Penn State Football: The blueprint for an upset over Ohio State

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COLUMBUS, OHIO – OCTOBER 30: TreVeyon Henderson #32 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball past Ji’Ayir Brown #16 of the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half of their game at Ohio Stadium on October 30, 2021 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

2. Limit Turnovers

Battle of the Turnovers.

Yet another obvious concept, he who holds onto the ball tends to win the game. In the four losses over the past three years, Ohio State split the difference in the turnover game, two and two. The one interesting note is that three out of these four games had one turnover and the other one only two.

The only multiple turnover game was the ’19 playoff game against Clemson, which saw Ohio State throw two interceptions en route to their loss. In its first loss of the 2021 season, Ohio State suffered one fumble while getting no takeaways. The losses against Michigan and Alabama actually saw Ohio State win the turnover battle.

However, when you look at the 39 Ohio State wins, you find that they only lost the turnover battle 6 times out of 39 games, or a 15.3% of the time. So, winning the turnover battle isn’t a necessity it certainly helps out a great deal.

Penn State football had done a great job of limiting turnovers this season, only having seven through seven games. This needs to continue.

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