COLUMBUS, Oh. (WHTM) – It’s time for one of the most anticipated games of the season as No. 7 Penn State travels to take on rivals No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.

Last time out

Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)

The Nittany Lions shut out UMass on Oct. 14 in a dominating 63-0 showing with quarterback Drew Allar finishing 16 for 23 with 162 passing yards and three touchdowns. The highlight of the game was Daequan Hardy executing two punt return touchdowns.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith led receivers with six receptions for 30 yards. Nick Singleton topped the chart in the rushing game with 79 yards from 15 attempts.

On the other side of the ball, Curtis Jacobs led defensively with five tackles (four solo) along with Adisa Issac with 2.5 sacks.

Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)

The Buckeyes are coming off a huge blowout victory as well, defeating Purdue 41-7 on Oct. 14. Quarterback Kyle McCord was 16 for 28 with 276 passing yards and three touchdowns. McCord was sacked twice in the contest.

Dalla Hayden was the top rusher with one touchdown and 76 net rushing yards. Marvin Harrison Jr. led receivers with 105 yards on six receptions with a touchdown.

On defense, Cody Simson and Tommy Eichenberg both had eight tackles (5 solo and 4 solo, respectively). Jack Sawyer and TJ Tuimoloau each registered 1.5 sacks.

Dissecting Ohio State

Ohio State owns the same record as Penn State, undefeated at 6-0. The Buckeyes have topped Indiana, Youngstown State, Western Kentucky, Notre Dame, Maryland and Purdue, good for second in the Big Ten behind Michigan.

Ohio State is averaging 36 points per game, holding its opponents to just 9.67 points per game. The Buckeyes are 43.42% on third down conversions and have kept their opposition to 33.70% on the critical play.

Junior quarterback Kyle McCord is in his third season with Ohio State. McCord played in 12 games his first two season with one start, getting the full-time starting job for the first time this season. So far, McCord has a 65.43% pass completion percentage with 11 touchdowns and one interception. The rushing game is not McCord’s specialty as the Mt. Laurel, New Jersey native has -21 rushing yards this season.

The major threats for Penn State will likely be Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson, Harrison Jr. and linebackers Eichenberg and Steele Chambers.

Head Coach Ryan Day has been at the helm of Ohio State for four seasons but has been coaching for 22 years. Day’s Buckeyes have only had six losses since he took over the program, with only two of those being conceded by Big Ten opponents.

Ohio State is also the only school to have qualified for the College Football Playoffs three times since 2019.

To say Ohio State has been successful would be an understatement. The Buckeyes have dominated.

The History

Penn State and Ohio State first played each other in 1912 and they have met every year since 1993 except for 2002. The Buckeyes own the record between the programs at 24-13.

The Nittany Lions are currently on a six-game losing streak in the series. In the last 20 years, Penn State has only bested Ohio State four times. Penn State has only ever held a winning streak twice, both by just two games. The last time that happened was in 1978 and 1980.

Penn State last downed Ohio State in 2016 at home 24-21.

Last year in Beaver Stadium the Buckeyes defeated The Nittany Lions 44-31.