Ohio State Football: Playoff hopes on the line vs. Penn State in Week 9

Can Penn State pull the home upset against Ohio State football in Week 9? Playoff hopes are on the line in this Big Ten East showdown.

The Penn State Nittany Lions look for redemption after their upset loss at the hands of Indiana last week when they invite the Ohio State Buckeyes to Beaver Stadium Saturday evening in a clash of Big Ten East rivals.

The Buckeyes were impressive in their debut against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, winning handily. 52-17. Justin Fields instantly asserted himself in the conversation for both the Heisman and the No. 1 pick in the draft with a masterful one incompletion performance.

The Nittany Lions come into this game without some firepower. Running back Journey Brown and outside linebacker Micah Parsons opted out before the season started, and now Penn State will be without running back Noah Cain. This game for Penn State has always come down to Sean Clifford. Can the junior quarterback make plays against the Ohio State defense?

For the Buckeyes, what you see is what you get offensively. The running game needs to come together with Trey Sermon and Master Teague, but Ohio State has the best receiving corps in the Big Ten. However, can James Franklin and the coaching staff trust Clifford late in a close game?

Here is more on how to view the game.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: College Park, Penn.
Venue: Beaver Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

For Ohio State, it is doing what they did against Nebraska. Let Justin Fields run the show and get out of the way.

The Buckeyes need to get the running game going better than it was going against Nebraska. It got going later in the game, but Ohio State knows it has to run better than it did against Nebraska.

Penn State can’t make mistakes. Ohio State knows how to take advantage of turnovers. Sean Clifford cannot throw two interceptions this week.

With Noah Cain now out, the Nittany Lions need one of their younger tailbacks to become productive. The defense needs to create pressure on Justin Fields and not get beat deep down the field.

Betting Odds

Courtesy of The Action Network

Line: Ohio State -9.5
O/U: 61.5

Prediction

It is hard to trust Sean Clifford in a close game. This season there is no “throw ball 35 yardsto KJ Hamler” anymore. The diminutive dynamo was Clifford’s security blanket. Where does the junior quarterback go then? Penn State starts well, but Ohio State. Too much. Penn State keeps it close until the fourth quarter and Sean Clifford makes the fatal mistake.

Final Score: Ohio State 30, Penn State 17