Penn State vs. Ohio State Prediction Roundtable
Who will win when Penn State hosts Ohio State this Saturday in the White Out at Beaver Stadium?
Despite being double-digit underdogs, Penn State has a chance to shock the world Saturday night with a win over No. 2 Ohio State. A night game in Beaver Stadium is barely ever easy for opponents. Throw in the White Out and a Penn State team that’s had extra time to prepare, and this one could be a lot closer than it looks on paper.
Ohio State is tough, there’s no doubt about it. The Buckeyes have one of the top offenses in all of college football, and have been very tough on defense. However, in last week’s game against Wisconsin, the Buckeyes were exposed a bit on the edge of their defense.
That’s something the Nittany Lions will look to take advantage of Saturday.
We all know the saying: “Any given Sunday,” or Saturday in this case, so of course, anything could happen. One thing’s for sure — the white-clad crowd will have Beaver Stadium rocking to its core come 8:00 p.m. Saturday.
See how the VBR staff think things will shake down under the lights.
Site Expert Barry Leonard Jr.
Okay, so based on how things went the last time Penn State played a ranked team this year (see Michigan earlier this year), this one might be a one-sided affair. Plus, Ohio State has a four-game winning streak against the Nittany Lions, including in the 2014 White Out.
To speak of numbers, Ohio State has put up great ones this year, especially when running the football. That, unfortunately, matches with the weakness of the Penn State defense — stopping the run. Plus, quarterback J.T. Barrett is off to a strong start and causes all sort of trouble for opposing defenses.
The good news for the Nittany Lions is the fact that starting linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell could be back for this one. That should help a bit to slow down the buckeyes.
Penn State has definitely made some improvement on offense. Quarterback Trace McSorley is coming into his own and now looks very comfortable in Joe Moorhead’s offense. Running back Saquon Barkley went for 202 yards in the last game against Maryland. He also had a strong game against the Buckeyes last year, going for 194 in a hostile environment.
As for the game, I think the intangibles, such as the atmosphere, will keep things close throughout. Penn State will be playing on pure emotion and could even take a lead to start. Ultimately, the Buckeyes will be too much and prevail.
It’ll be closer than expected, but Penn State will come out on the wrong end.
Penn State 24
Ohio State 30
Contributor Marty Leap
The good news: Saturday night is the White Out, which is one of the best atmospheres in all of college sports. Beaver Stadium should be electric and absolutely rocking. The bad news: Ohio State is coming to town.
The Buckeyes enter this game ranked second in the country, and, in my opinion, the Buckeyes and top-ranked Alabama are both in leagues of their own. Saturday will be a tall, tall task for the Nittany Lions. Luckily, they will have the home field advantage.
Ohio State has never played well at Beaver Stadium. We all remember their last trip to Happy Valley in 2014 when Penn State had an upset victory stolen away by horrible officiating. Hopefully some of the magic from that night will show up again on Saturday.
Penn State’s offense should be able to move the ball some against the Buckeyes and score some points. However, I do not even remotely believe their defense can contain JT Barrett and the Ohio State offense. Hopefully I am wrong though.
Ohio State is far superior to Penn State in talent. This is not a good recipe for success for the Nittany Lions for Saturday night. I believe Penn State scores points, keeps it close for a half to three quarters, and that the crowd will be electric. But in the end, the Buckeyes have far too much talent.
Ohio State 49
Penn State 24
Contributor Shane Lunnen
Penn State’s annual “White Out” game is always highly anticipated and this year is no different with Ohio State coming to town. The Buckeyes, ranked second in the nation, will face a hostile environment for a second straight week. The Nittany Lion faithful will be into this one from opening kickoff, but how long Penn State can hang in this game is the question.
Ohio State has shown some signs of not being on their “A-game” the last two weeks, first against Indiana and even more so last week at Wisconsin. Regardless, they still found ways to win those games and remain undefeated. The Buckeyes are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball.
On offense, they can pretty much attack you with any number of their weapons. The Nittany Lion defense has had an extra week to prepare and get healthy, but they will still have trouble stopping quarterback J.T. Barrett.
For the Nittany Lions on offense, they will have to find a way to attack the Buckeye defense. That’s a tall order, although I think Ohio State’s defense is slightly weaker than the Michigan defense that smothered Penn State earlier this season. The key will be to try to continue their newly found multi-faceted rushing attack with both Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley getting carries. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead must find the mismatches in this game.
Because the Penn State offense has found it’s footing in the last two games and due to what will be a raucous crowd, the Nittany Lions can probably hang and keep it close with the Buckeyes for the first half.
However to pull the upset, everything will have work out perfectly in Penn State’s favor and I just don’t see that happening. Ohio State pulls away in the second half as the Penn State defense gets worn down and the Buckeyes finish with a comfortable win.
Ohio State 44
Penn State 20
Contributor Corey Hunter
Penn State is back after a much-needed bye week. This week they welcome Big Ten rival Ohio State to Beaver Stadium for the annual White Out contest.
Ohio State comes to Beaver Stadium sporting a 21-game Big Ten road winning streak including a 31-24 OT win over Penn State two years ago.
In last year’s contest Saquon Barkley ran all over the Buckeyes defense to the tune of 194 yards. I think Ohio State is once again vulnerable against the run. However, I expect Greg Schiano’s defense to stack the box to limit Barkley’s big play opportunities. If Barkley can rush for a big total again, an upset could be brewing.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions also received some good news this week when injured starting LBs Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell resumed practicing. They are both slated to play Saturday night, albeit in a limited fashion. Either way, their presence in the lineup should be a big boost for the Lions.
Ohio State is a solid team on both sides of the ball. Quarterback JT Barrett is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate and stud defensive back Malik Hooker leads the Big Ten with four interceptions.
The night time whiteout atmosphere and the return of some injured players should keep the Lions close in this one, but Ohio State is not only one of the best in the Big Ten, but also one of the best in the country – Saturday night will prove that.
Ohio State – 49
Penn State – 27