Penn State Football: keys to success against the Ohio State Buckeyes

A win over Ohio State would be season and program altering win for Penn State Football, but a lot needs to go right for that to happen.

There’s plenty of causes for concern heading into this one, as well as some reasons for optimism, but what exactly do the Nittany Lions need to do to pull off the upset?

These are the keys to success for Penn State Football as they take on Ohio State in a Stripe Out at Beaver Stadium.

Key to success on offense #1 – dominate time of possession

Against an offense as explosive as Ohio State’s, you can’t try to go shot for shot with them. Instead, you have to control the ball, control the clock, and keep the ball out of their hands as much as possible.

To do this, the Nittany Lions will need to establish a solid running game, run a lot of high percentage passing plays, convert on third downs, and avoid turnovers. That’s a lot to ask, but if you expect to beat the No. 2 team in the country, you have to do a lot of things well.

Getting Nick Singleton and/or Kaytron Allen into a rhythm early will be important, as that can set up play action where they can feed the tight ends. Running the ball well will also keep them ahead of schedule, giving themselves third and manageable situations where they can convert and extend drives.

Perhaps the biggest key here is that Sean Clifford will need to protect the football and not put it in harm’s way. Ohio State’s offense is already good enough, they don’t need to be gifted with great starting field position.

Long, methodical scoring drives by the Penn State offense in this one can help their defense, and in turn help them on the scoreboard.