Tag: Nittany Lions vs. Buckeyes

Penn State vs Ohio State

One year ago Jim Tressel and Joe Paterno were considered two of the most honorable coaches in college football.

Both have been fired in the past six months, and these two schools are the faces of the problems that are abundant in college football right now. Fans in Columbus are debating who the next coach should be for the Buckeyes.

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Ohio Stadium
Saturday November 26, 3:30PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from Bookmaker
Moneyline: Ohio State (-270) Penn State (+230)
College Football Spread: Ohio State -7 (-110) Penn State +7 (-110)
Over/Under: 39.5

Happy Valley is still reeling from the past two weeks horrific allegations surrounding those involved in the Nittany Lions football program. Both teams had disappointing losses last weekend. Which team will right the ship with a win this week?

The Nittany Lions clearly weren’t ready at the beginning of last week’s contest against Nebraska. Penn State did make a late comeback, but it fell short. Matt McGloin appears to have won the starting quarterback battle, but the passing game has been far from great this year. Penn State’s best player is wide receiver Derek Moye, and the team needs to find a way to get him the ball more often. Silas Redd has emerged as the leading rusher for the Nittany Lions. Redd averages five yards per carry. Penn State only averages 21 points per contest this season.

The Nittany Lions defense has been terrific in 2011. This is a unit that ranks eighth in the nation in total defense. Michael Mauti was the leader of the defense, but he is out for the year with a knee injury. The fact that the defense has performed so well even without Mauti is very impressive. D’Antonn Lynn and Nick Sukay lead a very strong secondary for Penn State.

Braxton Miller is a talented freshman quarterback for Ohio State, but he still has a lot of work to do in the passing game. Miller and the Buckeyes passing offense has been non-existent most of the year. In fact, the Buckeyes are 118th out of 120 teams in the nation in passing offense this year. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Ohio State does have a good offensive line and a solid stable of running backs, but without balance the offense is limited. Dan Herron and Carlos Hyde both average 5.4 yards per carry for Ohio State. DeVier Posey will be back in the lineup for the first time this year. He has been serving a suspension. Posey is the Buckeyes most talented receiver, and it will be interesting to see if his presence changes things at all for the Buckeyes offense.

Ohio State’s defense isn’t as dominating as it has been in recent years, but they are still pretty good this season. Outside of a couple poor quarters against Nebraska and Miami earlier this season, this unit has been solid. John Simon has stepped up as a leader on the defensive line. Bradley Roby leads the team with three interceptions.

Neither of these teams are as good as they have been in recent years. Penn State is definitely in a difficult position right now, but I don’t see why the Buckeyes are laying seven points here. This game should come right down to the wire, so I’ll take the points.

Free College Football Pick: Penn State +7
Score Prediction: Ohio State 17 Penn State 14

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