wormley and Hunter Nourzad — has become accustomed to getting to the second level of the front seven and pile driving linebackers into the dirt. That’ll be a tough task on Saturday afternoon against Hall Jr., but if it’s anyone with the Nittany Lions up for the task, it’s them.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 3:04 PM.
