Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

Mike Gesicki’s first game at Penn State was also the first with James Franklin at the helm. The Nittany Lions flew out to Dublin, Ireland, and edged a UCF team that was coming off a Fiesta Bowl win and was one spot out of the preseason top 25.

That was the 2014 opener and it remains the the highest team in the polls that Penn State has beaten in that stretch.

Gesicki is aiming to change that as No. 2 Ohio State visits Happy Valley Saturday.

“It’s time for that to come back around,” the junior tight end said. “It’s been too long, to be honest. Obviously this Saturday is an opportunity to get that signature win. We have a lot to take care of before that takes place. But we’re excited for the opportunity.”

As it is, Ohio State is the only currently ranked team left on the Lions’ schedule thanks to a sluggish start by Iowa and a complete freefall by Michigan State.

Actually beating the Buckeyes? It would be considered one of the biggest upsets in program history.

Penn State is roughly a three-touchdown underdog to the Bucks, a team that has never lost a true road game in Urban Meyer’s five seasons as coach. That’s a streak of 20 games, the third-longest in the history of major college football.

And it almost came to an end a week ago.

Ohio State trailed a stubborn Wisconsin team by 10 at the half and had to rally to force overtime before winning 30-23. It was the fewest points scored by the Bucks on the season and the most points they had allowed.

THREE AND OUT

Film flaws

Unfortunately for the Lions, there aren’t a ton of lessons that can be taken from the Badgers, especially on offense.

Wisconsin frequently uses two tight ends or a fullback in more of a pro-style scheme. Penn State doesn’t even have a fullback on the roster and Gesicki has taken about 95 percent of the snaps as the lone tight end on the field.

“Obviously that’s a different style than we’re playing right now. So that film for our offense isn’t overly valuable,” Franklin said. “What we do is we try to take formations and situations that are similar and break those down. But you know, when they are in 22 personnel — two backs, two tight ends and one receiver — we don’t do that.

“So none of those plays and none of those formations really translate well for us.”

Reinforcements

For the first time in more than a month, injured linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell were back at practice for the Lions during the week.

Will they be able to play? Cabinda seems to be the best bet after missing five straight games. Franklin said that a senior like Bell can get away with only taking limited practice reps because of his experience as a three-year starter.

But whether one or both of them return, they likely won’t have a full workload.

“They haven’t been doing anything for about a month,” Franklin said after Wednesday’s practice. “For us to expect that they’re gonna go in and start and play 60 plays a game, they won’t. But it does provide us with depth and leadership.”

Familiar faces

On the other sideline, the Buckeyes have two former Penn State assistants running their defense.

After defensive coordinator Chris Ash left to take the Rutgers head job, Meyer brought in Greg Schiano to run the unit along with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

Johnson is in his third season with the Buckeyes after Penn State didn’t hire him to replace Bill O’Brien as head coach. He had been an assistant with the Lions for 18 seasons.

Schiano led the Lions’ secondary for five seasons (1991-95) before ultimately becoming a head coach at Rutgers and then in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Both will be tasked with stopping an improved Lions offense, starting with Saquon Barkley, who ran for 194 yards against Ohio State last season.

“Being able to play against those guys, tremendous athletes and football players, showed me I can play at that level,” Barkley said. “But that was last year. The past is the past.”

Meyer called Barkley an NFL “first-rounder” and also praised Penn State’s wideouts.

“We believe this is as good a group of receivers we’ve faced, not just this year, but in a while,” Meyer said. “Greg Schiano and (cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs) were saying this is by far one of the best groups we’ve faced in the last few years.”

Penn State’s Saquon Barkley had 194 yards last season against Ohio State and will have a big target on him Saturday against the Buckeyes.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_barkley-umd.jpg.optimal.jpgPenn State’s Saquon Barkley had 194 yards last season against Ohio State and will have a big target on him Saturday against the Buckeyes. Chris Knight | AP photo

By Derek Levarse

[email protected]

PSU GAMEDAY

No. 2 Ohio State (6-0, 3-0)

at Penn State (4-2, 2-1)

8 p.m., Beaver Stadium

TV: ABC

Line: Ohio State by 19.5

Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse