Penn State Football: 5 key ingredients to upsetting Ohio State at the horseshoe

Penn State Football needs strong Linebacker Play

Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in the country, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. The Buckeyes’ backfield is led by TreVeyon Henderson, a 5-star freshman who is one of the best backs in the country.

The Buckeyes also have a great offensive line to create holes, and they win at the line of scrimmage, more often than not.

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions defensive front struggles mightily against the run, allowing themselves to get blocked and be pushed around at the point of attack.

For that reason, the linebackers’ need to make tackles against the run and not allow Henderson and the rest of the talented backs rip off huge chunks of yardage. They have to fill running lanes quickly and minimize the positive yardage.

The Buckeyes’ offensive line also does a nice job of combo blocking to the second level, so Penn State’s linebackers need to be able to shed blocks and rally to the football to make tackles.

Unfortunately, Ohio State is going to be able to run the ball for positive yardage most of the night. But it is up to Penn State Football’s linebackers to contain their running backs, and not allow them to break off long runs and do too much damage at once.