Before each Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get their perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
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PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS |
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6-1 (3-1 B1G) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, OCT. 29 BEAVER STADIUM STATE COLLEGE, PA. |
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FOX FOX Sports |
As Ohio State prepares for its trip to Happy Valley this weekend, we welcome back Ben Jones, who covers Penn State for StateCollege.com, to get his insight on whether the Nittany Lions are as good as their record indicates, what their strengths and weaknesses are, why Sean Clifford is still their starting quarterback, what kind of environment we should expect from a noon game at Beaver Stadium and what needs to happen for Penn State to have a chance to upset Ohio State on Saturday.
Jones doesn’t expect Penn State to beat the Buckeyes, but he still believes the Nittany Lions are among the better teams in the country and says they have plenty of talented players on both sides of the ball that are capable of giving Ohio State a challenge.
Penn State is 6-1 and ranked 13th in the country, but suffered a 41-17 loss to Michigan in its only game against a ranked opponent so far. Which do you think is more indicative of how good Penn State actually is this year?
Jones: That's sort of the underlying question everyone is asking right now. I think generally speaking Penn State is probably going to win most of its remaining games – or at least there aren't any super obvious losses after this weekend – so if you told me “Penn State is going to end the year with 10 or 11 wins” I don't think that would really equate to being bad.
That said, I think the Michigan game showcased some of the issues this particular Penn State team has against elite teams and I imagine Ohio State will do something similar this coming weekend. So if we say being ranked 13th means you're better than most everyone but aren't quite elite then I would buy that.
What would you say Penn State is doing best this season, and what is its biggest weakness?
Jones: On the offensive side of things, Penn State is finally running the ball better than it has the past few years and that has really helped out the offense along the way. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton have both been great at that in spite of being freshmen and both run the ball a bit differently. Singleton has track speed and Allen has excellent vision so it has made for a great 1-2 punch when they're working.
I'd say that Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley have both been solid at receiver but neither of them are Jahan Dotson. As for Sean Clifford, he has played a ton of football, and while he's far from perfect, he's also really never rattled anymore. That counts for something. The tight end group gets stuck blocking a lot but Brenton Strange is extremely talented and reliable. Tyler Warren is a weird short-yardage option and Theo Johnson is the odd man out but also very good.
On defense, the strength is the secondary – it leads the nation in PBUs. The weakness up front has been gap discipline at times and figuring out who exactly makes up the best combination at linebacker. This defense is as good as Ohio State fans might come to expect from Penn State at times but maybe has a few more moments it would like to have back than usual. There are a lot of reasons for that, it just depends on the week.
Overall, I think this Penn State team is really pretty good when things are going well but it can't consistently put it all together. That's really the biggest overarching issue. Doing well all the time. Welcome to sports, I suppose.
There’s been a lot of chatter that Drew Allar should be Penn State’s starting quarterback, but James Franklin has stuck with Sean Clifford. Do you think that’s the right decision?
Jones: I don't think there's any question Sean Clifford has his moments that make you really question his decision-making but I don't think you stop playing a quarterback who is among the most experienced in college football for no particular reason. Clifford isn't why Penn State lost to Michigan and probably won't be the reason Penn State loses to Ohio State. Whatever Allar turns into by the end of his career, he isn't that player right now.
I think if Penn State loses this weekend and the big-picture goals start to change there is an argument to get Allar some time ahead of next year, but until then I think Clifford has more than enough to get Penn State to 10 or 11 wins. Considering Penn State won 11 total games the past two seasons, I don't think it has the luxury of punting away winning that many games in a single season.
I understand the general argument fans have for wanting to see Allar start, but I don't think there's really any evidence playing him now is going to change the outcome of the season and I don't think college football works in such a way that you can throw away a season for the sake of the future. Message boards might run teams that way but coaches don't. For better or worse.
Who are Penn State’s top playmakers to watch on both sides of the ball?
Jones: Joey Porter Jr. is the obvious answer at corner because of his draft profile, but Ji’Ayir Brown is a ballhawk at safety. Abdul Carter has been a nice freshman surprise at linebacker but this weekend will be a big test for him. Ohio State fans should be familiar with PJ Mustipher at defensive tackle by now as well. This defense doesn't really have a Micah Parsons sort of presence, but Mustipher is probably the best all-around guy they've got.
Dani Dennis-Sutton and Nick Tarburton at defensive end both deserve respect as well, although Dennis-Sutton has hit a bit of a freshman wall. Curtis Jacobs is also reliable at linebacker. I have now unintentionally named most of the defense.
Offensively, Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley are both equally skilled at catching the ball but Nicholas Singleton is the biggest home run hitter. His only issue right now is that the edge hasn't been there for him in Big Ten play the same way it was in out-of-conference play. Kaytron Allen is probably my favorite weapon to watch but like all true freshmen, Ohio State is a benchmarking test for how good you really are out of the gates. Brenton Strange is a matchup problem when Penn State isn't keeping tight ends in to block.
True freshman Nicholas Singleton is Penn State’s leading rusher with 561 yards and seven touchdowns on just 82 carries.
This is the first time since 2009 that Ohio State is playing a road game at Penn State that is neither a night game nor a White Out. Do you think that will have any impact on the environment, or should Ohio State fans expect Beaver Stadium to be as raucous as ever?
Jones: I realize that Michigan and Ohio State play at noon every year but I don't think anyone goes “yay noon” when it comes to the atmosphere. Given the travel, traffic and general cluster that Saturday morning is going to be, I would expect this to be a late-arriving crowd.
All of that being said, Penn State hasn't hosted Ohio State in front of fans since 2018, so it has been a minute since Penn State fans have had the honor of saying not-nice things to Ryan Day in person. End of the day, if you can't get up for the No. 2 team in the nation and probable No. 1 in the CFP, then you shouldn't get tickets in the first place.
What do you see as the key to an upset win for Penn State, and do you think the Nittany Lions pull it off?
Jones: I mean, ever since I watched Penn State gain about 150 yards of offense and return a blocked field goal for a touchdown to win, I'll never say it's impossible but that doesn't mean I think it'll happen.
Running the ball will make or break Penn State in this game. If it can get first downs and keep Ohio State's offense off the field it has a chance to keep this close enough, long enough to feel okay about stealing something. I just don't see a real honest path to Penn State winning this game unless it breaks most of the tendencies it has had all year. I think Penn State has the book on playing Ohio State close and I think in theory it has enough good players to 1-in-whatever a victory but a lot is going to have to go right for that to happen. If Penn State plays Ohio State anything nearly as well as it did last year it has a shot but I'm not sure it will.
An actual winning path? Force three turnovers, four sacks, convert 50% of its third downs, no turnovers for Penn State and score first. Then maybe hope that Ohio State magically stops being good on top of all of that.
