Penn State is back in action after a long week off following a nail-biting victory over Purdue in the opening week of the season on the road. Now back within the friendly walls of Beaver Stadium the Nittany Lions will look to upend Ohio, the Bobcats a decade removed for their upset victory over Penn State to start the 2012 season under then new head coach Bill O’Brien. A lot has changed since then for both programs and Saturday is unlikely to be repeat of that upset. That being said there are still plenty of storylines to follow. Here are five to keep an eye on.
Does Allar See The Field?: It is a pretty popular opinion that backup quarterback Drew Allar ought to see the field at some point this weekend and in many respects Allar getting meaningful playing time could be the best of both worlds for Penn State. If Allar is playing that means Sean Clifford did his job [and looked solid in the process] and while there are many ways for Penn State to win this game on Saturday, a version of this game that includes pulling the starters with meaningful time left on the clock will only help Clifford, Franklin and Allar in the long run. If Allar doesn’t see the field because Penn State’s offense couldn’t find its footing in time to take care of business that’s not a good sign for any of the parties involved. If nothing else a missed opportunity to get Allar some playing time won’t do much for Clifford’s last dance being something people are enjoying. On paper this is the perfect game to get Allar some time, but does it happen?
Give Me Something To Think About: Even in the relativity short amount of time that true freshman running back Nicholas Singleton had the ball in his hands last Thursday he showed a spark of “it” that hasn’t been in Penn State’s running back room since Saquon Barkley. Thats not to say Singleton is set out to be the next Barkley, but Singleton’s ability to move around defenders while still running downhill was impressive. Penn State’s running issues are bigger than any one running back so this doesn’t come down to just how Singleton plays – but can he and his teammates make some headway on the ground? Ohio is maybe not the team or the game that will suddenly prove Penn State has figured out all of its running game issues but a few nice runs here or there could do wonders for morale. Again, it’s not about how many yards Penn State rushes for as much as it is the ability to run the ball when it has to.
There They Are: Purdue didn’t give Penn State’s defensive front much in the way of time to get to the quarterback – something that James Franklin alluded to when saying that Thursday wasn’t defensive tackle PJ Mustipher’s kind of game – but moving forward teams will give Penn State more time to get into the backfield. Can the defensive front reintroduce itself this weekend? There are a host of names people are looking forward to seeing play this year on the defensive line and Ohio could provide Penn State with a starting point. The question shouldn’t be how many times Penn State gets to the quarterback, it should simply be how often it gets to the quarterback when there is time to get to the quarterback.
Be Special Again: Penn State’s special teams unit was very solid in its debut under the watch of a new coordinator, punter and return unit but one week does not a trend make. So can they do it again? Ideally Penn State doesn’t want to be in a position to be punting all that often against Ohio but it will certainly happen over the course of the afternoon. Can the Nittany Lions win the field position battle and show off a strong kicking game in the process? Penn State has been able to lean on its special teams unit over the years and has had a real strength against other teams in the process. This won’t be the game that comes down to who has the better punter, but a Week 3 meeting at Auburn could swing on the leg of a few good – or not so good – punts. This week is a good second dress rehearsal.
Rust Gone?: Drops plagued Penn State’s receivers’ group early against Purdue and little mistakes here or there on both sides of the ball were emblematic of an opening game. That’s fine and to be expected, but can the Nittany Lions show up on Saturday with a bit less rust and more reliable hands? It’s going to be hard to replicate the sure-handed nature of Jahan Dotson, but Penn State needs all three of its starting receivers to be reliable when the ball is headed their way. KeAndre Lambert-Smith finished off his night strong as did Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley – can they start the afternoon on Saturday off the same way?
