PSU preview: Nittany Lions hunt for breakthrough victory against No. 3 Ohio State

It has been a little over five years since James Franklin, stinging from another narrow loss to Ohio State, talked about his program making the jump.

In a memorable postgame press conference after Penn State fell short 27-26 against the Buckeyes in 2018, the coach gave his thoughts about the difficulty of taking the Nittany Lions from good to elite.

It’s a process that hit a major roadblock during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Lions have recovered to the point where their full roster has talent similar to the mighty Buckeyes, giving them another opportunity to take that leap.

Saturday’s showdown in Columbus is one of the biggest games in Franklin’s 10-year tenure helming the program, a stretch that began in 2014 with the Lions still facing a postseason ban and scholarship limitations stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Penn State has come a long way in the past decade. But the Lions have beaten the Buckeyes just once in that stretch, preventing them from reaching the College Football Playoff.

This year, both teams are 6-0 and ranked in the top 10 with Ohio State at No. 3 and Penn State at No. 7. The winner will be a frontrunner to grab a playoff spot, especially if the Big Ten claims two of them as it did last year.

“I think we have closed the gap with a lot of what people would consider the top five programs in the country. We have slowly chipped away at that,” Franklin told reporters in State College after Wednesday’s practice. “So we’ve put ourselves in a much better position.

“But I think it’s going to come down to a one-possession game. And we gotta be able to find a way to win that situation at the end of the game, whatever it is — four-minute, two-minute, whatever it may be. We gotta be able to capitalize in that situation on the road in a tough environment.”

That’s something Penn State has been unable to do in recent years, despite playing right with the Buckeyes in most games.

After stunning Ohio State in 2016 en route to their last Big Ten championship, the Lions couldn’t close out fourth-quarter leads in 2017 and 2018. And despite some bright moments for Penn State in the last four meetings in the series, the Buckeyes’ top-end talent prevailed every time.

Things look to be on more even footing this year. Ohio State is a 4.5-point favorite on its home field, one of the narrowest margins in recent history for a game at the Horseshoe. The Buckeyes were two-touchdown favorites for last year’s game in Happy Valley.

The talent levels are close enough that Franklin said it doesn’t need to be a perfect performance to pull out a victory.

“I think the important thing is, I don’t want our guys to feel like we have to go there and play out of our minds to win this game,” Franklin said. “We just have to play good. And we gotta limit the things that get you beat, which is what we’ve done all year long.”

THREE AND OUT

Defensive dominance tested

Penn State’s defense ranks first in the nation in several categories, including pass defense. But the opposition hasn’t been particularly fearsome, with West Virginia and Illinois providing the toughest challenges. Which isn’t saying much.

Ohio State is far and away the biggest test so far, led by star wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., who caught 10 passes for 185 yards against the Lions last year and will almost certainly be the first receiver drafted in the spring.

“The thing that jumps out to me is his body control and ball skills,” Franklin said. “He’s got the ability to contort his body in the positions and catch the ball effortlessly. I think that’s the first thing.

“The other thing, he’s just smooth and fluid. A guy I think was smooth and fluid similar to him is (former Lions star Jahan Dotson). The difference is this guy is doing it at 6-3, 6-4. … He makes spectacular plays, but he makes the routine plays as well. So he’s obviously somebody that we got to be aware of at all times. We got a ton of respect for him and how they use him.”

Penn State doesn’t typically have their cornerbacks shadow targets and follow them around no matter where they line up. So look for both Kalen King and Johnny Dixon to each get their shots at Harrison.

“They have arguably the best wide receivers in the country and we have arguably the best defensive back group in the country,” King said through Penn State. “I already know we’re going to get opportunities. They’re going to try us, that’s just the name of the game. It’s been that way forever since I’ve been here. We know they feel like they have confidence in themselves, we have confidence in us, so we know it’s a big task at hand and we’re approaching it that way.”

Battered Buckeyes

That receiving corps wasn’t at full strength last week for Ohio State’s rout of Purdue. And the running back room has been even more banged up.

Emeka Egbuka, who would be the No. 1 receiver on most teams in the country, did not play against the Boilermakers. Neither did running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams. Chip Trayanum was also sidelined during the game.

“I’m not gonna get into (detail about) all those guys, but hopeful that we’ll have all those guys back for Saturday,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.

“Hopeful” is a line Franklin uses frequently to describe the availability of injured players, whether they’re ready to return or not. So it’s hard to tell how healthy the Buckeyes will be for the game.

But Ohio State’s superior recruiting means there’s little drop off at skill positions. Third receiver Julian Fleming, a former star at Southern Columbia, was heavily coveted by Penn State.

When the Buckeyes were suddenly without their top three rushers last week, they plugged in Dallan Hayden, who promptly went for 76 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

A more important situation to monitor is the status of cornerback Denzel Burke. Far and away the Buckeyes best defensive back, Burke limped off the field last week and would be a big loss for a secondary that hasn’t been as impressive as past years.

Game-wrecker

None of Penn State’s improvements will matter much if the Lions can’t do a better job against Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau.

The former five-star recruit demolished Penn State last year and had a hand in a whopping four turnovers in a 44-31 win. Tuimoloau finished with six tackles (three for loss), two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery.

Oh, and the lineman’s second interception went back for a game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“The defensive end who had a career game against us last year, JT — make sure I say this right — Tuimoloau,” Franklin said. “I tried my best. JT, all due respect there. I did work on it. Ton of respect for you and how you played.”

Penn State lost NFL left tackle Olu Fashanu to injury during that game and starting right tackle Caedan Wallace did not play.

On the interior, the Lions look to get JB Nelson back at left guard after the Lackawanna College product sat out last week’s win with Vega Ioane taking his spot.

“I expect JB back,” Franklin said. “I expect Vega to play. … Those guys are starters. If you look at (Ioane), he’s been playing starter’s reps or starting games anyway.”