Preview: No. 3 Penn State at No. 9 Ohio State

Kickoff: Sat., Oct. 25. 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
Weather Forecast: Cool, showers.

Host: Ohio State Buckeyes
Record: 7-1 (4-0 Big Ten)
Last Game: Won at Michigan St., 45-7
Injuries: RB Dan Herron (head - probable), CB Chimdi Chekwa (shoulder - probable), OT J.B. Shugarts (shoulder - out), DE Lawrence Wilson (knee - out), WR Dane Sanzenbacher (head - no report), OL Mike Adams (ankle - out), CB Andre Amos (knee - out)
Key Players: (offense) RB Chris Wells, QB Terrelle Pryor; (defense) LB James Laurinaitis, DB Malcolm Jenkins
Head Coach: Jim Tressel, 8th season at Ohio St., 80-17; 22nd year overall, 215-74-2
Season Statistics:
Offense - 130.7 rush/140.1 pass/26.9 points per game
Defense - 97.1 rush/168.2 pass/13.4 points per game
TO Margin - (+12)

Why Ohio State will win -- The Shoe hasn't been kind to Penn State. Well, really it hasn't been kind to many teams at all. Ohio State will host the biggest game of the Big Ten season, it's at night, and could be considered the Big Ten championship game. Jim Tressel's reputation as a "big game coach" has taken a hit recently, but don't expect for one minute that he won't use the atmosphere and the rabid fan base to his team's benefit. I don't think these Buckeyes will come out flat in their own house. Chris "Beanie" Wells is back, and is ready to carry this team to a win over Penn State. The Nittany Lions had tons of trouble in the first half with Michigan's zone-read option, and Steven Threet is no Terrelle Pryor and Brandon Minor is no Chris Wells. Ohio State can spread the Penn State front with misdirection, keeping the Lions' offense off the field.

Visitor: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 8-0 (4-0, Big Ten)
Last Game: Won vs. Michigan, 46-17
Injuries: S Anthony Scirrotto (head - probable), DE Devon Still (ankle - out), S Nick Sukay (foot - out), LB Sean Lee (knee - out), C Doug Klopacz (knee - out), DE Jerome Hayes (knee - out)
Key Players: (offense) QB Daryll Clark, RB Evan Royster;(defense) DT Jared Odrick, LB Navorro Bowman
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 43rd season, 380-125-3
Season Statistics:
Offense - 234.6 rush/247.5 pass/45.4 points per game
Defense - 103.9 rush/159.4 pass/11.8 points per game
TO Margin - (+7)

Why PSU will win -- Penn State got its wake up call last week against Michigan. I've been saying all week that the best thing to happen to Penn State before this Ohio State game, is Michigan smacking the Nittany Lions right in the mouth. If there's one thing Penn State can do well, it's adjust to its opponents game plans. Had Ohio State gone up 17-7 over Penn State, it would have gotten ugly in a big hurry. But by playing Michigan, Penn State was given the chance to adjust on defense and offense. Ohio State won't sneak up on Penn State this week. Terrelle Pryor hasn't had to lead his team in a comeback against a good team yet. You could say the same thing about Daryll Clark, but Pryor doesn't have the surrounding cast Clark does. Penn State's defensive front should be able to put pressure on Pryor, while preventing him from taking off. Should this game boil down to a quarterback battle, I'd take Clark in a heartbeat.

What will happen -- Penn State has never brought a team this good to Columbus, while Ohio State brings a very unimpressive resume. Games aren't played on paper, and neither team will let the odds makers or the pundits convince them of anything prematurely. I fully expect each team to battle from the first whistle to the final gun. Ohio State has a fine defense, on the same level as Penn State, but I don't think they will be able to keep the Lions down for too long. It will be up to the Ohio State offense to win this game, and I don't think they can do it. I'm not going to guess which one, but I wouldn't doubt if Penn State or Ohio State led the other team by only one score at the half. The last time Penn State went to Columbus, in the rain, Ohio State was down 3-0 at halftime. It took the eventual Heisman winner, Troy Smith, to make the play of the season to spark Ohio State to the win. Of course, Anthony Morelli's two pick-six's had something to do with the 28-6 final score. Lucky for Penn State, Daryll Clark is definitely NOT Morelli.

Prediction: No. 3 Penn State, 30 - No. 9 Ohio State, 24

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Big Ten represents on ESPN.com's All-Bowl Team

Penn State Center AQ Shipley and Linebacker Sean Lee were named to ESPN.com's All-Bowl team. But just as impressive was the high number of Big Ten players selected. Wide Reciever Adrian Arrington (UM), Tight End Dustin Keller (PU), Linebacker James Laurinaitis (OSU) and Punter Chris Summers (PU) made the cut.

In another shocking compliment towards Penn State football, Mark Schlabach--the same guy who did the All-Bowl team--wrote in his column What's Hot (and Not):

Joe Paterno. Penn State's 81-year-old coach won an NCAA-record 23rd bowl game in his 500th game on the sideline, beating Texas A&M 24-17 in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Paterno became only the second man to coach in 500 games, joining Amos Alonzo Stagg (548 games). Paterno has three more bowl victories than Florida State's Bowden and eight more than legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Oh, yeah, that was under the "hot" column. Nice.

I'm desperately trying to not let this sound like an ESPN.com love-fest today, but I can't help it. After having met Bruce Feldman on a trip to NYC in 2006, and talking with him in person over lunch, I gained a newfound respect for his column. No, I'm not star-struck--that wore off after a few days. It was just interesting to hear what someone like he has to say, off the record and in a casual setting. So, in his mailbag this week, he got this question. I love the answer.

From Matt in Atlanta: Are you not aware of how bad of a coach Dave Wannstedt is? This is a guy that almost single-handedly ruined the Bears and Dolphins franchises. As a Bear fan told me when he was named coach of the Dolphins, "Trust me, he is worse than bad." So be careful before jumping on the Pitt bandwagon. Good recruiting … bad coach.

Feldman: People said the same thing about Ron Zook, and after this year, that doesn't sound so accurate. The reality is the gap between great coaches and bad ones isn't very big. If Jimmy Johnson thinks you're a good coach, I think that tells you something more than what you read on some message boards.

POW! Bitch slap royale!

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Article of the day

Short and sweet is the name of the game today, after I wasted nearly three hours of my life last night, hoping Ohio State would pull themselves together and play like they should have. I wake up at five every day, and going to sleep at midnight isn't fun. Thanks a lot Buckeyes.

Today's article is brief but really funny, from Run Up The Score!

It’s 7:54 a.m. and James Laurinaitis just missed another tackle. Or was driven off the play 10 yards. Or jumped on another pile and got credit for a solo tackle.

Your choice, really.

Check out the RUTS link above to see the picture posted with the article. It took me a second (hey, I'm really tired), but once I got it, I loved it!

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Bednarik three-peat

He was a longshot, but shouldn't have been. I'm thankful that cooler heads prevailed when voting for the 2007 Bednarik Award, selecting Dan Connor as the nation's top defensive player. He deserved it. He probably would have won it last season, had it not been for Paul Posluszny.

OSU's James Laurinaitis was extremely overrated this season, the product of a monstrous marketing campaign by OSU and the national media. How good would he have been on a defense with less supporting talent? What if OSU lost 3-4 games? He wouldn't have even been in the conversation. He arguably wasn't even the best player on that awesome defense.

LSU's Glenn Dorsey has been the golden boy of the national media all season. Sure, he was hurt a few weeks ago, and hasn't played the same since. However, if Dorsey is just as good now, then why isn't Dennis Dixon still in the Heisman conversation? I don't buy the excuse, "well, if he didn't get hurt..." That's bull. He got hurt, HE isn't as good as he was in September and October. You're voting for his performance all season, not just before he was injured.

If Connor didn't win, it would have been a travesty. Feel good stories, NFL prospects and ifs and buts don't cut it when evaluating if a player is the best. Connor is the leading tackler at Linebacker U. Connor has made more tackles this season than the previous Bednarik winner did in his winning seasons. Connor came up huge in every game, even if the rest of the defense didn't. Way to go, Dan! You definately deserved it.

From GoPSUsports.com:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Penn State All-America linebacker Dan Connor has captured the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player, giving "Linebacker U" its third consecutive recipient of the honor.

Connor was announced as the winner of the Bednarik Award tonight during the nationally televised Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards program at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk.

"The reason I went to Penn State is because it's Linebacker U," Connor told ESPN's Chris Fowler at the awards show. "To be even mentioned in the same breath as Jack Ham, Paul Posluszny, Shane Conlan, that's an unbelievable honor.

"Seeing Paul win this award gave me something to shoot for," Connor said to the media covering the event. "Meeting the other guys up for the award and talking to them has been great. It's a great honor. I'm hoping Sean (Lee) can keep it going next year because he's an unbelievable player."

Also a finalist for the Butkus Award, which will be presented Friday night in Orlando, Connor becomes the fourth Nittany Lion to win the Bednarik Award. He joins fellow linebackers LaVar Arrington (1999) and Paul Posluszny (2005 and '06) as recipients of the award, which has been presented by the Maxwell Football Club since 1995 in honor of former Philadelphia Eagles standout Chuck Bednarik.

The Bednarik Award will formally be presented to Connor at the Maxwell Football Club's Awards Dinner on March 7, 2008 at Harrah's Entertainment Complex in Atlantic City, N.J.

Connor also was selected to the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team, the nation's oldest All-America team. He becomes Penn State's 91st first team All-America selection and the 14th Nittany Lion to earn first team All-America honors twice. He earned first team All-America honors from The Sporting News in 2006.


Connor becomes the 74th first-team All-America selection under Coach Joe Paterno. At least one Nittany Lion has been named an All-American in 37 of the 42 seasons Paterno has served as head coach.

The Nittany Lions' career tackle leader with 410 hits, also was one of three finalists for the 2006 Bednarik Award. Last year, "Linebacker U" became the first school to have a pair of Bednarik Award finalists.

A native of Wallingford, Pa., Connor previously was named a finalist for the 2007 Butkus Award, presented to the nation's top linebacker, and a semifinalist for Walter Camp Player of the Year. He also was a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and a candidate for the Nagurski Trophy and Lott Trophy.

The former Strath Haven High School All-American leads Penn State and the Big Ten with 136 tackles (66 solo) for an 11.3 per game average that ranks No. 7 in the nation. Connor's 136 tackles are No. 4 on the school season list He is second on the team and 10th in the Big Ten with 14.0 TFL for minus-61 yards. Connor is second on the team and 10th in the conference with 6.5 sacks (minus-50). He also has one interception, one fumble recovery and six pass break-ups.

Connor has 20 career double-digit tackle games, including eight this season. He became the Nittany Lions' career tackle leader against Purdue on Nov. 3, passing Posluszny, who made 372 stops from 2003-06.

Connor made a career-high 18 tackles against Ohio State on Oct. 27, the most by a Nittany Lion since Posluszny had 22 hits at Northwestern in 2005. He also grabbed an interception in Penn State territory and made one tackle for loss vs. the Buckeyes.

Playing near his hometown on Nov. 10, Connor tied his career-high with 18 stops in Penn State's 31-0 win over Temple. He recorded 10 tackles in the first quarter alone and had 1.5 sacks to earn Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. The Big Ten honor was the fourth of Connor's career. He also earned both honors after recording 12 hits in Penn State's 31-10 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 8.

Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions completed the regular season with an 8-4 record and will face Texas A&M (7-5) in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Nittany Lions' second Alamo Bowl appearance is Saturday, Dec. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET in the The Alamodome in San Antonio. Penn State will be playing in its 34th bowl game under Paterno, who is the all-time leader in bowl

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No. 22 Penn State vs. No. 1 Ohio State, Preview

School: Ohio State University (OSU), Buckeyes
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Jim Tressel, 69-14 overall
Last Game: Defeated Michigan State, 24-17
Record Last Five Years (sans 2007): 55-9 overall; 5-1 in bowls; 19-1 non-conference

Key Players, Defense: LB James Laurinaitis, DE Vernon Gholston, LB Larry Grant

Key Players, Offense: RB Chris Wells, WR Brian Robiskie, QB Todd Boeckman

What to look for: D – This is the best defense in college football, no doubt about it. OSU essentially shut out MSU last week, with only three points coming off a late FG. Had OSU not given up the TDs off turnovers, they would be giving up less than 6 ppg. Laurinaitis is having an AA-caliber season, even if his stats aren’t out of this world. He’s always in the right place at the right time. OSU will need every bit of Laurinaitis and his fellow ‘backers, Grant and Marcus Freeman. While Grant has been the least publicized, he’s been more productive than anyone on the defense, racking up 7.5 TFL, 3 sacks and an INT. Between the LBs and the line, led by Gholston, OSU has to make stopping the PSU run game priority No. 1. Forcing PSU QB Morelli to win the game will allow the OSU secondary to roam free, without stacking the box.

O – This is not the best offense in college football, though some would make it seem that way. Yes, I know 415 ypg is great, but working with a defense like theirs, OSU never has to worry about making mistakes. OSU hasn’t faced a defense as good or consistent at PSU, or an environment like Beaver Stadium at night this season. Boeckman almost lost the game last week, and if he commits any bad turnovers this week, OSU may not be able to cover it up. Look for a healthy dose of Wells to keep the clock moving and the PSU offense off the field. If OSU can hit a few deep ones to Robiskie or WR Brian Hartline, it can keep PSU off balance. The problem is, PSU plays much better against conventional attacks, like OSU’s, and in hostile territory, OSU will have plenty of communication problems to deal with. OSU will have to avoid stupid penalties, especially in long down situations, as it will only encourage the PSU crowd.

ST – This is Tressel’s forte, but turned out to be less of a factor in 2007. But in a place like Beaver Stadium, OSU will need every point it can muster, which is where K Ryan Pretorius comes in. He’s 13/16 on the year and can’t afford to miss any against PSU. The return game hasn’t been the same since Ted Ginn departed, and in a big game like this, OSU may need a spark from a big return. Field position hasn’t been a problem either, as P AJ Trappasso should win the Ray Guy award, and can keep PSU pinned deep all night.

C – Tressel is the man recently in the Big Ten. Next to USC’s Pete Carroll and Texas’ Mack Brown, not coach has been more consistent. However, PSU has played OSU tough every year, and this week at PSU will make things even worse. Tressel is 1-2 when playing at PSU, with the one win by a single point (21-20, 2003). He failed to unleash his offense in 2005 until the final drive, and it cost OSU the game. If Tressel pulls a “Paterno” and goes conservative on the road, PSU could spring the upset.

Interesting Stat: The buckeye confection, made to resemble the tree's nut, is made by dipping a dollop of peanut butter fudge in milk chocolate, leaving a circle of the peanut butter exposed. These are a popular treat in Ohio, especially during the Christmas and NCAA college football seasons. How gay, if you ask me!

School: The Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Nittany Lions
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 42nd Year, 369-123-3
Last Game: Def. Indiana, 36-31
Record Last Five Years (sans 2007): 36-25; 1-1 in bowls; 7-4 non-conference

Key Players, Defense: LB Dan Connor, CB Justin King, DE Maurice Evans

Key Players, Offense: QB Anthony Morelli, RB Rodney Kinlaw, WR Derrick Williams

What to look for: D – There’s something wrong with college football is Evans isn’t selected lineman of the year. His 10.5 sacks and 17.5 TFL leads the conference, and he’s poised to set school records left and right. PSU will need him on every play against OSU. PSU held Kellen Lewis in check pretty well last week until the last TD run. But Boeckman doesn’t have that run threat for PSU to worry about. So look for more blitzes with Connor and Lee coming as a fifth rusher. OSU’s line is much stronger than IU’s, but even a diluted pass rush should be effective against a stationary Boeckman. James Hardy hosed King last week, but OSU doesn’t have a Hardy. If King can lock down Robiskie, PSU can get more pressure on stopping the run. With DLs Odrick and Hayes out, the line has to step up and forget about being tired. There’s no reason for a poor showing from this unit in Beaver Stadium, unless…

O – The offense puts them in holes. I must say that this unit is night-and-day better than the first half of 2007, but haven’t faced a team like OSU yet. Morelli had one really bad throw last week on the INT, but it wasn’t critical or deep in PSU territory. Regardless, PSU can’t afford any turnovers this week. Morelli did a super job finding the hot receivers and recognizing coverage/blitzes last week, and OSU is sure to try to confuse the living hell out of him. But PSU can avoid relying on Morelli to win the game if the offensive line can get a good push. Kinlaw has been a huge surprise this season, and when he’s not going, RB Evan Royster has shown his youthful brilliance. Like in the 2005 edition, this game could come down to a few pick plays, one of them being when Williams took a pitch in for a TD run, outrunning AJ Hawk in the process. Get Williams in the open with some blockers, and he’s gone to the races.

ST – Special teams bailed out the offense last week, as K Kevin Kelly hit all of his FGs. Hopefully for PSU, this unit won’t be needed as a difference-maker. The biggest focus for PSU should be on kickoffs and punts coverage. If OSU is forced to start drives deep in its own territory, PSU has the defense to make a 90-yard drive nearly impossible.

C – Paterno has to let his coaches do their thing again. It worked great at IU, and can work at home just the same. Let Morelli throw some deep, and don’t be afraid to call some shots to the middle of the field. In 2005, Paterno opted to go for it on 4th-and-2 on PSU’s first scoring drive. PSU needs that sort of confidence in their coaching staff to win in 2007.

Interesting Stat: PSU has only hosted a No. 1 team once, Notre Dame in 1989 (PSU loss 34-23). Paterno is 4-7 all-time against No. 1 teams.

GAME PREDICTION (assuming it rains): This will not disappoint fans. Beaver Stadium will once again live up to its “Greatest Show in College Football” moniker. OSU will take its first drive and move the ball well, scoring a TD to make the PSU fans uneasy. But PSU will come back, kicking a FG to come within four, midway through the second quarter. A tipped Boeckman pass will be picked off by DE Josh Gaines and returned to the OSU 20. PSU will get a quick score from Royster, 10-7 PSU. OSU will get one last possession before the half, with just enough time to tie it on a FG. 10-all at halftime. Neither team will score in the third quarter, exchanging turnovers and punts in a boring stretch. OSU’s Wells will rip off a 25 yarder in the fourth, but a missed handoff will force OSU to settle for a FG. 13-10 OSU. PSU will get the ball back with less than 6 minutes to go, and facing third and very long, get a pass interference call to continue the drive. Morelli will capitalize and on the next play, hit WR Deon Butler inside the five. Three straight runs will result in a Kinlaw TD. OSU will turn it over on downs inside the PSU 35, and PSU runs the clock to less than a minute. Three hail mary’s later… PSU 17, OSU 13. I just can’t see PSU losing at home. I know, UM did it, but his is OSU. PSU’s actually beaten them this century.

PSU 17, OSU 13

VEGAS:

PSU (+3.5) OSU

ACTUAL SCORE:

PSU 17, OSU 37

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