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Penn State: Way Too Early 2017 Preview

Matt Gutridge's picture
by Matt Gutridge
June 21, 2017 at 10:02am
23 Comments
Blocked Punt

Game Details

When: Saturday, October 28, 2017 
Where: Columbus, OH, Ohio Stadium

Ohio State is 18–14 all-time against against Penn State and is 11–7 as the home team. Between 1993 and 2006 the Buckeyes won seven consecutive games in The Horseshoe against the Nittany Lions.

Last year, the Buckeyes could not overcome a blocked field goal and a blocked punt (picture above) for a touchdown. Expect Ohio State to use the painful loss and the bye week to its advantage in this year's contest. Look for the Buckeyes to win big, especially given the fact Meyer's team has defeated PSU 101-24 in the last game played in Ohio Stadium. 

To prevent another ass-whooping, Penn State's offense will rely on three key returning players. Quarterback Trace McSorley, running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Mike Gesicki will give James Franklin's offense the fire power to light up the scoreboard against opposing defenses. However, there is an area of need and that is at the wide receiver position. With the absence of last year's number one receive, Chris Godwin, Penn State will miss his team leading numbers. Godwin led the team in all receiving categories. This season it appears PSU will rely on DaeSean Hamilton and DeAndre Thompkins to fill the void. 

The Last Time...​

  • Ohio State played Penn State, the Nittany Lions won 24-21 in Beaver Stadium. 
  • The teams played in Columbus, No. 1 Ohio State won 38-10.
  • Penn State defeated Ohio State in Columbus was 2011. No. 21 PSU defeated unranked Ohio State 20-14.
  • A higher-ranked Buckeye team lost to the Nittany Lions in Columbus was 1964. Unranked PSU blanked No. 2 Ohio State 27-0. 

Game 8, The Last Time...

  • Ohio State played game 8 at home was 2016. The sixth ranked Buckeyes defeated Northwestern 24-20.
  • The Buckeyes lost the eighth game of the season was 2000. Ohio State has won 16 consecutive game 8 contests since losing to No. 16 Purdue 31-27 in West Lafayette. 
  • Ohio State lost the eighth game of the season when it was played in Columbus was 1991. No. 13 OSU lost No. 11 Iowa 16-9 in Ohio Stadium.

Penn State's 2016 Season

Record: 11–3
Bowl Game: Lost to USC 49-52 in the Rose Bowl.
Coaching Status: James Franklin (25–15) third season at PSU.

Leading Returning Offensive Players From 2016
Passer: Trace McSorley (3,614 yards)
Rusher: Saquon Barkley (1,496 yards)
Receiver: Mike Gesicki (679 yards)

Leading Returning Defensive Players From 2016
Tackles: Marcus Allen (110)
Sacks: Kevin Givens (5.0)
Interceptions: Brandon Smith (2)

Top 2017 Recruits

  • 4★ CB Lamont Wade of Clairton, PA
  • 4★ OG CJ Thorpe of Pittsburgh
  • 4★ QB Sean Clifford of Cincinnati

Notable Missing Players
WR Chris Godwin led the team with 59 receptions, 982 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. 

Garrett Sickels led the team with 6.5 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss. Evan Schwan had 5.5 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss.

    Five Things October 28th

    1. This will be the 18th time the Buckeyes have played on October 28th.
    2. Ohio State is 11–5–1 on this date.
    3. The Buckeyes are 6–1 when ranked in the top 10 when playing on October 28th.
    4. Ohio State has only played three ranked opponents on this date. The Buckeyes defeated No. 25 Iowa in 1995, but lost to No. 16 Purdue in 2000 and No. 7 Cornell in 1939. 
    5. The first game the Buckeyes played on this date was against Kenyon in 1893. Ohio State traveled to Gambier and lost 42-6.
    2016 Statistical Comparison
    Ohio State Buckeyes   Penn State
    OFFENSE
    39.4 13th POINTS FOR 37.6 21st
    245.2 11th RUSHING OFFENSE 171.9 66th
    213.9 81st PASSING OFFENSE 260.7 36th
    459.2 31st TOTAL OFFENSE 432.6 49th
    .467 17th 3rd DOWNS .326 117th
    .871 40th RED ZONE .866 43rd
    DEFENSE
    15.5 3rd POINTS ALLOWED 25.4 47th
    124.5 19th RUSH DEFENSE 151.3 48th
    172.2 7th PASS DEFENSE 216.6 50th
    94.4 3rd PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE 124.2 44th
    296.8 6th TOTAL DEFENSE 367.9 37th
    .322 11th 3rd DOWNS .384 52nd
    .725 5th RED ZONE .896 106th
    SPECIAL TEAMS
    5.2 105th PUNT RETURN 6.5 94th
    24.4 13th KICKOFF RETURN 19.7 87th
    43.1 2nd NET PUNTING 37.8 56th
    MISCELLANEOUS
    + 1.2 3rd TURNOVER MARGIN + 0.1 64th
    6.3 70th PENALTIES 4.9 21st
    15 EDGE 3

    Leftovers

    Ohio State is 79–32–6 in the eighth game of the season and is 49–16–3 when playing game eight at home.

    James Franklin is 49–30 as a collegiate head coach over six seasons.

    Ohio State is 7–2–1 when playing in Columbus on October 28th.

    The last time the Buckeyes played on October 28th was 2006. No. 1 Ohio State defeated Minnesota 44-0. 

    The Buckeyes have only played one eighth game of the season on this date in Columbus. No. 4 Ohio State defeated No. 25 Iowa 56-35 on October 28th, 1995.

    The last time the Buckeyes played on October 28th was 2006. No. 1 Ohio State defeated Minnesota 44-0.

    In Case You Forgot
    In case you forgot how it felt last year.

    This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Eleven Warriors unless otherwise noted.

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