Three keys to Ohio State beating Penn State in Week 10

The Ohio State Buckeyes will host Penn State in Week 10 of the college football season.

The Buckeyes are the best team in the nation and boast an undefeated 7-0 record. On the other hand, Penn State has been a massive disappointment at 3-4 and has already fired head coach James Franklin.

While many Ohio State fans had November 1st circled on their calendar since the schedule came out, Penn State’s struggles makes this matchup a lot less intriguing. Still, Ohio State can only play who is in front of them, and Penn State still has some talent on their roster.

Here’s what the Buckeyes need to do in order to improve to 8-0 on the season.

1. Stop Penn State’s run game

Penn State lost Ohio-native quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending injury prior to Franklin’s firing.

That was brutal news for the Nittany Lions, as many had expected Allar to make a huge leap this season with a veteran roster surrounding him. This offseason, Penn State’s backup quarterback Beau Pribula left the team and transferred to Missouri.

That leaves Ethan Grunkemeyer at the sticks for Penn State’s offense. Certainly, the Nittany Lions will look to lean on their two-headed monster in this matchup and every game remaining on their schedule.

While Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton have not necessarily lived up to their preseason hype, they are still very talented. Ohio State’s defense has been incredible all season under first-year coordinator Matt Patricia. As long as the defensive line and standout linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles are well rested, this task should be doable.

2. Figure out your own run game

If Ohio State has had one Achilles heel to start the season, it’s been their own running back committee.

This offseason, the Buckeyes lost TreyVeon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to the top 50 picks in the NFL Draft. However, the expectation was that James Peoples could emerge as the bellcow, and that just has not happened.

Ryan Day and new offensive coordinator Brian Hartline have deployed a tremendously split backfield. At times earlier in the season, it seemed like true freshman Bo Jackson was on the precipice of emerging. In Ohio State’s 34-0 blowout against Wisconsin, it was actually Isaiah West who led the Buckeyes in rushing.

Ohio State’s offense is potent. Quarterback Julian Sayin is a true Heisman contender and Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate both seemed poised to have long careers in the NFL when their days as Buckeyes are over. While the run game might not matter much in this matchup, it’s certainly something that Day would like solved by the end of the regular season.

3. Don’t let this be a letdown game

Ohio State needs to stick to what has made them the No. 1 team in the nation.

While Penn State’s record is 3-4, it’s been well-documented how severely they have underperformed. There’s still a talented team in there somewhere.

Doing the little things correct will make a big difference today for the Buckeyes.