Penn State Preview

The Game----Penn State vs Ohio State, 3:30 p.m., ABC

I hope that I'm not overhyping our beloved Buckeyes, because sometimes I think I am. But I think that we can and should handle Penn State relatively easily. I don't see the Penn State offense really putting together many long, point producing drives against the Buckeye Defense this weekend. The PSU special teams is vastly inferior to that of the Buckeyes, and I say this while primarily referring to their rotten kicker. Kevin Kelly will cost the Nittany Lions points tomorrow, as he is only 6/9 in field goals and 2 for 5 from 30-39 yards out. Let's see if the Sea of Scarlet gets to him....

In other news concerning the game, it will be 6 years to the day former Penn State cornerback Adam Taliaferro left Ohio Stadium on a stretcher after shattering a bone in his neck and severely brusing his spinal cord while tackling Ohio State's Jerry Westbrooks. Did you know that Westbrooks was one of the last players (and I think the last) to wear number 27 at Ohio State before retiring Eddie George's number?

Say goodbye to your little friend.......
This will be the last time you see the perennial rye field in Ohio Stadium for quite some time. On Monday, Ohio State will be rolling out a brand new Kentucky Bluegrass sod. Ohio State has purchased the new turf from a company near Bowling Green, Ohio and will pay $75,000 for it. The special Kentucky Bluegrass is the Cadillac of playing surfaces as only a few universities have it (not Michigan though). The University of Iowa has this playing surface, as well as the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and a couple of other NFL teams. Try getting that info from The Dispatch or ESPN. (thanks DA)

When tOSU has the ball...
I strongly feel the Buckeyes need to open it up to be successful tomorrow. The running game will be relatively succesful, but Troy Smith and Co. need to put the ball in the air to take control of the game. I haven't been impressed with the Penn State secondary this year, as Brady Quinn passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns in Notre Dame's 41-17 win over the Nittany Lions two weeks ago. I don't think there will be any way that the PSU defense will be able to contain 7, 11, 8, 9, 4, 88, or whoever the Buckeyes throw the ball to. Penn State has moved '05 Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny from Outside Linebacker to Inside Linbacker, and I am not convinced that he is 100% healthy. They also moved last years starting MLB Tim Shaw to defensive end, and at 6'1", 237 pounds he's very undersized for a defensive end at the Big Ten level. The OSU offensive line shouldn't have much of a problem creating holes for Antonio Pittman, and that's where the running attack will be successful. The PSU defensive backfield is talented but inexperienced, and that reminds me quite a bit of the '04 Ohio State secondary that had a young Ashton Youboty, Nate Salley, and E.J. Underwood (who was probably the worst DB I've ever seen at Ohio State). There shouldn't be any problems putting up points against the Nittany Lion defense tomorrow.

When Penn State is on offense...
Keep an eye on PSU wide receiver Derrick Williams. Williams, who wears # 2, is the most dynamic of the talented PSU receivers, but only has 7 catches for 79 yards on the season. Jordan Norwood is the leading receiver for the Nittany Lions with 13 receptions for 152 yards, but Deon Butler is a very wideout as well. It will be up to the Buckeyes Defensive line to pressure PSU QB Anthony Morelli for the coverage to be successful. I'm not overly concerned about Penn State's rushing attack, although Tony Hunt does have a gaudy 5.8 yards per carry and 253 yards on 44 carries. Let's keep in mind that PSU's other two games besides Notre Dame were against Akron and Youngstown State, so those rushing totals don't scare me as much as they normally might. Hunt is a quality pass-catcher out of the backfield (6 rec., 60 yards), and that might pose a problem for the Buckeye Defense, as slip screens have been the achilles heel for the Bucks D for the past couple of years.
Out on a Limb...
I'll take the Buckeyes to win 31-10. I'll give PSU a touchdown and Kevin Kelly's bad luck continues as he will go 1 for 3 in field goals Saturday. Troy Smith has 265 yards passing and 3 TD's, and Pittman breaks 100 with one score. The weather is supposed to include a good dose of rain, so that's why I've got Troy Smith's passing yards a little lower than I normally would. The O-Line will have a nice day, and by mid-fourth quarter it will be Cincinnati all over again.
I also like Michigan State to upset Notre Dame on Saturday. This is the week that the nation gets reacquainted with the savvy passing skills of Drew Stanton as the Spartans beat the Irish 34-31.
Michigan will handle Wisonsin at home in a revenge game, as they get by the Badgers 38-17. That's all I've got for now. Enjoy another great college football Saturday.