Four times in the last eight seasons, Ohio State and Penn State have played with both teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll. This season, that will not be the case.
It was widely believed it would be at
the start of the season, but four straight losses for the Nittany Lions have dipped them into near-irrelevance in college football.
Still, Saturday is an important game for the No. 1 Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions may not have anything to play for, but that’s a dangerous team to play when Ohio State still has everything to play for. The Buckeyes, though, are the better team than Penn State, and should win this game comfortably.
Let’s take a look at the Nittany Lions and the keys to the game on Saturday.
Quarterback: Ethan Grunkenmeyer
With Drew Allar out for the season, Grunkenmeyer is now entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback. A local prospect from Lewis Center, Ohio, Grunkenmeyer was the No. 5 quarterback prospect in the 2024 class by ESPN after being named First-Team All-State as a Senior.
His first collegiate start at Penn State came two weeks ago, when the Nittany Lions played at Iowa. Grunkenmeyer completed 15-of-28 passes for 93 yards and threw two interceptions.
Ethan’s mother, Megan, played basketball at Ohio State from 1997 to 1999.
Four Players to Watch on Penn State
1. Kaytron Allen (RB)
While the Nittany Lions have struggled to run the ball and live up to their offensive potential this season, Allen has still been running well, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He has 612 rushing yards on 98 carries.
Allen has at least one touchdown every game this season, including two in his last three games.
2. Devonte Ross (WR)
Ross was a First-Team All-Sun Belt as a wide receiver and all-purpose player at Troy, topping 1,000 yards and leading the Sun Belt with 11 receiving touchdowns. He eclipsed 100 receiving yards four times, and 100 all-purpose yards six times.
So far this season, Ross leads the Nittany Lions with 14.2 yards per reception. He has 18 receptions for 255 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
3. Amare Campbell (LB)
Penn State’s defense has been doing its job for most of this season. Campbell is their leader in tackles with 51, including 32 solo. In addition, Campbell has two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. He has had double-digit tackles in two games this season.
4. Dani Dennis-Sutton (DE)
Dennis-Sutton is a beast of a player. After posting 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2024, he has two sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two pass break-ups, and two passes defensed this season.
This is a player who can impact the game in many ways up front for Penn State.
Head Coach: Terry Smith (1st Season, 0-1)
It was an adverse situation when Smith took over as head coach just three weeks ago following Penn State’s firing of James Franklin. Smith, however, has an extensive track record at Penn State.
He joined the Nittany Lions when Franklin first arrived in State College in 2014, starting as the cornerbacks coach and holding that position until he was named interim head coach. Smith has also served as the defensive recruiting coordinator since 2014, helping Penn State secure 12 consecutive top-25 classes, including a top-5 class in 2018, a top-6 class in 2022, and top-15 classes in nine of the last 11 years.
As a player at Penn State, Smith helped the Nittany Lions to three straight bowl games while catching 15 touchdowns and recording over 1,800 yards in three seasons as a starter.
Prior to Penn State, Smith coached wide receivers at Temple in 2013.
Offensive Coordinator: Andy Kotelnicki (2nd Season)
Kotelnicki has been an offensive coordinator at the FBS level since 2015, starting at Buffalo before moving to Kansas and then to Penn State. Prior to this season, offenses led by Kotelnicki rank first nationally in the lowest sack percentage (3.9%), lowest tackle for loss percentage (7.9%), and margin of error percentage (9.7%), which factors in sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions, and fumbles.
The Nittany Lions had a prolific and balanced offense in 2024, riding a duo of 1,000-yard rushers in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton as well as John Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren.
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Knowles (1st Season)
After three seasons at Ohio State, including last year’s National Championship team, Knowles headed east to take over as Penn State’s defensive coordinator.
The Buckeyes last season ranked first nationally in scoring defense, total defense, yards allowed per play, touchdowns allowed per play, and opponents’ touchdowns scored in the red zone. Ohio State’s defense also ranked second in sacks, passing touchdowns allowed per game, and opponent red zone score percentage, as well as third in rushing defense, passing defense, and sacks per game.
Prior to joining Ohio State, Knowles served as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2018 to 2021 and at Duke from 2011 to 2017. His first defensive coordinator job at the FBS level was at Western Michigan from 2001 to 2002.
Keys to the Game
1. Don’t play down to your level of competition
This may not be the Penn State team fans and Ohio State players thought we would see on Saturday. Still, the Buckeyes can’t play down to the Nittany Lions’ 3-4 overall record and 0-4 record in the Big Ten.
2. Don’t come out flat
Coming off a bye week, it’s imperative that the Buckeyes not come out flat and give Penn State any thought that they can win this game.
3. Run the ball
This will help wear down a tenacious Penn State defense and open plays for Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.
4. Limit the turnovers
Turnovers give opposing teams extra possessions. Playing a team like Penn State, the Buckeyes cannot give them any extra chances to try and make this game any closer than it should be.
Score Prediction: Buckeyes 30 – Nittany Lions 14
This game may be tighter than some might think, but it’s still a game the Buckeyes should win comfortably. Ohio State has too much talent for Penn State to overcome, and they should pull away in the second half.
