Penn State @ Ohio State
OHIO STATE -6 over Penn State
Penn State pays a visit to Columbus on Saturday to face Ohio State in a Big 10 slugfest. The Nittany Lions have had little to roar about this season, as coach Joe Paterno is headed for a second consecutive losing season. Along with Indiana and Illinois, Penn State has yet to win a conference game this season, dropping all four contests in which the Lions have tallied a grand total of just 27 points. Last Saturday the team set a new standard for futility. Although they didn't go scoreless, the offense did, as the Nittany Lions suffered a 6-4 setback to the Iowa Hawkeyes. The defeat was the fourth in a row for Penn State, which only has wins over Akron and Central Florida of the MAC. Take away those two victories, and the Nittany Lions are scoring a dismal seven points per game in their losses. As for the Buckeyes, they've gone from the Top 10 to out of the national rankings due to 3 straight losses, ending with a defeat at Iowa. Last Saturday Ohio was back in Columbus collecting a 30-7 win over the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Penn State offense has had opportunities this season, but they have suffered with sloppy and uninspired play. Quarterback Zack Mills left last week’s game with a concussion and backup Michael Robinson not any more effective, going 2-of-9 for 14 yards with 2 interceptions. The Lions do have one of the top scoring defenses in the country, allowing a little under 15 ppg, but the defensive players are growing a little weary of pulling this team’s wagon all by themselves.
OSU quarterback Troy Smith, playing in place of the injured Justin Zwick, hit 12-of-24 pass attempts for 161 yards and two scores in leading the Buckeyes to a much needed win over Indiana on Saturday. Also getting his share of additional playing time was freshman running back Antonio Pittman, who charged up 144 yards and a score on 20 carries, getting the call after Lydell Ross was suspended. Smith will still get his snaps under center once again, having already tallied four touchdowns without an interception this season. Ross is back, but Pittman will play hard to stay on the field. The Ohio State defense was in top form last week, registering six sacks and 10 tackles for loss overall in the win. Defense has been the name of the game for the Buckeyes for a number of years now, winning many games by locking down opponents.
The Nittany Lions are clearly struggling with a sputtering offense, and will have a tough task here against an Ohio State team coming back to life. We take note when finger pointing starts on a team, which is a sure sign of problems. After last week’s loss to Iowa, a Penn State defender was overheard saying, "As a team…time is running out…defensively, we're never going to fall apart. Offensively, I'm not sure. The side of the ball I play on, we'll always keep going." Don’t expect Penn State’s offense to get healthy in “The Horseshoeâ€. They have failed to score in double digits in each of their last 5 visits, as Ohio State is a perfect 5-0 SU & ATS at home against the Lions. We look for the Buckeyes to continue to get better, while Penn State continues to slide, as Ohio State gets another SU & ATS win in this series.