There has only been one Big Ten team to really find success against a strong Penn State Nittany Lions defense, and that’s the USC Trojans, who dropped 30 points on them and also forced them to overtime. Ohio State hopes to be the second.
Obviously, the undefeated Nittany Lions came out on top, but the Trojans gave them all they could handle. How were they able to have success?
Well, the Trojans opened the pass game up with the run, and they were able to move the ball in the trenches. That is the most important takeaway of that game, especially for an Ohio State team that has two terrific backs.
It will be hard to replicate as the Nittany Lions defense has been that good.
Top Defenses, through Week 9
• Opponent-Adjusted, Per-Play1 Tennessee
2 Ohio State
3 Notre Dame
4 Texas
5 Oregon
6 South Carolina
7 Penn State
8 Georgia
9 Washington
10 BYUFull Power 4 list, from #1 to #68: pic.twitter.com/uvcwEeG5i6
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) October 31, 2024
However, much like Ohio State, USC was led by Jo’quavious Marks and Quienten Joyner, both of which went for at least 80 rushing yards. Marks had 20 attempts for 111 yards.
The Trojans combined for almost 200 rushing yards, and the Buckeyes, spearheaded by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, need to find a way to abuse Penn State on the ground as that is going to be the key to opening that defense up and eventually finding a way into the endzone consistently.
