#21 Penn State def. Ohio State, 20-14

• dwccrew

  

  The Buckeyes coming off another pitiful performance at Purdue. The Nittany Lions suffered their first conference loss of the season amid a disaster of a situation.
  
  Which team will bounce back? Both offenses are pretty awful. This game will come down to defense and special teams.
• dwccrew

  

  I'm going with the Buckeyes. I think they will bounce back after a tough loss at Purdue. If some of the players can heal up somewhat, they should play well. PSU will be coming into a VERY hostile environment.
  
  I'm hoping that OSU can salvage the season and win the last 2 and get a decent bowl bid. 8-4 with a win over Michigan is not a bad finish for such a bad season.
  
  I hope the players are still playing for something, because the last 2 weeks they didn't look like they cared about playing at all.
• vball10set

  OSU, because they're at home--period
• BigAppleBuckeye

  

  I honestly had a feeling OSU may lose yesterday, and unfortunately I was right. I had a feeling OSU would beat Wisconsin, and they did.
  
  That being said, I don't know why I feel this way, but I see OSU CRUSHING Penn State. Nothing to base that on, I just think PSU will be emotionally spent, and they have only won once in Columbus since joining the Big 10 in 1993.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  I'll take Ohio State 13-3.
• rydawg5

  Penn St by 10
• 0311sdp

  Ohio State's defense has been horrible the last two weeks against two very bad teams. Penn State will be able to run the ball while OSU will not. It will come down to who plays better McGloin or Braxton Miller in the passing game. Because it is in Columbus I'll take Ohio State 20-17 but I honestly don't know why. That may have been the poorest tackling of any OSU defense Saturday that I've ever seen. I think that ended any chance that Fickell had of keeping the head coaching job, for two games in arow they looked unprepared and uninspired. The only reason I can give for picking them this week is that I think Penn State may be reeling a little bit over everything that has happened the last week. As Woody always said a football team never stays the same at this time of the year, you're either getting better or you're getting worse, unfortunately for the Buckeyes it appears that the latter may be true.
• dwccrew

  

  0311sdp;971972 wrote:Ohio State's defense has been horrible the last two weeks against two very bad teams. Penn State will be able to run the ball while OSU will not. It will come down to who plays better McGloin or Braxton Miller in the passing game. Because it is in Columbus I'll take Ohio State 20-17 but I honestly don't know why. That may have been the poorest tackling of any OSU defense Saturday that I've ever seen. I think that ended any chance that Fickell had of keeping the head coaching job, for two games in arow they looked unprepared and uninspired. The only reason I can give for picking them this week is that I think Penn State may be reeling a little bit over everything that has happened the last week. As Woody always said a football team never stays the same at this time of the year, you're either getting better or you're getting worse, unfortunately for the Buckeyes it appears that the latter may be true.

  I don't know about all that. OSU's rushing offense is 27th in the nation while PSU's is 55th. I'm willing to bet that OSU outgains PSU on the ground. PSU has the better passing game, but both are bad (PSU is 87th, OSU 118th). OSU total offense is 106th and PSU is 88th. This game is coming down to defense. PSU's defense is better, but if OSU's defense can step up, they can help the offense enough to win this game at home.
• 0311sdp

  I agree with you to the point of this being a winnable game for Ohio State, but if they tackle Silas Redd like they tackled Bolden, Redd will gain 200 yards. If as you say the defense steps up then Ohio State can win the game but I don't think that they will rush for many yards, they will have to trust Miller to make some throws and a good first quarter for a change would also help.
• rightfield

  Posey is finally back a should command a double team. That will help open other areas of the field that haven't been open all season long. The young receivers will suddenly look better with a future NFL receiver lining up beside them. Bucks win.
• OneBuckeye

  

  Ohio State should win.
  
  Who is making the FML Bowl T-Shirts?
• FatHobbit

  

  I see PSU making our offense look even worse than they have. I won't be surprised if we can't move the ball at all. (I might be exaggerating a little bit because I'm still disappointed in the game last Saturday.) And I think our defense and piss poor tackling will make the PSU offense look better than they have all season. It does help that we're playing at home and we have been terrible on the road. I won't be surprised if the final score is 2-0.
• that_guy

  The strength of the OSU Defense is the D-Line- especially against teams that try to run it between tackles. The Back 7 struggles with open field tackles, but the D-Line does a great job controlling the line of scrimmage. They don't have a dynamic Pass Rusher, but they are extremely solid against the run. Penn States offense is primarily Silas Redd, which plays right into the hands of the OSU D. McGloin seems to be good for 4-5 bad decisions a game, but the OSU secondary can't catch so I doubt they take advantage of that. I don't see the OSU offense moving the ball at all against the PSU D. This game will have tons of 3 and outs, and will ultimately come down to whichever offense puts it's defense into the worst positions. I'm picking OSU to win, just because the games in Columbus.
  
  OSU-10 PSU- 6
• Falcons53

  Two weeks ago I picked Penn State to finish 2-1 with wins over Nebraska and @OSU, losing to Wisconsin at the end of the year. Then the school imploded. They still could have beaten Nebraska if they would have shown up mentally in the first 2 1/2 quarters. Now I am not sure they will win another game until MAYBE a bowl game. I am not sure the school will accept a bowl bid this year. I see this being a tight defensive battle, but Penn State's already terrible passing game will get even worse with the obvious distractions. I see this coming down to a turnover. I picked Penn State up top in the poll, but I could see a 10-7 OSU win or a 13-10 Penn State win, somewhere in that neigborhood.
• vball10set

  Falcons53;972651 wrote: I am not sure the school will accept a bowl bid this year.

  I told my wife this exact same thing on Saturday. I don't think they will.
• Falcons53

  vball10set;972658 wrote:I told my wife this exact same thing on Saturday. I don't think they will.

  They need to get their house in order, get a permanant Pres., AD and football coach hired. The extra scrutiny surrounding a bowl game will not help the program. I really feel for the seniors who will not get to go out with a bowl game if that is the decision.
• se-alum

  

  FatHobbit;972431 wrote:I see PSU making our offense look even worse than they have. I won't be surprised if we can't move the ball at all. (I might be exaggerating a little bit because I'm still disappointed in the game last Saturday.) And I think our defense and piss poor tackling will make the PSU offense look better than they have all season. It does help that we're playing at home and we have been terrible on the road. I won't be surprised if the final score is 2-0.

  Honestly, these teams that run a "straight ahead" offense don't bother me, because our D-Line is good enough to control a game like that. It's the spread/read option teams that get us, because our linebackers and DB's are so young, and not fundamental when it comes to tackling. This could honestly be a 6-3 ballgame.
• Benny The Jet

  

  2-0 Ohio state. Both of these offenses suck. Buchanan places one down at the 1, and Simon with the safety for the win.
• dwccrew

  

  Falcons53;972651 wrote:Two weeks ago I picked Penn State to finish 2-1 with wins over Nebraska and @OSU, losing to Wisconsin at the end of the year. Then the school imploded. They still could have beaten Nebraska if they would have shown up mentally in the first 2 1/2 quarters. Now I am not sure they will win another game until MAYBE a bowl game. I am not sure the school will accept a bowl bid this year. I see this being a tight defensive battle, but Penn State's already terrible passing game will get even worse with the obvious distractions. I see this coming down to a turnover. I picked Penn State up top in the poll, but I could see a 10-7 OSU win or a 13-10 Penn State win, somewhere in that neigborhood.

  Only my opinion, but before the scandal was made public I thought PSU would lose their final 3 games. They have not looked impressive all season. They have had squeekers against teams like Temple and Indiana. Of course, I also thought this after OSU had just beat Wisky, so......
• jhay78

  

  If the weather is even slightly bad, look out for another offensive offensive performance like the MSU game. Can't see Penn State making enough plays to win.
  
  OSU- 16
  PSU- 9
• vball10set

  http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-State/2011/11/15/Buckeye-fans-urged-to-show-respect-during-Penn-State-game.html
  

  COLUMBUS – With Penn State coming to Ohio Stadium on Saturday for a crucial Big Ten game, at the same time the school is under intense scrutiny for a sex abuse scandal, the athletic department and student body at Ohio State are joining forces to urge Buckeye fans to display appropriate behavior at the game.
  “We felt it was important to share (that message) with our fans,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Tuesday at a news conference at the Fawcett Center on the OSU campus.
  “We hope Buckeyes fans continue to show sportsmanship and class. We ask that all of our fans continue to show great respect,” Mr. Smith said.
  Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government president Nick Messenger said his organization is on board with the effort.
  “As students, we will separate what happens on the football field from the transgressions of others,” he said. “This is bigger than football.”
  Messenger, a junior from Bowling Green majoring in economics and political science, said the student leadership at Ohio State plans to use mass emails, social media, and video messages from OSU athletes to spread and reinforce the message.
  “We want them to be loud, be proud, but be respectful.”
  Ohio State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) is in a must-win situation to keep its slim hopes of a Big Ten Leaders Division title alive. Penn State (8-2, 5-1) leads the division and can clinch no worse than a tie for the title with a win over the Buckeyes.

• FatHobbit

  

  vball10set;974121 wrote:

  COLUMBUS – With Penn State coming to Ohio Stadium on Saturday for a crucial Big Ten game, at the same time the school is under intense scrutiny for a sex abuse scandal, the athletic department and student body at Ohio State are joining forces to urge Buckeye fans to display appropriate behavior at the game.
  “We felt it was important to share (that message) with our fans,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Tuesday at a news conference at the Fawcett Center on the OSU campus.
  “We hope Buckeyes fans continue to show sportsmanship and class. We ask that all of our fans continue to show great respect,” Mr. Smith said.
  Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government president Nick Messenger said his organization is on board with the effort.
  “As students, we will separate what happens on the football field from the transgressions of others,” he said. “This is bigger than football.”
  Messenger, a junior from Bowling Green majoring in economics and political science, said the student leadership at Ohio State plans to use mass emails, social media, and video messages from OSU athletes to spread and reinforce the message.
  “We want them to be loud, be proud, but be respectful.”
  Ohio State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) is in a must-win situation to keep its slim hopes of a Big Ten Leaders Division title alive. Penn State (8-2, 5-1) leads the division and can clinch no worse than a tie for the title with a win over the Buckeyes.

  I agree with them, but good luck with that.
• JU-ICE

  According to 97.1 The Fan, Hankins, Shugart and Sweat may all be out for this game, they are saying Sweat is out indefinintley with a concussion. This could be a lot like the 2002 game when Gamble returned the interception to seal the 13-7 victory. I think OSU wins 17-13.
• captvern

  not having Hankins is going to hurt this week
• vball10set

  JU-ICE;975041 wrote:According to 97.1 The Fan, Hankins, Shugart and Sweat may all be out for this game, they are saying Sweat is out indefinintley with a concussion...

  we're starting to look like the Cleveland Indians...smh