Tuesday Roundup: Penn State vs. Ohio State
No. 9 Penn State travels to Columbus, Ohio to face No. 2 Ohio State, its fifth Associated Press Top 25 opponent in the last six games, which is the toughest stretch of football since the AP Poll began in 1936. Saturday's game will boast the Big Ten's top two scoring offenses in a matchup that has been decided by just five points over the last three meetings. Here's what we learned from Tuesday's media availability with head coach James Franklin, tight end Pat Freiermuth and defensive end Shaka Toney.
The Opposition
Penn State will take on an Ohio State offense led by transfer quarterback Justin Fields. Fields leads the Big Ten with 31 touchdown passes and ranks 24thnationally with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Head coach James Franklin was asked about defending Penn State's third-straight opponent that's exceptional at throwing the football. "I don't know if there's anybody else in the country that played a four-game stretch like this," Franklin said during his press conference. "We haven't helped ourselves. There's been sometimes where we've blown coverages. The reality is that happens with everybody. We've been unfortunate the times we've blown coverage, we've gotten burned, we've gotten caught for it. We have to eliminate those things as coaches, as players. You've got to give those guys credit for being able to take advantage of it.Obviously critical times magnifies it, as well, but those things have shown up, there's no doubt about it. It's a trickle-down effect. You may have a linebacker that misaligns, which affects the safety, which now affects the corner. One issue impacts the other and vice versa. That's what this week of preparation is about. We're going to have to match their confidence on Saturday and we're going to have to match their play making ability. That's going to be critical."
Tight end Pat Freiermuth added: "Ohio State is a great team. They have athletes everywhere. We have athletes everywhere, too. I agree with what coach said. There's going to be some big plays on both sides of the ball made. We have to roll with the punches, hopefully at the end of the day come out on top. There are athletes everywhere on the field, on the defense. Whenever they sub, bring in new personnel, they don't skip a beat. They're fast, explosive. They definitely have some strength everywhere on the field. Obviously, Chase Young, great player. [Jeff] Okudah, their corner, is really impressive, too. Their linebackers are, too. We're going to have our hands full. We have athletes and playmakers all over the field. Hopefully we come and do what we need to do."
Unrivaled Preparation
With extra noise surrounding this matchup, there's no doubt preparation will be the ultimate difference maker come Saturday. "In the building yesterday, me specifically, I was in there for six hours watching film. I watched three games, four games, specific cut-ups of specific players on the defense," Freiermuth stated. "I think when I was in there, there was a lot of dudes watching film. That was even scout team players watching film on their offense or their defense to give us the best looks and pick up tendencies as to what they do. And that's been all year, to be honest."
Defensive end Shaka Toney added: "I don't look at no game [as] no bigger or no smaller than any other. You see upsets. You see people get blown out. You see anything can happen in college football. If you think one team is so much better than the other, it's just a bad approach. We say 1-0 because that truly means something to us. Anybody can get beat. Doesn't matter how much time you have or what you're doing. Every dog has his day. Everybody has a great approach to the game. You have to treat everybody with the same amount of respect."
Game Information
No. 9 Penn State owns a 2-1 record all-time against Ohio State when the Buckeyes are ranked No. 2 in the AP poll.
"Obviously, a great challenge going on the road in a venue that holds over 100,000. We know the home-field advantage that comes from those type of environments. This is probably the most talented roster we've watched on tape, definitely this year, maybe since we've been here. It's going to be a great challenge," Franklin stated on Tuesday afternoon. "I know our guys are excited about it. Practice today will be important, then I'll get a chance to visit with you guys tomorrow after practice as well and have a better idea of how we've looked. But I know our guys are excited about it and our coaching staff is excited about it. We're going to have to go in and play well on the road against a really good ranked opponent."
Both programs are facing their first Top 10 matchup of the season. Saturday's game can be found on FOX or the Penn State Sports Network and starts at noon. Check out @PennStateFball on Twitter and Instagram or Penn State Football on Facebook following the game for exclusive interviews and more.
