'Shoe Showdown Analysis: Ohio State Receivers Vs. Penn State Secondary

It all comes down to this.

The most anticipated game in the Big Ten this season is only days away. No. 3 Penn State travels from the sanctuary of Happy Valley to Columbus, Ohio, to clash with No. 9 Ohio State.

All eyes will be on the legs of Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor when the Buckeyes have the ball, but let's take a look at the matchup when Pryor opts to use his arm instead.

Joe Paterno and his staff are well aware the Bucks love to pound the rock, and if this is news to them, then they are in for a surprise. That being said, Ohio State has to figure out a way to stretch the field vertically as well to open up more holes for the running game.

Penn State looked shaky when Michigan went with the ground game, so it can be guaranteed Joe Pa has been riding his defense about that.

As for the OSU passing game, it hasn't exactly been forcing cornerbacks and safeties to stay up at night worrying about getting burned. OSU is only averaging 156 yards a game through the air, which ranks them around 107th in the nation, compared to 182 yards a game on the ground.

Aside from Pryor taking off after scrambling out of the pocket, the best threat OSU has down the field is Brian Robiskie. He has been solid for four years in the program and has seen his numbers decline as the passing game has struggled this season. He has only 26 grabs for 242 yards this year, which relates to a measly 9.3 average per catch.

Robiskie also only has one game this season with more than four receptions, when he grabbed eight against Minnesota. At this time last season, Robiskie had snared 37 balls on his way to 55 catches for 935 yards. His touchdown production is down too, from 11 last year to five this season.

Brian Hartline has been a decent contributor as well, with 15 catches this season and a couple of touchdowns. He hasn't quite lived up to expectations and could have a huge game this week. He made a big catch against Michigan State last week and will need to contribute against PSU for Pryor to have success.

Ray Small has chipped in with 16 catches but for only 112 yards, as he has seen his share of screens and short throws as Pryor gets comfortable in the passing game. Small has had a tendency to disappear in games this season and has his share of drops. His main impact has come on punt and kick returns, when his amazing speed has been showcased.

Dane Sanzenbacher has looked decent in his sophomore season with 10 grabs, but he has yet to become an integral piece of the offense. He took a solid shot in the Wisconsin game after a big play, left the game after appearing to be the victim of an apparent concussion, and has been quiet since.

As for Penn State's defense, they are only allowing 159 yards through the air this season, as well as 103 on the ground. They have 11 interceptions in 2008 so far, which could pose a threat to Pryor.

They get a boost this weekend by having safety Anthony Scirrotto available to play after leaving the Michigan game with a concussion. He could be a difference maker if the Bucks are forced to go vertical with the offense.

Pryor played his best game of the year passing-wise against Michigan State last week and will need to build off that to have any success against the PSU secondary.

On top of that, Penn State has only allowed more than 17 points once this season, when they handled Illinois 38-24. Their D has been stout so far in the 2008 campaign, and Ohio State will have to find a way to successfully move the ball through the air and on the ground if they hope to pull off a victory in the Horseshoe this Saturday night.