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Game Thread Ohio State 6, Penn State 13 (Oct. 25)

DDN

QB brings swagger to Penn State

By Rusty Miller
Associated Press

Thursday, October 23, 2008
What's brewing today with
the Ohio State Buckeyes:
Buckeyes buzz
Seasons came and seasons went in Happy Valley ? and Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark remained glued to the bench.
Nobody, it seemed, was happy with starter Anthony Morelli's play the last couple of years. But he kept going back out there, play after play. Clark spent three years watching from the sidelines. He threw a total of 36 passes ? just nine of them as a junior.
Yet coach Joe Paterno decided to install Clark, now a senior, as his starter this season. It's been an inspired move.
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CPD

Mane man: QB Clark's versatility has revived the Nittany Lions' offensive roar

by Doug Lesmerises Wednesday October 22, 2008, 10:11 PM


large_clarkhorizgjp.jpg
Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressWith the ability to break tackles and gain tough yards with his legs and an accurate arm to activate the passing game, Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark (17) has been a revelation this season for the undefeated Nittany Lions.


COLUMBUS -- After three seasons of preparations, Ohio State finally gets a real look at quarterback Daryll Clark on Saturday and will experience what the Penn State offense could have been long ago. "He's talented," Ohio State senior linebacker Marcus Freeman said. "You wonder why you haven't seen him the past couple years. As he goes, that offense goes."
In a season in which Ohio State coach Jim Tressel quickly benched senior drop-back quarterback Todd Boeckman in favor of more mobile freshman Terrelle Pryor, No. 3 Penn State enters as an example of what can happen when you stick with a veteran. As Anthony Morelli led the Nittany Lions to 9-4 records in 2006 and 2007, Clark, for the most part, watched. Then he ran for 50 yards in the second half of Penn State's Alamo Bowl win last year, and the new Penn State was born.
"He took over and got them a victory in their bowl game and I think that began their momentum," OSU coach Jim Tressel said.
Presto, 8-0 record, No. 3 ranking, shot at the national title.
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CPD
Ohio State football: Preparing for Penn State's offensive line

by Doug Lesmerises Wednesday October 22, 2008, 1:51 PM


I'm preparing a story on Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark for tomorrow's paper and I was watching a recording of Penn State's game with Illinois from a few weeks ago, and it's easy to see what the Ohio State linebackers were talking about this week. And I'm not talking about Clark.
Penn State's offensive line is very impressive. When they're on, they play fast and look athletic, which is what OSU coach Jim Tressel has wanted his offensive line to do more of this year.
"Their offensive line does a great job of climbing to the second level," said OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis."They get good movement on the D line and they've done a good job of climbing to the linebackers."
That's been an issue at times for Ohio State's defensive line, the inability to tie up linemen and let Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman and Ross Homan run free. USC's linemen were in the face of the OSU linebackers all day.
The D line must be great for Ohio State on Saturday. I thought they took some more positive steps against Michigan State, with Rob Rose playing well as the main fill-in for the injured Lawrence Wilson, but even more is needed Saturday. Plenty of people, including Tressel, are on record about center A.Q. Shipley maybe being the best in the nation, but he's not the only one.
"They may not be the biggest offensive line you've ever seen, but they're powerful and they're quick with what they do," Freeman said. "It's going to be a huge task because they do a good job of pulling, which is something we haven't seen this year. This is the best offensive line we have seen."
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Blade

Article published Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ohio Pryor?s State: Lions will pursue QB who got away
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS ? Inside Ohio Stadium on Saturday night the Nittany Lions get their first shot at Terrelle Pryor when Penn State plays Ohio State. He is the Keystone State product who rejected the overtures of his in-state powerhouse and sought his college football fortune with the Buckeyes.

When Ohio State landed Pryor, the top recruiting prize from last year?s high school seniors, did Penn State resent his choice? Will the Nittany Lions have a special Benedict Arnold defensive package ready for him, treating him like a traitor for spurning his native land?

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he does not feel the ?home state? will be an issue in the game, especially because Pryor seems to relish any test of his mettle.

?Terrelle would never admit it if there were [more pressure],? Tressel said. ?I?m sure he?s excited. He loves the big stage and the big challenge. He knows he?s from there. Columbus is just as close as State College is ? I mapped it out for him. But he?ll be excited.?

Tressel indicated that he is too preoccupied with his team and what he feels the Buckeyes must do to worry about any underlying emotions. Unbeaten Penn State presents enough concerns, without adding on any grudge that might be lingering under the surface over Pryor?s choice of school colors.

?We?ve just got to be tremendously focused and make sure that we use every practice snap from a learning standpoint,? Tressel said yesterday as Ohio State geared up for the evening date with the No. 3 Nittany Lions.
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Link

Shoe doesn't fit

Penn State hoping to end history of offensive woes at Ohio State

By Jeff Rice


Historically, Penn State's offense and Ohio Stadium do not mix. At all.
AP file photo
Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli (14) found the Ohio State defense stifling in the Nittany Lions? last visit to ?The Horeshoe? in 2006. Penn State has not scored more 10 points in its last seven trips to Ohio State.

In seven games against Ohio State in the Horseshoe since 1993, the Nittany Lions have managed a total of five touchdowns. In those games, the Buckeyes have scored eight touchdowns via interception, fumble or kick returns. Given such numbers, Penn State?s 0-7 record in those games ? five of them to Buckeye teams ranked in the top five ? is understandable.
This Saturday, the No. 3 Nittany Lions (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) face another strong Ohio State defense, one that is ranked second in the conference (just two yards per game behind Penn State) in total yardage and has four defensive or special teams touchdowns to its credit this season.
This time, they plan on being a little harder to stop.
?There?s just more things that we can do,? said Penn State wide receiver Derrick Williams of an offense ranked 11th in the nation in yardage (482.1 yards per game) and seventh in scoring (45.3 points per game). ?We have a lot of guys that have been in big games, guys who have played a lot of plays.?

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Link
Ohio State seeks respect

By Josh Langenbacher
Collegian Staff Writer

Ohio State, which could be the first Big Ten team to win three outright conference championships, has played for the last two national titles and is ranked No. 10 in the country.
Programs of similar stature would figure to be nationally respected.
Not the Buckeyes, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said this week.
In fact, he said the level of respect Ohio State receives is almost non-existent, and a byproduct of the Buckeyes beating Penn State would be Ohio State again asserting itself.
"If we could come out with a win, it would force some people to respect us again, because we pretty much don't have any right now," Jenkins said.
Ohio State's fortunes turned when running back Chris "Beanie" Wells returned from a right foot/toe injury. The Buckeyes have won five straight since Wells' return, and those wins include stopping Wisconsin's 16-game home winning streak and thumping then-No. 20 Michigan State, 45-7, on the road.
The defense has also allowed 11.6 points per game during the stretch, and a chance to continue that dominance comes Saturday when the Buckeyes host Penn State in an 8 p.m. kickoff.
Ohio State dropped nine spots to No. 14 after losing to USC, 35-3, and has moved up only four spots since.
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Trio preps for secondary

By Travis Johnson
Collegian Staff Writer

Derrick Williams had little to say about Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins on Tuesday. When the senior Penn State wideout did talk about the Buckeye defensive back, his words were concise and to the point.
"Just one of the best cornerbacks in college football right now," Williams said.
The Ohio State secondary, led by Jenkins, ranks 15th in the nation in passing defense. The Buckeyes give up just 168.25 yards through the air and have intercepted opposing quarterbacks 12 times. Three of those picks have come from Jenkins who has 11 interceptions in his career.
"They're still great," senior wideout Deon Butler said of the Buckeye secondary. "They always have a great reputation. I don't think they're letting down this year. Obviously I think it starts with Malcolm Jenkins. He's a great corner, he makes plays all over the field, not just on defense but on special teams also."
Butler, along with his teammates, Williams and fellow senior Jordan Norwood will take turns matching up against Jenkins -- a physically imposing cornerback listed at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds.
In addition to Jenkins' size, which he uses to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, Butler said, Jenkins' strengths are his instincts.
As a senior, Jenkins has been in the Ohio State program long enough to develop his abilities. In the last two meetings between the Buckeyes and the Lions, Jenkins has taken over the games late.
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Link

USC-OSU game provides insights for victory

By Josh Langenbacher
Collegian Staff Writer

Evan Royster has seen enough of the USC-Ohio State game to know how Penn State will prepare against the Buckeyes.
"I think our speed can really be a factor against their defense," Royster said. "We're gonna try to come out and try to beat their safeties deep and their corners deep. We'll try to play our game and see what happens."
If what happened against USC is any indication of what could happen Saturday, when Penn State travels to Ohio State for an 8 p.m. kickoff, Penn State might be able to put points on the board early.
On the Trojans' first touchdown drive, quarterback Mark Sanchez was 4-of-6 passing for 54 yards.
Sanchez was 3-of-4 for 21 yards on the second touchdown drive and finished 17-of-28 for 172 yards and four touchdowns.
USC crushed Ohio State, 35-3, Sept. 13, after building a 21-3 halftime lead.
"That game took a lot out of us as a team," Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "A lot of guys were anxious for that one."
Ohio State has won five games since but only beat Troy, 28-10, the next week and had similar struggles the next three weeks before crushing Michigan State, 45-7, last weekend.
Joe Paterno said Tuesday the team he saw play Michigan State wasn't the same one he'd seen in prior weeks, and linebacker Tyrell Sales said the Ohio State team thrashed by USC isn't the one he'll play this weekend.
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Link

Defensive line to face experienced unit

PHOTO: Meagan Kanagy
Click Photo To Enlarge | Print
Aaron Maybin (59) and his teammates will face an experienced Ohio State line.




By Andrew Wible
Collegian Staff Writer

One stat in particular from last year's Ohio State game still irks Josh Gaines. The Penn State defensive end and his fellow Nittany Lion defensive mates could not force the Buckeyes to punt once during the entire 60-minutes.
Gaines called that puntless game an "embarrassment," but also warned the defense wasn't as prepared as this year's unit will be for the Buckeyes' hulking offensive line.
"Our starters weren't really ready for how physical the game was going to be," Gaines said. "But coming into this year, we have a little bit of experience. All of us are back, and I think it'll be a little different this year."
Ohio State's offensive front only lost one starter from last season, but injuries have plagued the line and forced true freshman Mike Brewster into starting duty at center.
The injuries have also caused numerous position shifts along the line. Only the tackles, Alex Boone on the left side and Bryant Browning on the right, have started every game at their natural position.
Boone is the anchor of the line, considered by many pro scouts, and Gaines, as a first-round pick in next year's NFL draft. The 6-foot-8, 312-lbs. Boone has been a starter since midway through his freshman season and was a preseason All-Big Ten first-teamer.
Gaines said Boone likes to talk on the field and is fun to play against, and also called him "probably the best tackle" they'll face all season.
"He's one of my favorite tackles to play against because he's a character. I like the way he plays and he carries himself well," Gaines said. "He walks with a lot of confidence, I like playing against him. He's a great player and I'm looking forward to playing him."
Aside from Boone, the inconsistency along the line has made the once-considered strength of the team a question mark. The Buckeye line has already surrendered more sacks this season (21) than it did all of last year (19).
Its play had gotten so bad that senior tight end Rory Nichol called out the line during a line meeting before last week's Michigan State game. Nichol said he and his linemates were playing like a "bunch of girls."
But coach Jim Tressel scaled back the line's responsibilities against Michigan State and the Buckeyes rushed for 214 yards and only surrendered two sacks. Tressel said he doesn't want to get too caught up into watching what past Penn State opponents have had success with.
"The coaches did a good job of perhaps scaling down conceptually what we were trying to do," Tressel said. "Sometimes you get excited about these big games and you want to have 90 different -- oh, man I saw this, Illinois did this and Wisconsin did that -- all of a sudden you're there.

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Dispatch

Penn State: Williams knows weight of hype
Former No. 1 recruit often seen as underachiever
Thursday, October 23, 2008 3:23 AM
By Bob Baptist


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/podcasts/buckeyextra/xtra027.html

On one of his trips to Penn State while he was in high school, Terrelle Pryor's host was Derrick Williams. "We just had normal conversations," Williams said.
For them.
Few could have prepared Pryor for his immediate future at Ohio State better than Williams, who three years ago was Pryor -- the nation's No. 1 college football recruit.
Three years later, as Penn State and Ohio State prepare to meet Saturday night in a game that will leave one of them alone in first place in the Big Ten, the do-it-all athlete from Greenbelt, Md., has done a little of everything for the Nittany Lions but, for some, not much of anything.
The Sporting News, in its preseason issue, labeled Williams the "biggest underachiever" in the Big Ten.
"When I came in, I definitely saw myself as a three-and-out guy," Williams said this week. "Things just didn't work out in my favor."
Williams, 6 feet and 199 pounds, was ready for the big stage as a freshman in 2005. With Penn State spreading its offense to take advantage of dual-threat quarterback Michael Robinson, Williams averaged 11.7 yards every time he touched the ball as a runner, receiver and returner. A broken arm suffered on a kickoff return in the season's seventh game cost him a chance to do more in the Lions' run to their first Big Ten title in 11 years.
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A couple of quibbles...

JXC;1302624; said:
Ohio State goes out west and plays USC. A early drive using both Pryor and Boeckman looks good. Ohio State moves the ball, but again stalls out and has to settle for 3. After then it was all USC. USC passed efficiantly, and ran when they needed to. They didn't put up big yards on Ohio State, but they scored TDs on 5 good drives, and even though OSU could move the ball some, they never could put another drive together and get in the endzone.

USC scored TD's on 4 good drives and an interception return, not on 5 good drives. Also, I don't think it was all USC after the first OSU drive settled for a FG, unless you mean "all USC" strictly in terms of points. The two teams had the same number of field-length drives, but red zone follies and the huge pick made it not appear that way on the scoreboard.
 
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I like our D this week

I like having some quick D linemen (Rose, Heyward, Gibson, etc) to complement our bigger guys like Larimore and Abdallah. I am still a little worried about their QB getting loose.

I would love to see Chekwa get sent on a blitz several times. If he has a bad shoulder which might hinder his pass break up abilities, at least he still has the wheels and the moves to track down the QB. I do NOT want to see Freeman and Laurinaitis running 2-3 yards behind the QB as he goes around end for 15 yards.

No, I don't want to be a proponent of "bend don't break" but our LBs need to play this QB and RB like they're playing TP and Beanie. Don't get caught ten yards behind the scrimmage when the play is happening at the line.

I hope we continue to man up with three guys on three receivers and make stuff happen with our other 8 guys...

SILVER BULLETS!

I say, OSU 27, PSU 24.
Big plays? Nate Williams, Chekwa, Homan, Laurinaitis.

On offense?? eh, I don't know. What will JT pull out of his sleeve? Devier? Air it out? a lot of pistol? I notice that according to O-zone breakdown, we only ran the pistol once last week.
What does Penn State have on film to look at? Not much.

this is going to be a long 59 hours.......
 
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UpNorthBuckeye;1302885; said:
I like having some quick D linemen (Rose, Heyward, Gibson, etc) to complement our bigger guys like Larimore and Abdallah. I am still a little worried about their QB getting loose.

I would love to see Chekwa get sent on a blitz several times. If he has a bad shoulder which might hinder his pass break up abilities, at least he still has the wheels and the moves to track down the QB. I do NOT want to see Freeman and Laurinaitis running 2-3 yards behind the QB as he goes around end for 15 yards.

No, I don't want to be a proponent of "bend don't break" but our LBs need to play this QB and RB like they're playing TP and Beanie. Don't get caught ten yards behind the scrimmage when the play is happening at the line.

I hope we continue to man up with three guys on three receivers and make stuff happen with our other 8 guys...

SILVER BULLETS!

I say, OSU 27, PSU 24.
Big plays? Nate Williams, Chekwa, Homan, Laurinaitis.

On offense?? eh, I don't know. What will JT pull out of his sleeve? Devier? Air it out? a lot of pistol? I notice that according to O-zone breakdown, we only ran the pistol once last week.
What does Penn State have on film to look at? Not much.

this is going to be a long 59 hours.......


The "pistol"? Enlighten me, I'm not sure what your talking about here...
 
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