Penn State

Christian Hackenberg, #14 Quarterback-  Hackenberg was the gem of Bill O’Brien’s first recruiting class as head coach of Penn State.  Hackenberg was the number one ranked pocket passer according to 247Sports, and he has not disappointed the Nittany Lion coaching staff with his progress.  So far this season Hackenberg’s stat line reads: 58.3% completion, 11 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and he’s averaging 7.4 yards per attempt.  While these numbers are nothing like Florida State phenom Jameis Winston, Hackenberg has shown glimpses this year of being the superstar QB he was touted to be out of high school.  Hackenberg is a smart kid with a big arm and some mobility.  His downfall comes with his accuracy.  His last three starts against Kenn State, Indiana, and Michigan, Hackenberg has had an average completion percentage of 47.9%.    Those performances would indicate the normal growing pains for a true freshman quarterback.  However, after riding the momentum of a great 4th quarter drive against the team up north, and given a bye week to prepare, Hackenberg may start to turn the corner and become the elite passer he was touted to be.  Look out for this kid, he is going to special.

Allen Robinson, #8 Wide Receiver-  Robinson is the favorite target of the true freshman quarterback.  He has hauled in 43 receptions (21 more than the second leading receiver), for 705 yards and 5 touchdowns so far this season.  Robinson is a big, imposing wide receiver measuring 6’3 210 pounds.  However, don’t let Robinson’s height and weight fool you, the kid has got some speed on him as well.  He’s a very good route runner with great hands, and an ability to go up and get the ball.  Shutting down Robinson will be vital for the Ohio State secondary.  Robinson moves all over the field.  He’ll receive tunnel screens and take them the distance, he can also beat press coverage on the outside.  He’s an NFL talent and can single handily destroy a secondary.  Just look at what he did against Syracuse below.

Bill Belton, #1 Running Back-  While Zach Zwinack is the workhorse for the Nittany Lions run game, Belton is the kid Buckeye fans should look out for.  The junior running back is a slashing type of running back.  He has a quick first step, and can make defenders miss in space.  He is a also a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.  That will be a large concern for the Buckeye linebackers who may have to cover him in space.  Belton can beat a defense multiple ways.  He is averaging a team best 5.7 yards per carry, and has recorded 5 total touchdowns so far this season.  He also was responsible for scoring the game winning touchdown against Michigan.  Belton is no where near the caliber of running backs such as Melvin Gordon or Mark Weisman, but his versatility makes him a threat to any defense.

Ohio State

Bradley Roby–  Prior to Roby’s ejection from last weeks game, it looked like Roby was starting to get back to his old ways.  He was flying around the field, looking to hit anything that moved.  He finally looked like he stopped thinking and decided to go play football.  I think the bye week did Roby some good.  His year of facing good to great wide receivers does not get any easier as this weekend Robinson rolls in to town.  Robinson will be one of Roby’s toughest tests.  As stated above Robinson can hit a defense from anywhere on the field, so it will be important for Roby to be on his game.  If the front seven can take care of the run game without any extra reliance on Roby then it will take a lot of pressure off of him and allow him to focus on shutting down Robinson.  Roby’s play style and athleticism match up very well against Robinson.  Roby has extremely smooth hips, he is very very good in press coverage, and as long as he stays disciplined on the double moves, Roby can keep up with Robinson speed wise.  This will be the match-up to watch all night long as these two All Big Ten players battle it out.

Braxton Miller–  If Braxton watched the Penn State game against the team up north, then he should be salivating.  Penn State struggled to contain Devin Gardner as Gardner rushed for 121 yards, and threw for another 240 yards.  Not only that, but Braxton had his way last year with this Penn State defense, and this years Nittany Lion defense is a shell of what is was last year.  Miller, and the offense, looked to be getting in to rhythm against Iowa, and I expect them to be full speed this Saturday night under the lights.  His knee looks good to go, and his arm/mechanics looked fantastic.  As long as Herman does not continually attempt to force the issue against Penn State, and instead take what the defense gives them, I would expect Braxton to have a huge night through the air and on the ground.

Ryan Shazier–  Shazier has had a quietly productive All-American season so far.  He has recorded 56 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 sack so far in the 2013 campaign.  Last year against Penn State Shazier had a huge game as he had an interception return for touchdown along with:  8 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.  He will be important in the pass game as Penn State is willing to utilize the tight ends, and after seeing the amount of success Iowa had against OSU linebackers doing that, Shazier should expect to see some action his way.  If not he will somehow, some way, find a way to affect the game and have his nose in the backfield of Penn State.

It seems to come up every year around this time: is Penn State really our rival? They sure think so, and it’s hard to blame them. We are the closest conference team to them geographically and our games tend to be competitive. The overall record between the two teams is only slightly in our favor.

But Buckeye fans have different views on the subject. Personally, I don’t believe in multiple rivals. Sure, you could argue that every team in your conference is technically a rival, and that’s true in a sense. But to me, there’s more to a rivalry than just wanting to win a game. There’s a real and pure hate that transcends all other football allegiance.

I can sum it up for you pretty easily: a couple weeks ago, on the Saturday of Ohio State’s bye week, a friend had a party, attended primarily by Buckeye fans. Since there was no game we needed to watch, we would, every once in a while, check in on scores and keep each other updated. As the Penn State/Michigan game proceeded, it became apparent that the Wolverines might suffer their first loss of the season. We gathered around the TV, the crowd growing larger with each overtime. It was determined that my wife was bad luck and she banned herself from the room. We were cheering as if it were our own team on the field.

And we were cheering for Penn State.

Because Michigan is our rival and they always will be. We will always get at least a little bit of joy when they lose and be a little disappointed when they win. This week we’ll be cheering against Penn State, but it will not be with the same abject disdain as we’ll have on November 30th.

While some of these rankings can be fluid, here is how I would currently place Big Ten teams in terms of their “rivalry” with Ohio State:

The Hated

The true rival, this series is filled with history and hate. It bleeds over into not only other sports but also personal relationships.

Michigan, obviously

Competitive Rivalries

Based primarily on recent success, these series are more about the game itself than anything else. Sometimes the presence of a particular coach or player can elevate a team to this category. Often bleed over into sports, but not typically beyond that.

Wisconsin
Penn State

Sibling Rivalries

Sometimes competitive, but usually still one-sided. Marked by mutual respect. Mostly, we just don’t want to lose to these teams, but have nothing else against them.

Michigan State
Iowa
Northwestern
Nebraska, probably (too early to tell)

Weird Neighbors

Not generally competitive, but sometimes spring a surprise upset or play better than expected. Beating these teams is not overly exciting, but losing to them is very damaging.

Illinois
Indiana
Minnesota
Purdue

1.) Ohio State (7-0)- Beat Iowa 34-24. Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde were unstoppable. The Defense was not ready for the offense Iowa used early on with 3 TEs. They made adjustments and ended up pulling away for a big Homecoming win.

2.) Michigan State (6-1)- Beat Purdue 14-0. They held Purdue to 226 yards and 0 points. The problem is they were barely better on offense. Mustering a pathetic 294 yards and 14 points against a horrible Purdue.

3.) Wisconsin (5-2)- Beat Illinois 56-32. That run game they have is top notch. The defense is pretty great as well. They are well coached and well prepared. They are a referee bad call from 6-1.

4.) Nebraska (5-1)- Nebraska was on a BYE this last weekend.

5.) Penn State (4-2)- Penn State was on a BYE this last weekend.

6.) Michigan (6-1)- Beat Indiana 63-47. When Devin Gardner is on he is really good. When he is off he is really bad. He is just too inconsistent right now. That defense is not very good this year which is the biggest surprise to me.

7.) Minnesota (5-2)- Beat Northwestern 20-17. Coach Jerry Kill made an emotional halftime speech that fired up the Gophers and helped them secure a big win over a previously ranked Wildcat team.

8.) Iowa (4-3)- Lost to Ohio State 34-24. Iowa had a great game plan and led early in this game. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes OSU made adjustments and pulled away to win.

9.) Indiana (3-4)- Lost to Michigan 63-47. The Indiana defense is just flat pathetic. Their offense keeps them in games and even wins them games. They were within 2 points with just a few mins left in this Michigan game before falling apart in the end.

10.) Northwestern (4-3)- Lost to Minnesota 20-17. The Wildcats are in a free fall since their emotional loss to Ohio State 3 weeks ago. They better right the ship fast before their season is lost.

11.) Illinois (3-3)- Lost to Wisconsin 56-32. Illinois just couldn’t stop the Wisconsin Offense. The Illini are better than they were last year for sure. They are going to need to work hard to get bowl eligible.

12.) Purdue (1-6)- Lost to Michigan State 14-0. Purdue had a good defensive showing although they were playing an awful offense. Their season is lost and they will need to rebuild going forward.

Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes scripted the perfect game plan to beat Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes. It still didn’t work as Meyer remains unbeaten in 19 tries as the head coach of Ohio State. Iowa used multiple tight end sets to confuse and rattle the Buckeyes as well as keep them off balance with consistent running from running backs Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock. He finished the game with 52 yards on 10 carries while Bullock finished with 56 yards on 10 carries as well. Iowa seized control in the first half possessing the ball for 18:05 running 43 plays to Ohio States 11:55 and 25 plays taking a 17-10 lead into the half. Jake Rudock was very efficient in the first half and found his tight ends time and time again to keep drives alive. At one point in the first half Iowa was 7/8 converting on 3rd down. Rudock was 19 of 34 for 245 yards with 3tds and 1 int.

Ohio State adjusted nicely in the second half using Iowa’s game plan against them. A healthy dose of Hyde and using Braxton Millers legs, put Ohio State in the end zone 3 times in the second half. Once again, Meyer put the game on the shoulders of his two offensive weapons as Hyde finished with 149 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns. Miller finished with 222 yards passing on 22/27 completing and 60 yards rushing and 2 passing Tds.

For the 3rd consecutive time in the series, a game between Ohio State and Iowa was tied going into the 4th quarter. A huge part of that was an 85 yard TD pass from Jack Rudock to Jake Duzey who had gotten behind Armani Reeves and sprinted to the end zone. Not to be outdone, Carlos Hyde had a run for the ages on 19 yard TD run where it looked as though he was going to stumble backwards and go down. He regained his composure and dove into the end zone for the score.

Don’t compare Basketball season to football season according to Meyer. While basketball season has March Madness to end the season, the entire season is March Madness in Meyer’s opinion. Today’s game was a perfect example. Any team on any given day can challenge a team that might have more 5 star recruits, higher paid coaches and in a more fertile recruiting area. Though something tells me Meyer wouldn’t want it any other way.