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Week 6: Ohio State

Nickname:  Buckeyes

Head Coach:  Jim Tessel (43-12 in 5 seasons at Ohio State)

Record:  3-1 (1-0 in the Big Ten)

Series Record:  Tied 10-10 (Ohio State has won the last 3)

Surprising Statistic #1:   Against Minnesota, the Penn State offense accumulated 35 first downs, which is the second highest total ever under coach Joe Paterno.

Surprising Statistic #2:  Going into last week's game, the Gopher's boasted the nation's leading rush offense (326.5 ypg) and rusher in Laurence Maroney (174.5 ypg).  Against a very stout Penn State defense, the Gopher's managed to pick up just 113 yards on the ground on 32 carries, with Heisman candidate Laurence Maroney getting just 48 yards on 16 carries, or 126.5 yards below his average.

Surprising Statistic #3:  So far this season, Ohio State has outscored their opponents 73-9 in the second and third quarters combined.

He Said:  Minnesota QB Bryan Cupito after last Saturday's 44-14 loss to Penn State:  "They are a better team than I gave them credit for.  I thought we would come in here and control the game, and their defense played the best I've seen in two years against us.  They just shut down the run completely."

Watch Out For:

·        Ted Ginn, Jr. (WR):  In last year's 21-10 victory over the Nittany Lions, Ginn fueled the Buckeye victory by returning a punt for a score.  So far this season, he has been limited to 13 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown receiving.  Ginn has also returned 7 kickoffs, averaging 21 yards a return, and 8 punts, averaging almost 9 yards a return.  Fast forward to my Intriguing Matchup for more of my concerns regarding Ted Ginn, Jr.

·        A.J. Hawk (LB):  While PSU fans love our #31 in blue, Hawk is more than likely the best linebacker in college football.  He leads the Ohio State defense with 41 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.  To his credit, Hawk also has an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.  He will definitely make a tough go of it for the Nittany Lion offense.

Intriguing Matchup:

·        Ohio State's kick return units vs. Penn State's punt and kickoff coverage units:  In a close game, the outcome will more than likely decided by a turnover or a big play.  After reviewing last weekend's dominating win over Minnesota, one distinct weakness I see for the Nittany Lions is their kickoff coverage unit.  Unlike the past few seasons, the Lions lack a kickoff specialist, ala David Kimball, who can boot the ball out of the endzone each and every time.  Minnesota capitalized in the first half by returning 2 kicks into Penn State territory.  I give credit to the Nittany Lion coaching staff for making the necessary halftime adjustment and kicking the ball shorter to the Minnesota up men to negate the long returns.  However, let's not forget that Ohio State has the potentially explosive Ted Ginn, Jr. and equally as dangerous Santonio Holmes back deep.  We would also be naïve to think that Coach Jim Tressel and his staff didn't watch the Minnesota tapes and pick out exactly how they can exploit Penn State's weakness in this area.  Remember, a game of this magnitude can turn on one big play.  Let's hope Ginn and Holmes are wearing  huge bullseyes on their chests and the Lions improve their coverage skills as the week progresses.  And while the Lions have been stellar covering punts thus far this season, let's not forget what Ginn did to them just last season.

Keys for Penn State to pick up the W:

·        Play under control: Penn State hasn't been involved in a game of this magnitude since the 2002 season.  They are coming off a huge win and will more than likely be playing in front of a Beaver Stadium record crowd of better than 110,000.  The hype is everywhere, from students camping out at the stadium to Chris, Kirk, and the Coach making their first visit since '99.  How will this team deal with the added distractions?  Will they come out tight in the first half?  Will the necessary focus be there in order to play mistake-free football?  I think so, but we'll have to wait and see.

·        Play field position football:  Both teams possess dominating defenses.  It will be equally difficult for either offense to drive the length of the field on a consistent basis and put points on the board.  Therefore, it is imperative that Michael Robinson realize that Penn State will need to punt in this game and that won't always be a bad thing.  There will be instances where he'll need to take the sack rather than throw it up hoping for a big play.  So far this season, Jeremy Kapinos has shown a knack for pinning opposing offenses inside of their own 20 yard line.  In this game, Penn State must play the percentages and take their shots when they're there.  Otherwise, I'd like to see them pin the Buckeyes deep in their own territory and let the crowd and the defense do the rest.

·        Take what you're given:  After the Minnesota victory, Coach Paterno said it best when asked about his offense being more wide open: "It depends on what people want to do to us.  If they want to take the pass game away, you can take it away.  Then you've got to run the ball.  I hope we can have a balanced attack."  A balanced attack is precisely what the Nittany Lions will need if they wish to knock off the Buckeyes.  The Ohio State defense is good enough to take away several aspects of the Penn State offense that have been successful thus far.  The key for the Nittany Lion offensive brain trust will be to take what little the Buckeyes give them and look for a big play here or there.  If they can do this, 6-0 is not out of the realm of possibility

JoePa's Take:

·        Coach Paterno thought his offensive line played it's best game in a long time this past Saturday, specifically praising Charles Rush in saying that he played his best game since coming to PSU.

·        Joe feels that Ted Ginn, Jr. is a great football player and is a one play guy that has the capability to turn a game around.

·        Joe feels that Ohio State is a bit stronger and more physical than Penn State.  He also praised their outside linebackers and safeties, saying they may be the best tandems in the nation.

·        JoePa feels that Ohio State may have one of the best defenses that he's EVER seen.

·        Other Buckeyes that Joe praised include QB Troy Smith, RB Antonio Pittman, and WR Santonio Holmes and Anthony Gonzales.

·        The coach really likes the confidence of his freshman kicker, Kevin Kelly.

·        Coach Paterno may or may not visit with the students camping outside of the stadium, saying that right now he is more concerned with focusing on beating Ohio State.

Bet You Didn't Know:  Since 1976, Penn State and Ohio State have squared off 16 times.  In 14 of those 16 meetings, at least one of the 2 squads has been nationally ranked.  In each of those 14 games, the higher ranked of the two foes has prevailed.

My Prediction:  Penn State 20, Ohio State 14

Fan Notes:

• A "Rally in the Valley" has been set for Friday night at 8:30 in Rec Hall.  In attendance will be Coach Paterno and the squad, the cheerleaders, the dance team, the Nittany Lion mascot, and the Blue Band.
• ESPN's College GameDay Built by the Home Depot will air from the Penn State campus from 10:30 to 12:00 this Saturday morning.  Come cheer on the Nittany Lions while hearing what Chris, Kirk, and the Coach have to say about this week's big game.  While doing so, try not to be so derogatory towards the crew – let's show them the class fans that Penn State is known for!
• ESPN2's morning show, Cold Pizza, will also do their show on Friday morning from the College GameDay set.  In attendance will be host Jay Crawford and sports columnists Woody Paige and Skip Bayless.
• Penn State is asking that all students attending this week's game with the Buckeyes to wear white and make the student section a "White Out".  I'm taking that a step further by asking EVERYONE to wear White and be loud.  Penn State fans, YOU can help make the difference.  Put this team on your back and carry them to victory.  Be loud at the GameDay set!  Be loud during warm-ups!  Be loud during pregame!  Be loud while the Buckeyes are on offense – start as soon as they huddle and don't let up until the ball is snapped!

 

For a full recap of Joe Paterno's weekly press conference, check out gopsusports.com.

 

For more information regarding the Ohio State Buckeyes, head to ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com.

Until next time, S-T-A-T-E, Go State!!!

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