Penn State will travel to The Horseshoe on Saturday for its 29th meeting against Ohio State. So, in preparation of the game, Penn State beat writer Josh Moyer and Ohio State beat writer Austin Ward sat down to discuss four key questions surrounding the contest. What’s the X-factor for the Penn State-Ohio State game?
Moyer: The crowd. Listen, you can say that almost any week — but it especially holds true Saturday. The Nittany Lions have just 12 seniors on their roster, and they’ve already played a dozen true freshmen this season. Both redshirt and true freshmen comprise 53 percent (59 of 111) of the roster. Fifty-three percent! So most of these players on this roster haven’t competed in front of a truly hostile crowd, and Christian Hackenberg’s biggest road test to date has been in front of a half-empty Memorial Stadium at Indiana, a game Penn State lost. Penn State is blaring the music a bit louder at practice this week — but that can only prepare players so much. Penn State can’t afford to make mistakes, and some burned timeouts and false starts could be in the Lions’ future.
Ward: The Buckeyes are hitting on all cylinders on offense, and they’re going to score points with Braxton Miller healthy and playing at a high level on offense and Carlos Hyde blowing through defenders to pace the rushing attack. But the real key for Ohio State will be if its improving front seven is able to collapse the pocket and force Hackenberg to make mistakes the secondary can feast on for a couple turnovers. Hackenberg has played beyond his years early in the season, but he hasn’t played anywhere nearly as hostile as Ohio Stadium and the Buckeyes could add to the difficulty by dialing up their aggression early and often, coming off a couple slow starts that can at least partially be attributed to somewhat conservative schemes. Which player is the most important?
Moyer: Hackenberg…
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Take 2: Ohio State-Penn State roundtable
