Top-ranked Ohio State opens the Big Ten season Saturday (Sept. 23) by hosting Penn State in a battle of last year’s co-champions. Kickoff is set for 3:36 p.m. (EDT) in Ohio Stadium and televised nationally on ABC. Ohio State University will also be the site for this week’s ESPN College Game Day.
Ohio State has won 10 in a row dating back to a 17-10 loss at Penn State last year, is coming off a 37-7 win over visiting Cincinnati.
Penn State is 2-1 on the year. Coach Joe Paterno’s team opened the season with a 34-16 win over Akron then dropped a 41-17 decision at Notre Dame (Sept 9). On Saturday Penn State defeated division 1AA Youngstown State 37-3 at home in State College.
Bet on College Football at BetRoyal
This will be the twenty-second meeting between Ohio State and Penn State. The Nittany Lions hold a slim 11-10 edge in the series but the Buckeyes have won seven of the 12 games played in Columbus. The two teams have met continuously since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993 and Ohio State has an 8-5 edge in those games. In last year’s meeting, Penn State came away with a 17-10 victory in State College scoring a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter for a 14-10 lead and then blanking the Buckeyes in the second half. Both defenses excelled and the Nittany Lions won the turnover battle snaring an interception in the second quarter that led to Penn State’s first touchdown and then forcing a fumble late in the fourth to snuff out any hope for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is averaging 32 points and 426 yards in its first three games. The Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 96-26 and have scored seven touchdowns passing and five via the rush. The Buckeyes have committed just two turnovers on the year and are 11-of-14 in the red zone. The Buckeyes have scored 24 or more points in each of the last 10 games.
Senior Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith is now 16-2 as a starter and 9-1 in 2005. Smith is completing 69 percent of his passes and has not thrown an interception in his last 151 attempts. Smith has seven touchdown passes this year giving him 31 for his career against seven career interceptions.
Wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez and tailback Antonio Pittman is off to a rollicking start. Ginn has a team-high five touchdown grabs on 14 receptions and is averaging over 18-yards per catch, while Gonzalez leads the team in receptions with 17 and is averaging 16.5-yards per catch. Pittman is the Buckeyes’ leading ground gainer with 340 yards on 51 carries and has three touchdowns to his credit. The hard-running junior has two 100-yard games this year and is averaging 113.3 -yards per game and 6.7-yards per carry.
The Nittany Lions are averaging 29 points and 411 yards per game this season. The balanced offense is averaging 207.7 yards rushing and 203.3 yards passing. Tony Hunt is yielding 84.3 rushing yards per game and has totaled 253 yards on 44 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He has scored two touchdowns. Anthony Morelli takes the snaps behind center and is averaging 183 yards per game. He has completed 48-of-92 passes for 549 yards and four touchdowns. Six different receivers have caught five or more passes. Jordan Norwood has 13 receptions for 152 yards and on TD. Derrick Williams has seven catches for 79 yards and a score, while Deon Butler has six grabs for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is coaching his 41st season and holds a 356=118-3 record, a win total which ranks second among major college coaches.
Ohio State is favored at a 16.5 point chalk and no total has been set.
