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

Penn State Football must get creative offensively

We all witnessed the debacle against Illinois.

So, we know that Penn State Football will not be successful just trying to go toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes, because they are simply outmatched in the trenches.

Penn State Football offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich will need to be creative in his game plan.

They will not be able to consistently run the ball, especially up the middle, so Yurcich will need to find different ways to get the ball in space.

It will be important to get the ball into Jahan Dotson’s hands, and screens is one way to do it. However, his fellow wide receivers and tight ends will need to hold their blocks on the edge.

Yurcich will also need to find other ways to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers on the edge, such as jet sweeps/end-arounds.

When they do try to run it, he will need to find the best possible formations that will allow for a lead blocker for the ball carrier, as the offensive line will struggle to connect on and maintain blocks for much of the night.

The running backs also need to get involved in the passing game, as we have seen they can be successful when they get the ball in space out on the edge.

Finally, Yurcich will need to have a few ‘trick’ plays up his sleeve. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, and you don’t want them to get too cute with it, but when the timing is right, a well-executed trick play can provide a huge swing in momentum.

Yurcich caught a lot of criticism (and deservedly so) for the game he called against Illinois, and he will need to call a much better game against the Buckeyes for Penn State Football to be in a position to shock the world.