UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Saturday will mark the latest Penn State has hosted a home opener since 1918, when the Nittany Lions tied Wissahickon Barracks, 6-6. This year, a mere 102 years later, Penn State opens up its home slate with No. 3 Ohio State, which is quite the jump from the aforementioned Barracks.
Ohio State will pose a difficult challenge for the Nittany Lions, who haven't beaten the Buckeyes since 2016, who delivered a 52-17 thumping on Nebraska this past Saturday.
Penn State lost 36-35 to Indiana in devastating fashion Saturday night and faced even more losses a few days later, with news of a season-ending injury to running back Noah Cain. The loss of Cain, coupled with starting running back Journey Brown being out indefinitely due to an unspecified medical condition, has the depth of the running backs being tested to the extreme just one game into the season.
Before the season, that depth was considered among the best in the Big Ten, if not the country. With Cain out, the Nittany Lions have sophomore Devyn Ford and freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee to help the offense against Ohio State.
That's far from a recipe for success against any team, let alone one ranked No. 3 in the nation, so the Nittany Lions are aware of what they are up against in the Buckeyes. Penn State has played largely competitive games against their nemesis in recent years, losing by one point in 2017 and 2018 and 11 last season.
"I didn't come here to hang with Ohio State," quarterback Sean Clifford said Wednesday. "I came here to beat Ohio State."
Expect the Buckeyes to force Clifford to use his arm to control the game, something the second-year signal-caller has yet to do. Penn State has little experience at receiver, with Jahan Dotson having the most at that position and true freshman Parker Washington also a starter. Consequently, it's no surprise that opponents will force Penn State to throw while trying to take away tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Freiermuth hauled in seven passes for 60 yards and a touchdown against Indiana last Saturday and will need to have a bigger impact if the Nittany Lions hope to upset Ohio State. A potential first-round pick in the NFL Draft, Freiermuth is a top target for Clifford and opponents will do everything possible to limit his production.
For Penn State to have any chance at success against Ohio State, its defense is going to have to have a performance for the ages.
It's not as though that's a foreign concept for a Penn State defense that allowed only 211 yards of total offense to Indiana, with 170 of those coming through the air. The Nittany Lions sacked Indiana quarterback Michael Penix three times and forced three turnovers while notching six tackles for loss.
The final score aside, those statistics aren't bad at all, but Penix isn't Justin Fields and Indiana isn't Ohio State. Penn State will also be down starting linebacker Jesse Luketa for the first half, as he's suspended due to a targeting penalty in the second half against the Hoosiers.
Fields had a field day against the Cornhuskers to the tune of a 20-for-21, 276 yards and three touchdown performance. He linked up with standout receiver Garrett Wilson seven times for 129 yards and a touchdown which should be a matchup to watch against the Penn State secondary which had a decent amount of success against Penix last weekend.
The secondary was one of the more impressive groups on the field against Indiana with safety Lamont Wade leading the way with a fumble recovery, interception and three tackles. The downfall defensively was the offense didn't set the defense up well at all with turnovers and short drives late.
As bad as the offense seemed to be, the special teams unit, mainly the field goal group, was just as bad if not worse. Kicker Jake Pinegar missed two field goals in the first half from 47 and 25 yards. For some perspective, Pinegar missed only one field goal in 2019.
Despite the uncharacteristically bad day for Pinegar, the Nittany Lions were still in position to win the game with a field goal in the closing seconds of regulation when long-distance kicker Jordan Stout missed a 57-yard field goal attempt into a head wind.
Those scoring chances must turn into scores against the Buckeyes Saturday night. Against Ohio State, Penn State will need all the points it can possibly get and Pinegar will undoubtedly have to be better in order for the Nittany Lions to have a chance.
Last week was an early test for Penn State but for Ohio State it was just a typical opening-game blowout. It was a failed early test for the Nittany Lions with it looking very much like a game where both teams hadn't competed in nearly 10 months. It will be a daunting task with Penn State starting short-handed on both sides of the football with the injuries at running back and Luketa missing a half.
Starting the game shorthanded is never ideal, and if the Nittany Lions are going win Saturday, it's going to take the best game Penn State has played in recent memory to overcome the Buckeyes. The teams are familiar with each other, the coaches are familiar with each other and for most of the game, it should be close.
Early in the season, it remains to be seen how the Buckeyes will handle being tested. Should the Nittany Lions' defense come out firing on all cylinders it's very possible it could set Ohio State off its routine. Keeping the game close early will be big for Penn State and if they are within striking distance late, it could bode well for success as long as coaching doesn't get in the way.