Penn State vs Ohio State: 3 Keys for a Buckeye Upset

The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Columbus on Saturday to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Last week, the Buckeyes suffered a big upset at the hands of Purdue, but they will be looking to get revenge this week on the reeling Nittany Lions.

Here's a quick look at three keys for Ohio State in pulling off the upset. 

Run the Ball Well

It wouldn't be Big Ten football if there wasn't a key matchup in the running game. 

The Buckeyes are 11th in the country in terms of rushes per game with just over 45. On the other side of the ball, Penn State gives up just 3.3 yards per carry, good enough for 18th best in the nation.

It is going to be an all-out battle in the trenches.

Running back Dan Herron is dealing with an ankle injury, but he needs to bounce back after a down week against Purdue last Saturday. 

Ohio State doesn't throw it a whole lot, but they will need to establish a good running game early if they want to be able to open up the playbook. 

Take Care of the Ball

The Penn State defense is very good at forcing turnovers, as they average 2.2 takeaways per game.

Luckily for the Buckeyes, the fact that they run the ball so much will again help them here. Since they rarely pass, they only commit one turnover per game, which is fourth best in the entire country. 

Penn State doesn't really thrive on offense, but they force turnovers, play the field-position battle and score just enough needed to win.

The Buckeyes will need to grind the ball out on the ground, take care of the ball and not give Penn St. good field position. If they do that, the Buckeyes defense is good enough to prevent the Nittany Lions from scoring.

Complete Some Passes

Of course, it all comes full circle. One of the major reasons Dan Herron and the Ohio St running game struggled last week against Purdue was because the Boilermakers constantly stacked the box. 

They were able to do this, of course, because Braxton Miller and the passing game served as no major threat to beat anyone down field. 

If the Buckeyes are going to get the running game going, which is the major key to winning this game, they will need to show Penn State they can throw the ball. 

That way, the Nittany Lions won't be able to afford to crowd the box so much.