By: Pasquale Tartaro, GoPSUSports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With Ohio State on the radar, Penn State players and head coach James Franklin met with the media throughout the week to discuss their collective mindset heading into Columbus.
Wide receiver Jahan Dotson points to the experience of Penn State's roster as a reason to remain optimistic despite losing two straight games to Big Ten opponents: "We have a lot of leaders in our locker room and a lot of guys who have been there before. We have a lot of guys who were on those teams that know what that feels like. We know that coming into the next week, that something wasn't going right the previous week, so we have to go even harder in the film room, on the practice field and that's what we're going to do, because that's the kind of guys we have in the locker room."
Last season against the Buckeyes defense, Dotson recorded one of his best games as a Nittany Lions. The junior playmaker brought in eight receptions for 144 yards and three touchdowns in Penn State's 13-point loss.
Senior defensive end Arnold Ebiketie: "We have a lot of football ahead of us. Last week didn't go our way. We're not going to put our heads down, we're just going to keep fighting because we know what we're capable of in that locker room."
Ebiketie has played a vital role within the defensive unit as a disruptive, high-motor player that can defend the run and rush the passer.
Through seven games, Ebiketie has tallied 5.5 sacks and 41 tackles for a Penn State defense that ranks sixth in the nation in points allowed per game (14.7).
Franklin had high praise for an Ohio State offense that leads the Big Ten in points per game (49.3) and yards per game (559.3): "They are as explosive as any offense in the country right now. The quarterback CJ Stroud is playing with tremendous confidence. He's getting better every single week, obviously surrounded with a bunch of explosive players and Treveyon Henderson, I think, has really changed him since he's role has grown in the offense. Obviously, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are all receivers that can catch the short pass and take it the distance or have the ability to beat you over the top from the beginning."
Ohio State's offense scored touchdowns on all six of its first-half possessions against Indiana last week.
This season, Ohio State's lowest scoring output occurred during the Buckeyes 35-28 loss to Oregon.
Thus, Penn State's defense will need to play disciplined against a dynamic unit that presents various challenges to each defense it faces.
Senior linebacker Ellis Brooks: "I feel like we have a strong group, a strong locker room. Everyone's keeping the morale up, keeping the spirit up, ready to fight, ready to work... Just trying to win each day so that Saturday's take care of themselves."
Despite losing defensive tackle PJ Mustipher shortly into the game against Iowa, Penn State's defense has remained as a tight knit, strong group.
With five games remaining against formidable Big Ten opponents, Brooks, the Nittany Lions' leading tackler (55 total tackles) has strong belief in his peers due to their day-to-day commitment to improvement.
