Why Ohio State vs. Penn State Is an NFL Scout's Dream Matchup

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With all due respect to Ezekiel Elliott's run through the postseason, the most impressive play of Ohio State's 2014 national championship campaign came at the midway point of the regular season.

Facing their toughest test of the year since a Week 2 loss to Virginia Tech, the Buckeyes found themselves on the ropes in a double-overtime outing at Penn State, where a loss would have knocked Ohio State out of playoff contention for good. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, the tiresome test seemed to bring out the best in defensive end Joey Bosa, whose game-clinching sack through Nittany Lions running back Akeel Lynch sealed Ohio State's victory.

"I was so exhausted and I didn't even run the play right. I just shot the gap and I was supposed to loop out," Bosa recalled on Monday. "I don’t think I’ll be able to top a moment like that."

Only a sophomore at the time, Bosa's impressive play helped solidify his status as a potential No. 1 pick a year and a half ahead of the 2016 NFL draft.

Should Bosa find himself in the green room for the draft next spring, he'll likely be joined by the recipient of his spectacular sack, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg, whom he'll be lining up across from once again on Saturday when Ohio State welcomes the Nittany Lions to Ohio Stadium.

Projected by some to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft since last spring, Hackenberg has been on the NFL's radar since his Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign in 2013. Bosa downplayed the rematch between the two highly touted pro prospects, but he didn't deny being excited to match up against Hackenberg once again.

"I can't say I really ever thought about it like that," Bosa said. "I do like going against the best though."

Bosa may not be viewing Saturday's showdown with Hackenberg through the lens of their respective futures as pro players, but the same can't be said in NFL circles. Scouts will undoubtedly flock to Columbus for their chance to get a look at arguably the top quarterback and defensive end in next year's draft playing in the same game.

Looking at their respective stat lines this season, some might be wondering if both Bosa and Hackenberg are worth the hype.

For Bosa, the concerns stem from a lack of perceived production through the first six weeks of the season, which have seen the 6'6", 275-pounder's sack total stray from last year's record-setting pace. After tallying 13.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2014, Bosa has just 1.5 sacks at the midway point of the 2015 season—his first full sack coming in last weekend's win over Maryland.

"It's good to get there," Bosa said. "It's what D-Linemen go for every game, to get their sacks."

But while Bosa's sack total may not be as high as it was at this time a year ago, all indications from those inside the Ohio State program—and those watching intently from outside—are that the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native is playing as productively as he ever has in his college career. Advanced analytics site Pro Football Focus has still graded Bosa as one of its top pass-rushers in all of college football and what he's lacked in sacks, he's made up for in quarterback hurries, having already tallied eight in five games after posting four all of last year.

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

With the extra attention opposing offenses have been paying to Bosa, it's not a coincidence that the two players who have been rotating at the end spot opposite him on the Ohio State defensive line—Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard—have already combined for nine sacks this season.

"I'm getting to the quarterback way more than last year," Bosa said. "I think I'm playing well, I'm grading out a champion. As long as our team is doing well, I'm happy."

Still, Bosa conceded: "It's kind of annoying getting there so many times and only coming up with a sack and a half."

It's a feeling that the quarterback he'll be lining up across from this weekend can relate to.

Despite Hackenberg seeing a drop in production in nearly every major statistical quarterback category from his freshman year to his sophomore season, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay still thought highly enough of the 6'4", 228-pounder to project him as the 2016 draft's No. 1 overall pick in his way-too-early mock draft last spring. Much of the hope for Hackenberg seemed to be based on an anticipated bounce-back year from the former 5-star prospect, as the Nittany Lions regained depth with the return to a full allotment of 85 scholarships.

But at the midway of his junior campaign, the Penn State signal-caller's numbers have remained stagnant and in some cases have once again regressed. Hackenberg's completion percentage has dropped from 58.9 percent as a freshman to 55.8 percent as a sophomore to 53 percent through the first six games of 2015, and while his quarterback rating is up to 120.3 from the 109.4 he posted a season ago, that's still a dip from the impressive 134 rating he earned as a true freshman under then-Nittany Lions head coach Bill O'Brien.

Nevertheless, some still view Hackenberg as a potential franchise quarterback at the next level, despite recent stat lines that would indicate otherwise.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

"Once he gets out of that situation, which is not a good situation at Penn State, scouts and GMs and coaches will drool over Christian Hackenberg," ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer said, per PennLive.com. "He's very, very, very similar to [Hall of Famer] Troy Aikman."

While it's worth nothing that Dilfer has a relationship with Hackenberg that dates back to his participation in the Elite 11 quarterback camp, the ESPN analyst isn't alone in thinking that the Palmyra, Virginia, native's drop in efficiency is a product of those playing around him. Having prepared to play Hackenberg in each of the past two seasons, Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash said he sees a quarterback capable of making all the throws—and players around him who aren't always capitalizing on his ability to do so.

"When you look at his numbers, it isn't necessarily because of the quarterback. For whatever reason, they've had a number of drops," Ash pointed out. "It may not look favorable for the quarterback's stats, but he's making some really good throws, he's making some really good short throws, deep throws and for whatever reason, every now and then, a ball may be dropped by a receiver."

Like Bosa, Hackenberg's a player whose tape tells the tale of his upside much more than his stat line does. Sometimes that tape results in an unbelievable play like Bosa's sack against the Nittany Lions a season ago or one of Hackenberg's trademark NFL-caliber throws.

Whether either player will add to their respective growing list of highlights this Saturday remains to be seen. But if they do, make no mistake, despite what the numbers might tell you, there will be plenty of NFL personnel in attendance to witness it happen.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.