Ohio State at Penn State

Posted on 11/5/2009 12:00:00 AMby GetChalk

Big Ten rivals collide in a very important game for the conference in Happy Valley Saturday afternoon. The 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes visit the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions – a contest that, while it is crucial to the two teams involved, means a lot more to a program watching from home.
 
Oddsmakers have set the Nittany Lions as 3.5-point home favorites for Week 10's tilt. Penn State won last season's meeting 13-6 at OSU, covering as 1.5-point road chalk. These teams have split their last four meetings straight up and against the spread. However, the home teams is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 games in this series.
 
The Iowa Hawkeyes will be watching this conference clash closely. For them, the door to the BCS Championship would swing open a touch if the Nittany Lions are able to knock off the Buckeyes. For Ohio State, losing this weekend would drop them out of the running for a high-profile BCS bowl game.
 
The Buckeyes have punished their last two opponents since losing a shocker to the Purdue Boilermakers in Week 7. Ohio State has crushed Big Ten foes Minnesota and non-conference challengers New Mexico State by a combined score of 83-7.
 
However, running the score up on weaker opponents might not be the best practice for a program as strong as PSU. The Nittany Lions have won five straight games since their lone loss to the Hawkeyes in Week 4.
 
Penn State took an impressive 35-10 win over the Michigan Wolverines two weeks ago and are fresh off a drubbing of the Northwestern Wildcats, who actually tested PSU for three quarters before breaking for 21 points in the final frame.
 
These two teams are built on tough, smash-mouth defense, but the face of each program the past two seasons has been their dynamic quarterback.
 
Ohio State boasts a duel-threat in sophomore Terrelle Pryor, who, after throwing two big interceptions in the loss to Purdue, has rebounded with a pair of solid performances. Pryor passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota, adding another 104 yards and a score on the ground. Versus New Mexico State, he compiled 135 yards passing with a touchdown while rushing for 83 yards and a score in limited action.
 
On the other sideline, the Nittany Lions will turn to quarterback Daryl Clark to move the chains. He is second in the conference in average yards per game and has a touchdown-to-interception count of 9-to-1 in his last four games – all of which are PSU victories SU and ATS. Clark can also shake a leg when needed. He scrambled for just 16 yards but scored a touchdown against Northwestern last weekend, giving him 151 yards total and five rushing touchdowns on the year.
 
Penn State has another potent weapon on the ground in running back Evan Royster, who has cracked the century mark in rushing yards in each of his last three games. The junior is second in the conference in average yards per game with 95.44 and totaled 77 yards on the ground against the Buckeyes last season.
 
Like in recent meetings, this Big Ten battle will come down to defense. These teams ranks 1-2 in the conference with the Nittany Lions holding a slight edge in the statistical categories. Penn State is giving up just under 255 yards of offense per game while limiting opponents to around an average of nine points. It also leads the conference in sacks with 32 on the season.
 
Standing out of the Nittany Lions’ stop unit are senior defensive tackle Jared Odrick, junior linebacker Navorro Bowman, and senior linebacker Josh Hall, who ranks fourth in the conference in tackles. Last season, the PSU defense came up big in the fourth quarter, forcing Pryor to fumble which set up the Nittany Lions’ go-ahead score.
 
Ohio State's stop unit sits sixth in the country with a drum-tight rushing defense which is allowing just over 86 yards per game. The Buckeyes are among the best teams at forcing turnovers, grabbing 15 interceptions – two returned for scores – and has forced 12 fumbles. Senior defensive back Kurt Coleman is a ball hawk, snatching three picks while also forcing three fumbles on the season.
 
Oddsmakers have set the total for Saturday's contest at 39.5 points. Last season's final score played under the 44.5-point total and the under has paid out four of the last five seasons. Ohio State owns a 2-6-1 over/under mark on the year while PSU is 3-6-0 over/under.