Ohio State Know the Opposition: Penn State

Scribe Written on November 05, 2009

EVANSTON, IL - OCTOBER 31: Head coach Joe Paterno of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks the sidelines as his team takes on the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on October 31, 2009 in Evanston, Illinois. Penn State defeated Northwestern 34-13. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Mascot: Nittany Lions
Stadium: Beaver Stadium (107,282)
Head Coach: Joe Paterno (44th year at PSU, 391-128-3; vs OSU 8-12)
2008 Record: 11-2 (Lost to USC in Rose Bowl 38-24)
2009 Record: 8-1
Base Offense: Ace (3 Wide Receivers)
Base Defense: 4-3
Letterman: Returning - 37; Lost - 20
Returning Starters: Offense - 5, Defense - 4, Specialists - 1
Returning Stars: QB Daryll Clark; RB Evan Royster; LB Sean Lee

Notable Alumni

-Lisa Salters, ESPN reporter
-Adam McKay, Screenwriter and director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights
-Herman Fisher, Co-founder of Fisher-Price toy company
-John Cappalletti, Heisman Trophy winning RB
-Mike Scioscia, MLB catcher and manager
-Franco Harris, NFL Hall of Fame running back
-Joseph Heller, Author of Catch-22

Penn State Overview

Saturday's game between the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes was hyped as the game that would decide the Big Ten Champion before the season started.

While this game will not necessarily decide that because Iowa is in the mix, it still has massive Big Ten implications.

One would expect that this game is going to feature two of the nation's top defenses, and should be low scoring in nature.

With that said, both teams do have talent on the offensive side of the ball, especially Penn State, who is very underrated as an offensive unit.

They have played a pretty easy schedule thus far, but are still averaging 429 yards a game and 30 points a game. So yes, Penn State can put up points!

Most of the offensive success rests on the shoulders of senior quarterback Daryll Clark. The offense looks very mediocre when Clark is struggling, much the same as how the Buckeyes are stagnant when Pryor has his woes.

For Clark this became very evident when he played Iowa, which was the best defense he has faced. In that game he was very unsettled, making poor decisions and rarely showing patience.

When the dust settled Clark completed just 37 percent of his passes, while throwing three interceptions, in Penn State's 21-10 loss.

Since that game though, Clark has been a new man. In the last five games he has nine touchdowns and only one interception, while also adding five rushing touchdowns (none prior to last five games). He will look to continue that momentum Saturday.

Clark has a whole host of guys to throw the ball to, none of which has become a huge name (no surprise after losing Butler, Williams, and Norwood). The leading receiver is Derek Moye, who has 648 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

At 6-5 198 pounds, he provides a very large target for Clark to hit. The other two wideouts to keep an eye out for are Graham Zug (344 yards, 5 TD) and Chaz Powell (352 yards, 3 TD).

The Buckeyes will also not want to forget senior tight end Andrew Quarless who has 340 yards and one touchdown this season.

The Nittany Lions also have one of the top Big Ten running backs in Evan Royster. He has 859 yards and five touchdowns on the season, averaging 95.4 yards per game.

The big news for Paterno and boys is that change of pace back Stephfon Green will be back for the game after getting injured against Michigan. He has 248 yards and three touchdowns on the season, and averages 5.1 a carry.

The 1-2 punch of Royster and Green will provide quite a challenge for the Buckeyes, especially when you consider the mobility of Clark.

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written on November 05, 2009 Sports