Penn State has the tools to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself against Ohio State

The No. 7 Nittany Lions are Top 5 in the nation in scoring offense — but not the most explosive. A grind mentality has put TDs on the board and made the team into college football's Top 10 best.

Penn State tight end Theo Johnson (84) had a breakout game against UMass, and the No. 7 Nittany Lions are looking for much of the same in a massive game against No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday.Read moreBarry Reeger / AP

by Zach Allen

Published Oct. 18, 2023, 11:28 a.m. ET

Penn State has lost six straight games to Ohio State, but it can end that skid on Saturday.

The Nittany Lions haven’t beaten Ohio State since their infamous upset in 2016 thanks to a Marcus Allen blocked field goal that was returned for the eventual game-winning touchdown by Grant Haley.

No. 7 Penn State is fresh off of a 63-0 destruction of UMass in its first game back from the bye week. The Nittany Lions will look to use the momentum they gained from that rout against the No. 3 Buckeyes.

Ohio State has the home-field advantage for this year’s game between the two. The last time Penn State won at Ohio Stadium was on Nov. 19, 2011.

The Nittany Lions most will likely find their first major test of the season against the favored Buckeyes, as Penn State’s least convincing win remains its 30-13 road victory against Illinois on Sept. 16.

The odds currently are in Ohio State’s favor, but the Nittany Lions are leading the Big Ten with 44.3 points per game, while only allowing eight points per game, which is the second-fewest in the conference behind Michigan.

For comparison, the Buckeyes are scoring 36 points per game and allowing 9.7 points per game.

Either way, a top-10 Big Ten matchup against two familiar opponents is anyone’s game.

“We have a ton of respect for Ohio State and their history,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “Literally from a historical perspective, it’s interesting to kind of look at what Penn State’s records were against all these teams before we even got here.”

Finish the game

Following the 2016 victory, Penn State lost its next two matchups against Ohio State by one point each, including a 39-38 loss in 2017 when in which it was outscored, 19-3, in the fourth quarter.

In the 2022 installment, Penn State again led in the fourth quarter before allowing 28 Buckeyes points in the final frame in an eventual 44-31 loss.

“I think, obviously, you have to be able to win big games in the fourth quarter. You have to be able to win one-possession games,” Franklin said. “We practice those things in practice a lot with two-minute drills and things like that.”

Staying true to themselves

Penn State leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense — but they have not been the most explosive.

The Nittany Lions aren’t in the top 70 in yards per play, averaging just 5.53 yards this season.

Instead, Penn State has found success grinding out long touchdown drives to put points on the board. Right now, the Nittany Lions are second in the FBS in average time of possession with 34 minutes, 36 seconds. Aided by its stout defense, Penn State is able to get the ball right back.

“You have to understand and figure out what the identity of your team is and embrace that identity no matter what the outside world is saying,” Franklin said. “You have to be comfortable in your own skin and own who you are and how you have to play.”