| PENN STATE vs.OHIO STATE | |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 - 8 p.m. ET | |
| Ohio Stadium| Columbus, Ohio | |
| Game Day Information: | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| TV: ABC |
| Radio: 93.7 FM | 1450 AM | Sirius: 81 | XM: 81 |
| Live Audio |
| Football Blog | Football Media Central |
| Follow Us: @PennStateFBall | Facebook | Instagram |
| Gameday Central |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Ohio State |
| Statistics: Penn State | Ohio State |
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | OSU | |
| 25.2 | Scoring* | 36.8 |
| 15.7 | 1st Downs* | 21.7 |
| 156.8 | Rushing* | 230.0 |
| 187.0 | Passing* | 230.0 |
| 343.8 | Total Offense* | 460.0 |
| 4/2 | Fumbles/Lost | 15/6 |
| 32/271 | Penalties/Yards | 46/397 |
| 37/36.4 | Punts/Avg. | 28/42.4 |
| 31% | 3rd Down % | 36% |
| 29% | 4th Down % | 44% |
| 25 | Sacks | 19 |
| 4 | Interceptions | 8 |
| 20/22 | Red Zone | 18/22 |
| 29:55 | Time of Possession | 28:12 |
* - Per Game Statistics
Oct. 12, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State's first trip out of the state of the season will also be its stiffest test of the season, as the Nittany Lions will head to Columbus to take on the defending National Champions and current No. 1 ranked team, Ohio State, in a primetime 8 p.m. match-up on ABC.
Penn State comes off of a five-game homestand that saw nearly a half-million fans delighted with five-straight wins in Beaver Stadium. The finale featured plenty of sunshine for Homecoming. Homecoming festivities concluded the five-game stretch, with Grand Marshal and comedian Keegan-Michael Key `96 spelling head coach James Franklin by leading a team meeting during the week. Perhaps Key's guidance gave the Lions a boost, as they turned in a complete performance in a 29-7 win over Indiana.
The defense continued a dominant start to Big Ten play, again yielding only one score after holding Rutgers to just a field goal in the conference opener. Carl Nassib continued to badger opposing quarterbacks and now leads the nation in both sacks and forced fumbles. Quarterback Christian Hackenberg also continued his ascent in the Penn State record books, surpassing 7,000 yards passing for his career and accounting for all four touchdowns. After throwing a pair of 39-yard touchdowns, he scrambled for two more as he enjoyed a career rushing day.
Although the injury bug has tested Penn State's depth, young players continue to step into leading roles. Against Indiana, a pair of freshmen running backs (Nick Scott, Mark Allen) set career highs, while rookie John Reid hauled in his team-best second interception.
Indiana is the only common opponent the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes share at this point in the season. Ohio State played the Hoosiers the week prior in Bloomington, earning a 34-27 victory. The Nittany Lions gave Ohio State a tremendous fight last season in Beaver Stadium, rallying from a 17-0 deficit at halftime to force double overtime.
Penn State will next travel to Maryland for a game in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium before returning to Beaver Stadium on Halloween to host Illinois.
OHIO STATE COACH URBAN MEYER
• Urban Meyer is in his fourth season as the Ohio State head coach. Meyer began his coaching career as the tight ends coach for the Buckeyes in 1986.
• Other head coaching stops have included Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04), Florida (2005-10).
• This will be Meyer's fifth match up against Penn State, as his Florida team beat the Nittany Lions in the 2011 Outback Bowl, 37-24.
• He has won three National Championships, guiding Florida in 2006 and 2008, and Ohio State last season.
• Meyer was an ESPN analyst for Penn State's home game with Iowa on Oct. 8, 2011.
• He is a 1986 graduate of the University of Cincinnati.
STORIED PROGRAMS MEET ON GRIDIRON
Penn State and Ohio State are among the nation's premier football programs:
• Penn State and Ohio State both rank among the top-eight programs in winning percentage and total victories in NCAA history.
• Penn State is tied for third nationally with its 28 bowl victories, while Ohio State has 21 bowl wins. The teams are tied for ninth nationally with 45 bowl appearances.
• Four of the top-12 winningest programs in NCAA history are from the Big Ten.
• Penn State sits No. 10 in winning percentage (.688) and tied for No. 7 in all-time victories (854).
• Ohio State sits at No. 5 with 869 victories and No. 4 with an all-time winning percentage of .722.
• The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are also among the most ranked teams in NCAA history, according to the AP poll (since 1936).
• Ohio State has spent 102 weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll (1st all-time) and Penn State has earned the No. 1 ranking by the AP on 21 occasions (T-15th all-time). (Not including preseason rankings)
• Penn State's 591 weeks ranked among the AP Top-25 rank ninth all-time, while Ohio State's 844 weeks are the most in NCAA history.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
• The top-ranked team all season, Ohio State is undefeated through six games, including Big Ten contests at Indiana (34-27) and vs. Maryland (49-28).
• The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten averaging 36.8 points per game and 460.0 yards of total offense. Their 300.2 yards of total defense per game ranks fifth.
• Ezekiel Elliot leads the conference and ranks 11th nationally with 159.7 rushing yards per game.
• Michael Thomas is among the Big Ten's top WR with four TDs and 4.5 catches for 66.5 yards per game.
• Ohio State is also a scoring threat on defense as one of 11 teams tops nationally with three defensive scores.
LIONS GET CRACK AT NO. 1
• Penn State will be facing the nation's top-ranked team for the first time since a 2010 meeting at Alabama.
• Penn State has faced a top-ranked Ohio State team three times (1998, 2006, 2007), with the Buckeyes prevailing in all three.
• The Nittany Lions are 4-11 against the nation's No. 1 team all-time.
• Two of the Lions' wins over No. 1 came in National Championship bowl games, with the Nittany Lions winning both -- the 1983 Sugar Bowl over Georgia and the 1987 Fiesta Bowl over Miami (Fla.).
• The Nittany Lions' other two wins over No. 1 came in regular season games at Pitt (1981) and Notre Dame (1990).
PENN STATE VS. THE DEFENDING CHAMPS
• The 2015 season slate marks the 24th in Penn State's history to feature the previous season's National Champion (PSU faced both split champions in 1897.) The Ohio State game will be the 25th against a defending National Champion.
• Penn State is 5-16-3 all-time against defending National Champions, and 3-6 since 1971.
• 17 of those games have been on the road and two at neutral sites.
• Penn State last faced a defending champ in 2010 when it visited Alabama, falling 24-3.
• Penn State hosted Ohio State following its 2002 national title, and the Buckeyes rallied from behind to steal a 21-20 victory in Beaver Stadium.
• The Nittany Lions enjoyed their greatest success against defending champs from 1971-91, defeating three of four.
• The Lions' last win over a defending champion was in the 1991 season opener against Georgia Tech, a 34-22 victory in Giants Stadium.
PENN STATE VS. BIG TEN
• Penn State owns a 190-94-3 mark against Big Ten Conference teams since the Nittany Lions first opposed Ohio State in 1912.
• The Nittany Lions began play as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and have a 111-67 mark.
• Prior to joining the conference, Penn State played 107 games vs. the current Big Ten alignment and was 79-25-3 in those games.
• Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten on July 1, 2014.
PENN STATE-OHIO STATE CONNECTIONS
• Penn State freshman T Chance Sorrell protected Ohio State redshirt freshman HB Jalin Marshall when he was the quarterback at Middletown (Ohio) High School.
• Penn State sophomore S Anthony Smith and Ohio State sophomore WR Noah Brown both attended Pope John XXIII in New Jersey.
• Penn State freshman P Daniel Pasquariello and Ohio State sophomore P Cameron Johnston both trained with Prokick Australia.
• Penn State senior WR Matt Zanellato and Ohio State junior kicker Tyler Durbin played together Lake Braddock in Virginia.
NITTANY LION FROM OHIO
Redshirt freshman Chance Sorrell is the only Nittany Lion on the roster from Ohio, hailing from Middletown and Middletown High School.
LIONS UNDER THE LIGHTS
• After playing three Big Ten games at night in 2014, Penn State is slated to play at least two this season.
• For the second year in a row, Penn State opened its Big Ten slate with a nighttime victory over Rutgers.
• Penn State and Ohio State played their sixth primetime clash since 2005 last season and were in primetime for the third consecutive year. The streak will be extended at Ohio State at 8 p.m. on ABC.
• On Oct. 12, 2012, the Nittany Lions claimed the longest game in Big Ten history when they edged Michigan under the lights, 43-40, in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd of 107,844 on Homecoming.
• This year marks the eighth time since 2000 that Penn State will play multiple night games in the same season (Rutgers, at Ohio State).
• Penn State has played at least one regular season night game in 15 consecutive seasons.
• Penn State has a 42-28 record in night games, going 10-10 at home, 20-11 on the road, 1-1 at regular season neutral sites and 11-6 in bowl games, including last season's Pinstripe Bowl.
• The Lions' night games over the past 15 seasons include: Rutgers (2015), Boston College (Pinstripe Bowl), Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers (2014); Ohio State, Michigan and UCF (2013); Iowa and Ohio State (2012); Northwestern (2011); Alabama, Iowa and Michigan (2010); Iowa (2009); Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio State (2008); Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M (2007), Michigan (2006), Illinois, Ohio State and Florida State (2005), Minnesota and Boston College (2004), Nebraska (2002 and `03), Miami (Fla.) (2001) and Indiana (2000).
GREAT START
• With five consecutive victories in five consecutive home games, the Nittany Lions are off to their best home start since 2008. It is also their fourth 5-0 home start since 2000 (2005, 2007, 2008, 2015).
• Penn State is 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since starting the 2012 season 3-0.
• Penn State's five-game winning streak is its first since 2012.
NEW BEGINNINGS
• Penn State has had 22 freshmen play this season (five true, 17 redshirt).
• Redshirt freshmen Johnathan Thomas, Robby Leibel and Daquan Worley became the 19th, 20th and 21st freshmen to play this season against Army. Chance Sorrell made his debut against Indiana.
• With 13 first-time starters this season, Penn State ranks 14th in the country.
• Redshirt freshman running back Nick Scott and junior center Wendy Laurent made their first career starts against Indiana, becoming the 12th and 13th Nittany Lions to make first career starts this season.
• Redshirt freshman running back Mark Allen and sophomore safety Troy Apke made their first career starts against Army, becoming the 10th and 11th Nittany Lions to make their first career starts this season.
• Allen and Scott both started at running back, becoming the fourth and fifth freshmen to start a game for Penn State this season, joining redshirt freshman Troy Reeder and true freshmen John Reid and Brandon Polk.
FRESHMEN RUNNING BACKS
• When asked if the offense was becoming too dependent on freshmen running backs recently, coach James Franklin quipped that freshmen running backs were all he had.
• Six of Penn State's 10 rushers this season have been freshmen.
• With true freshman Saquon Barkley and junior Akeel Lynch missing the last 2.5 games due to injury, redshirt freshmen Nick Scott and Mark Allen have been carrying the load on the ground.
• Scott had a career-best 57 yards rushing against Indiana after rushing for 54 against Army the previous week.
• Scott had a career-long 35-yard rush early in the first quarter against Indiana.
• Allen had a career-best 45 yards rushing against Indiana after gaining 17 yards the previous week vs. Army.
• Allen had a career-long 28-yard rush in the second quarter against Indiana.
• Redshirt freshman Johnathan Thomas made his Penn State debut against Army.
INJURY BUG
• The Nittany Lions have been hit with the injury bug this season with more than 38 games lost to injury.
Among the notable games lost are:
• Nyeem Wartman-White -- 5.5 games
• Adam Breneman -- 5 games
• Ben Kline -- 4 games
• Andrew Nelson -- 3.5 games
• Saquon Barkley -- 2.5 games
• Akeel Lynch -- 2.5 games
• Marcus Allen -- 2 games (played only two snaps vs. SDSU)
• Brandon Bell -- 2 games
• Grant Haley -- 2 games
• Wendy Laurent -- 2 games
• Gary Wooten Jr. -- 2 games
• Jordan Lucas -- 1 game
• Evan Schwan -- 1 game
• Koa Farmer -- 1 game
• Angelo Mangiro - 1 game
• Chris Gulla - 1 game
• Additionally, Penn State has started 34 different players on offense and defense this season. Last season, the Nittany Lions started 36 players on offense and defense.
• Penn State has used five different starting lineups on defense this season, while the offense has used four different starting lineups due to injury.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• With 4.17 sacks per game, Penn State is a mere 0.03 sacks per game behind Pittsburgh (4.20) for the national lead.
• Penn State is tied for the lead in total sacks with Oklahoma State with 25. • Senior defensive end Carl Nassib has recorded a sack in each game this season. He leads the nation with 10.0 sacks (all solo) for an FBS-leading average of 1.67 per game.
• Nassib's 10.0 sacks this season are the most by a Nittany Lion since Aaron Maybin had 12 sacks in the 2008 season.
• The Nittany Lions made the most of their few chances for sacks against Army's run-heavy triple-option offense, totaling more sacks (3) than passing attempts (1) and completions (1).
• Sophomore linebacker Jason Cabinda registered two sacks in the Army win, including on fourth down to end the Black Knights' comeback hopes.
• The Nittany Lion defense racked up four sacks against Indiana, which had only allowed three sacks all season entering the game.