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Five reasons Penn State will win against Ohio

Penn State should come away with a win vs. Ohio. Here are five reasons why.

Penn State lost to Ohio the last time they played back in 2012. The situation surrounding the team at that time was one of turmoil and heartache but fast forward ten years and the program is exactly where they want to be.

Coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has a strong staff supporting him, recruiting is at an all-time high, and the team is a perfect blend of new faces and veterans to thrive in the Big Ten and beyond.

Tomorrow against Ohio though, Penn State will be heavy favorites for al the reasons we just listed. Breaking down five specific reasons is what we are here for of course! Every aspect of this team if it’s offense, defense, and special teams, Penn State has the advantage. Specifically though there are certain players who make the biggest difference and specific play styles that present the biggest problem for the Ohio Bobcats.

Penn State vs. Ohio: Updated betting odds for Week 2 matchup from BetMGM

Penn State is a big favorite at home against Ohio in Week 2 according to BetMGM. What’s the best bet to make on the game?

Penn State is looking to go 2-0 this week. And while a win by any means would certainly be nice, some may be a bit more interested in seeing the Nittany Lions run up the score on Ohio. At least by enough to cover the point spread!

Penn State is coming into its home opener a solid favorite courtesy of the odds from BetMGM. The line for this week’s matchup between Penn State and Ohio has been pretty steady, so it looks like Penn State will be favored by nearly four touchdowns once it comes time to kick things off in Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Penn State will host Ohio at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Here is a look at the latest betting odds for this weekend’s nonconference tilt.

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Nittany Lions Wire staff predictions: Penn State an easy pick in Week 2?

Our staff predictions are in for Week 2, and there is little drama in our picks for Penn State vs. Ohio.

It’s time once again to see what the staff at Nittany Lions Wire is thinking about this weekend’s matchup between Penn State and Purdue. After opening the season in exhilarating fashion at Purdue, Penn State opens its home schedule in Beaver Stadium against the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio is also coming off a victory in its season opener and figures to present some similar problems for the Penn State defense that Purdue managed to pull off.

Sam was the lone soul predicting Penn State to lose at Purdue in Week 1. Fortunately, it appears he has learned his lesson this week.

Interesting to note, two of our staff members are not picking Penn State to cover the spread this week. So while we do feel Penn State wins this game without much of a problem, covering the point spread is what will be expected to keep people interested in the fourth quarter.

Here is a look at our picks and quick thoughts on the game this week.

Andrew Harbaugh, @MandrewH_

Final Score: 42-20

I think the Ohio offense is going to surprise the Nittany Lions in the first half. That being said they don’t have the firepower for s sustained attack. Just as the 300 Spartans fell at Thermopylae, the Bobcats will fall in State College this weekend for a happy home opener.

Kevin McGuire, @KevinOnCFB

Final score: Penn State 42, Ohio 20

Penn State should have a decent time cleaning a few things up without showing too much to the Auburn coaching staff ahead of Week 3. I doubt Parker Washington has as quiet a performance as he had against Purdue, and I think the offense thrives in enough bursts to take care of the Bobcats. But Ohio is a team fully capable of keeping things within range against the spread, and a late score or two in the fourth quarter with the game all but decided will allow the Bobcats to make at least a few people out there happy.

Sam Dehring, @sam_dehring68

Final score: Penn State 31, Ohio 10

I think Penn State beats Ohio handily 31-10. This should be a fairly easy matchup for them. I’m hoping they hand the ball off to Singleton more because it certainly worked when they did it against Purdue.

	Winner	Final score	Season straight-up	Season ATS
Andrew	Penn State	42-20	1-0	1-0
Kevin	Penn State	42-20	1-0	1-0
Sam	Penn State	31-10	0-1	0-1

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Penn State will look to improve red zone defense in Week 2 vs Ohio

Penn State struggled on defense in the red zone in Week 1. Will it improve in Week 2?

Penn State’s offense was on fire inside the red zone last week at Purdue. The Nittany Lions entered the red zone three times and left with a touchdown each time. Penn State was one of three Big Ten teams to have a 100% red zone touchdown percentage through Week 1; Ohio State and Maryland were each two-for-two with touchdown drives inside the red zone. It was only one game, so the sample size is as small as it will get, but that was an encouraging sign after Penn State struggled to finish drives last season. Penn State ranked 11th in the Big Ten in red zone touchdown percentage in 2021 with just 20 touchdowns on 42 red zone trips.

Conversely, Penn State’s red zone defense was the best the Big Ten had to offer. Penn State led the Big Ten in red zone defense last season by limiting opponents to 32 scores on 48 red zone trips. Just 18 of those red zone trips resulted in touchdowns, for a Big Ten-leading 37.5% opponent red zone touchdown percentage. That number was inflated by the end of the season that saw Michigan State score four touchdowns on five red zone trips in the regular season finale and Arkansas adding three more on six red zone trips in the Outback Bowl.

Last week against Purdue continued that trend of opponents thriving inside the red zone, however. Purdue had four trips to the red zone against Penn State in Week 1, and three of those drives ending in the end zone. Purdue added a field goal on the other trip, giving Purdue 24 red zone points on four trips. Clearly, this will be an area of focus for defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag].

In his final season as head coach at Miami, Diaz oversaw the ACC’s worst red-zone defense with the Hurricanes allowing 37 scores on 39 red zone trips by opponents, with 23 resulting in touchdowns. But when Diaz was the defensive coordinator for Miami from 2016 through 2018, Miami had one of the best red zone defenses in the ACC.

In Diaz’s one season as defensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2015, the Bulldogs ranked third in the SEC in red zone defense. But in three seasons at Texas as defensive coordinator, the Longhorns struggled on defense in the red zone regularly.

So what will Diaz do with Penn State’s defense? We may get a better sense o that in the next two weeks.

Credit should be given to Purdue’s offense, as it is one of the more difficult ones to slow down in the Big Ten. Purdue had the third-best red zone offense in the Big Ten in 2021, behind only Ohio State and Michigan. So let’s not jump the gun on this one-week sample size with the red zone defense just yet. But if Ohio has similar results, then there should be a bit of concern heading into the Week 3 road game at Auburn.

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Who are the experts picking in Penn State’s matchup against Ohio?

Taking a look at who the experts are picking in Penn State’s Week 2 matchup with Ohio.

Penn State is back home this week against Ohio, coming off a 35-31 victory on the road Purdue. They had a shaky first half, but came out stronger in the second half.

This should be a fairly easy matchup for the Nittany Lions this week, as they take on the Ohio Bobcats.

The last time Penn State played Ohio was back in 2012, when they were upset in Bill O’Brien’s head coaching debut.

There were a few minor mistakes like tackling and dropped passes that Penn State needs to clean up. This will be a perfect matchup for the Nittany Lions to clean up those little mistakes.

So, who are the experts picking in their matchup against Ohio?

To start, Penn State has a 96.4% chance to beat Ohio, while the Bobcats have just a 3.6%, according to ESPN.

Next up, we have the writers over at College Football News. Every single writer picked the Nittany Lions to beat Ohio.

Next, the writers over at FanNation for Penn State have the Nittany Lions taking down the Bobcats handily with a score of 42-10.

Next, we have the writers over at the York Daily Record. Again, this is another group of writers that have the Nittany Lions taking down the Bobcats, with a score of 47-13.

Week 2: College Wire’s Patrick Conn makes his game predictions

Next, we take a look at some of the betting odds according to Tipico. First, Penn State is favored in the spread with -25.5. On top of that, Tipico’s moneyline has the Nittany Lions at -4019 while Ohio is at +1375.

According to Tipico, Penn State had seven wins in 13 games against the spread last season while Ohio had just five wins in 12 games against the spread.

As mentioned, this should be a fairly easy game for the Nittany Lions. There a few games this week to have some upset picks. Ohio over Penn State probably isn’t one of them — but, you know what they say — anything can happen.

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PHOTOS: A look back at Penn State’s last game against Ohio

A photographic look back at the 2012 meeting between Penn State and Ohio, Bill O’Brien’s head coaching debut

Penn State will host Ohio in Beaver Stadium for a Week 2 contest. The game will be the first played between the two programs since the 2012 season opener, which was an emotional one for the Penn State community and a tough start to the brief [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag] era of Penn State football.

Penn State led the defending MAC East Division champions 14-3 at halftime but squandered the lead in the second half. Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton led the Bobcats to a 21-0 second half to leave Penn State feeling numb on the first day of the season. It was a tough way for the season to start in Happy Valley after everything that went down from the end of the 2011 season and over the summer with the NCAA hammering the program with unprecedented sanctions.

Other than that, it was a great day for football! Here’s a look back at the last meeting between these two programs.

James Franklin far less definitive on backup QB plans in Week 2

James Franklin was definitive on his backup QB decision in Week 1, but not so much in Week 2.

Penn State fans got a brief glimpse of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] in action in Week 1 against Purdue, but head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is reluctant to say the freshman will be the top backup to [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] again in week 2.

Franklin named Allar the team’s backup quarterback in Penn State’s season opener at Purdue. Allar got on the field to run the offense for a series in the third quarter while Clifford was attended to briefly in the locker room. But despite the brief appearance as Penn State’s backup quarterback, Franklin is heading into Week 2 looking for a competition at the backup position between Allar and [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag].

“We haven’t really made any decisions,” Franklin said on Tuesday in a press conference with the media when asked if Allar will be the backup option again. “We had basically a Friday corrections jog-through practice, and kind of a bonus one on Sunday, which we were able to do a little bit more, but we still were only in helmets.”

“Tuesday and Wednesday are our work days where we get the best evaluation of where we’re at,” Franklin explained. “That determines maybe some moves that we may or may not make. It’s a competition week-in and week-out. I don’t have that answer for you right now.”

A week ago, Franklin came right out and said Allar would be the team’s backup. This week, he is clearly taking a more open approach to not necessarily rule out the possibility Veilleux gets the nod if needed. It is an interesting change in messaging from the head coach, and there could be multiple reasons to do so for Franklin. Franklin has always been one to pump up competition for the team’s best interest. But the public messaging on the subject could also be a tactic used to try to convince Veilleux he is still a key member of the team to keep him from contemplating entering the transfer portal.

Penn State has lost two backup quarterbacks to the transfer portal since the end of the 2020 season with [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag] going to Kentucky and [autotag]Ta’Quan Roberson[/autotag] heading to UConn.

Penn State faces Ohio in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Penn State has a punter, but kickoff duty still up for grabs

Will Penn State continue to rotate kickoff specialists in Week 2 vs. Ohio?

Among the many takeaways you could have from Penn State’s Week 1 victory at Purdue is the Nittany Lions have a suitable successor for punter [autotag]Jordan Stout[/autotag], but the kickoff duties are either still up for grabs or will be a kicker by committee approach.

[autotag]Barney Amor[/autotag] showed off his powerful leg and ability to pin the football deep with eight punts spanning 375 yards against Purdue. Armor averaged 46.9 yards per punt, with a long of 52 yards, to help Penn State flip the field position or set the defense up in a great spot all night long. Amor had three of his five punts downed inside the 20-yard line, and it should have been four. He had just one touchback in the game, and that was only because an overzealous punt coverage defender made the regrettable decision to try getting a hand on the football when it appeared the ball was going to die inside the Purdue two-yard line anyway.

Stout was a fourth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2022 NFL draft. Last season for the Nittany Lions, Stout averaged 46.0 yards per punt. Of course, Punt did more than punt the football. He also handled placekicking responsibilities with 34 of 36 extra point attempts converted and 16 of 23 field goals made. Stout also took care of kickoffs for Penn State to keep his leg busy all season long.

While it seems as though Amor has taken control of the punting duties, Penn State spread the other kicking duties around the special teams unit against Purdue.

Going into the game last week, head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] did note that senior [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] will be the team’s field goal kicker. Penn State didn’t attempt a field goal against Purdue, but Pinegar did convert all five PAT attempts in the game, suggesting he will handle the extra points as well.

Pinegar kicked off once out of the six times Penn State kicked off. [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Nwosu[/autotag] each got involved on kickoff duty. Sahaydak took three kickoffs and Nwosi added two. All three kickers had one touchback as Franklin suggested this is a bit of a competition that will be ongoing until a comfortable decision can be made. Franklin suggested he would rotate kickoffs between Sahaydak and Nwosu against Purdue. That could carry over to Week 2 against Ohio.

The encouraging news is any competition dragging on is more because the options are keeping it tough in a good way and not because the staff is looking for the lesser of two evils.

Penn State faces Ohio on Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Penn State secondary bracing for another pass-heavy opponent in Ohio Bobcats

Penn State faces another opponent with a pass-heavy offensive approach in Week 2.

Oh, you thought things would be easier for Penn State in Week 2? After going head-to-head with one of the Big Ten’s top passing offenses led by Aidan O’Connell, the Nittany Lions will once again be put to the test in the air by the Ohio Bobcats, who come to Happy Valley this Saturday for a Week 2 matchup in Penn State’s home opener in Beaver Stadium.

Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke passed for 345 yards and four touchdowns in Ohio’s Week 1 over FAU. He completed 27 of 34 pass attempts in the process and showed improved decision-making according to his head coach.

“I really like where he’s at,” Ohio head coach Tim Albin said following Ohio’s Week 1 win over FAU. “I got a little frustrated with him on a couple of things. But he had great answers and last year that was not the case. So, he took a big step.”

Rourke played in 10 games for Ohio last season and completed 169 passes for 1,801 yards and 11 touchdowns. After one game, he is already on pace to surpass those numbers with ease.

For as much hype as Penn State’s pass defense had received coming into the start of the 2022 season, Purdue’s O’Connell made them work all night long on Thursday night. Penn State gave up 356 passing yards to end Week 1 with the Big Ten’s worst passing defense, statistically. Of course, it is just one game, but given this plays into Ohio’s strengths, it is a slight area of concern for defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] to focus on in practice going into Week 2.

It is also worth recognizing that Penn State’s passing yards allowed were bound to be high given the nature of Purdue’s offensive identity. O’Connell attempted 58 passes against the Nittany Lions, but he only completed 29 of those passes. The 6.1 yards allowed per attempt was seventh-best in the Big Ten through Week 1. Once again, the beauty of overreacting to Week 1 stats. Trends will need a couple more games to be established this season.

But will Ohio be able to attack the same way Purdue did? Ohio has a go-to receiver in former Vanderbilt wide receiver James Bostic. Bostic should rack up a good receiving total after gaining 136 yards last week. Purdue got a similar outing from their main receiver last week when Charlie Jones hauled in 12 passes for 153 yards.

[autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] could be in for another active day against Ohio’s best wide receiver.

Penn State hosts Ohio on Saturday, September 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Penn State has opened as a big favorite.

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