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Penn St. Nittany Lions (5-2; 2-2 Big Ten East) vs Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1; 4-0 Big Ten East)
7:30 p.m. ET, October 30, 2021 - ABC
Ohio Stadium (Capacity: 104,944 / Columbus, OH)
| Penn State | Value (Nat'l Rank) | Value (Nat'l Rank) | Ohio State | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Offense (ypg) | 118.9 (100) | 119.4 (28) | Rushing Defense (ypg) |
|
| Passing Offense (ypg) | 253.6 (47) | 230.9 (T - 73) | Passing Defense (ypg) |  |
| Pass Efficiency | 135.54 (79) | 122.15 (36) | Pass Efficiency Defense | |
| Total Offense (ypg) | 372.4 (86) | 350.3 (48) | Total Defense (ypg) | |
| Scoring Offense (ppg) | 26.9 (T - 79) | 18.57 (18) | Scoring Defense (ppg) |
|
| Rushing Defense (ypg) | 146.4 (62) | 207.6 (25) | Rushing Offense (ypg) | |
| Passing Defense (ypg) | 178.0 (T - 15) | 352.1 (7) | Passing Offense (ypg) | Push |
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 97.04 (3) | 188.32 (3) | Pass Efficiency | Push |
| Total Defense (ypg) | 324.4 (26) | 559.7 (1) | Total Offense (ypg) | |
| Scoring Defense (ppg) | 14.71 (6) | 49.3 (1) | Scoring Offense (ppg) | Push |
| Punt Return Defense (ypr) | 2.86 (18) | 5.31 (97) | Punt Return Yds |
|
| Punt Return Yds | 6.64 (T - 82) | 5.50 (T - 44) | Punt Return Defense (ypr) | |
| Net Punting Yds | 46.22 (3) | 42.25 (24) | Net Punting Yds | Push |
| Kickoff Return Yds | 16.86 (115) | 16.24 (12) | Kickoff Return Defense |
|
| Kickoff Return Defense | 0.00 (1) | 29.69 (7) | Kickoff Return Yds | Push |
| Turnover Margin | +.86 (T - 19) | +.86 (T - 19) | Turnover Margin | Push |
| Passes Had Intercepted | 7 (T - 86) | 9 (T - 14) | Passes Intercepted |
|
| Passes Intercepted | 9 (T - 14) | 4 (T - 29) | Passes Had Intercepted | Push |
| Penalty Yds/Game | 54.71 (T - 61) | 62.86 (93) | Penalty Yds/Game |
|
| Sacks | 2.14 (T - 70) | 1.29 (T - 19) | Sacks Allowed |
|
| Sacks Allowed | 1.86 (T - 48) | 3.57(8) | Sacks | |
| Tackles for Loss (tpg) | 6.00 (T - 31) | 2.14 (4) | Tackles for Loss Allowed (tpg) | |
| Tackles for Loss Allowed (tpg) | 6.14 (T - 108) | 5.9 (T - 34) | Tackles for Loss (tpg) |
|
| Redzone Offense (%) | 87.5% (T - 48) | 81.0% (T - 57) | Redzone Defense (%) | Push |
| Redzone Defense (%) | 65.2% (T - 7) | 96.6% (T - 6) | Redzone Offense (%) | Push |
| Redzone TD % | 50.00% | 66.67% | Redzone TD % Defense | Push |
| Redzone TD % Defense | 30.43% | 79.31% | Redzone TD % |
|
| 3rd Down Conv. % | 33.0% (115) | 40.4% (82) | 3rd Down Defense % | |
| 3rd Down Defense % | 36.7% (47) | 57.7% (3) | 3rd Down Conv. % | |
| 4th Down Conv. % | 41.7% (T - 101) | 46.2% (T - 46) | 4th Down Defense % |
|
| 4th Down Defense % | 60.0% (T - 87) | 44.4% (94) | 4th Down Conv. % | Push |
| 1st Downs | 137 (T - 99) | 143 (T - 50) | 1st Downs Allowed |
|
| 1st Downs Allowed | 144 (T - 54) | 184 (16) | 1st Downs |
|
| Time of Possession | 27 (114) | 27 (115) | Time of Possession | Push |
| Strength of Schedule | 19 | 16 | Strength of Schedule | Push |
Difference >25 in National Rank =
Difference >50 in National Rank =
Difference >75 in National Rank =
Difference >100 in National Rank =
Note:
All of the above rankings are taken directly from the NCAA except for strength of schedule, which is taken from Team Rankings.com.
The Redzone TD% and Redzone TD% Defense are calculated by me and not ranked by the NCAA. Determining who has the advantage in these categories is strictly my arbitrary judgment.
Quick thoughts:
Three weeks ago, we all felt very different about this season. Today, I’m honestly not surprised at the lack of chipmunks on this post and, in some ways, I expected this to be worse.
As we all know, Ohio State sometimes needs an early season loss to get its ish together, and they’ve really put it together (especially on offense) since the Ducks came to town and won. Penn State, on the other hand, looks broken (and not just Clifford) - last week, the team just looked off (bad, off) all day. And while I’m not as down on the defense as some are (ultimately, the job of the defense is preventing the opposing team from scoring points - and they did just that, in 7 of the 9 overtimes), the tumble from this post a few weeks ago is pretty stark.
What say you all?