Gameday Coverage: Penn State vs. Ohio State
Happy Saturday! Hopefully everyone is enjoying the early portion of the day leading up to tonight’s highly anticipated showdown at Beaver Stadium where the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-0) will host the ninth ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) in a battle of the two Leaders Division teams with unblemished Big Ten records to this point. Both teams are led by coaches in their first year with the respective programs. Urban Meyer will be attempting to remain undefeated in his initial campaign with the Buckeyes while Bill O’Brien seeks his sixth consecutive victory in his opening season with the Nittany Lions.
Below is all of the information and media coverage for tonight’s contest.
Blue buses arrive: 2:50 p.m.
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m.
Television: ESPN — Sean McDonough (Play-by-play), Chris Spielman (Analyst), Quint Kessenich (Sideline reporter)
Radio: Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones (Play-by-play), Jack Ham (Analyst), Loren Crispell (Sideline reporter)
Weather: There appears to be a decent chance of rain here. Kickoff temperature will be around 59 degrees with a 60% chance of rain.
Last Time They Met: Penn State defeated Ohio State 20-14 on November 19, 2011 at Ohio Stadium as Tom Bradley recorded his first victory as interim head coach. Running back Stephfon Green got things started ninety seconds into the contest with a 39-yard run up the middle for a touchdown. Kicker Anthony Fera would add a 43-yard field goal late in the quarter to extend the lead to 10-0. The second quarter featured a ton of scoring as freshman quarterback Braxton Miller tried to rally the Buckeyes. He was responsible for two touchdown drives, but Green added another score between the two Buckeye touchdowns, and Fera drilled a 46-yard kick right before halftime to extend the lead to 20-14. The final thirty minutes featured a lot of action but no scoring. The Buckeyes made a nice goal line stand to keep it a one possession game but could never get much going on offense. The closest they got was to the Nittany Lions’ 36-yard line before a drive stalled with a few minutes to go.
Injuries: The Nittany Lions enter this game relatively healthy. The only player listed on the weekly injury report is reserve guard Mark Arcidiacono who remains out with a foot issue. Freshman running back Nyeem Wartman has missed most of the season with a knee injury but is no longer listed. O’Brien said on Tuesday during his weekly press conference that Wartman will be available to play Saturday night. The biggest injury news for the Buckeyes concerns the status of Miller. The sophomore quarterback will start but may not be fully healthy after suffering a scary head injury last week against Purdue that resulted in a hospital visit before being declared symptom free. Defensive back Devan Bogard (knee) along with running backs Jordan Hall (knee) and Warren Ball (foot) are out indefinitely. Linebacker Etienne Sabino is likely to miss the game recovering from a broken fibula while defensive back Corey Brown is questionable with a head injury.
Media Coverage: @OnwardState will have live tweets throughout the game as reporter Drew Balis (@drewBbalis) will be in the press box. Photographer Dave Cole (@DaveColePhoto) will have pictures from the sidelines. StateCollege.com reporters Nate Mink (@MinkNate), Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88), and Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) will also have live coverage throughout the day.
A recap of coverage from both outlets throughout the week can be found below:
Onward State:
Penn State Receives 18 Votes in AP Poll
Jordan Hill and Kyle Carter Win Conference Awards
10 Gifts for Bill O’Brien’s Birthday
Counting Down the Most Memorable Penn State Ohio State Games: 2001
Counting Down the Most Memorable Penn State-Ohio State Games: 1997
Counting Down the Most Memorable Penn State-Ohio State Games 1994
Counting Down the Most Memorable Penn State-Ohio State Games: 2008
Counting Down the Most Memorable Penn State-Ohio State Games: 2005
Hodges and Mauti Succeeding with Different Styles
Record Numbers Camp Out at Nittanyville
Pump Up Video: Penn State White Out — Miracle
FOS: Bill O’Brien Visits Nittanyville
Penn State Football Sets Graduation Rate Record
Four Spooky Foods for Your OSU Tailgate
President Lennartz Issues Statement on Whiteout
Rally in the Valley to be Held Tonight in Rec Hall
Big Games Looms Against the Buckeyes
Staff Predictions: Penn State vs. Ohio State
StateCollege.com:
Handing Out the Grades After Penn State’s 38-14 Victory Over Iowa
One Point to Make When Getting to the Heart of the Nittany Lions
Urban Meyer: Braxton Miller Cleared to Play, Buckeyes Preparing for Crowd
State College Police Prepared for WhiteOut vs. Ohio State
Bill O’Brien Visits Campers at Nittanyville
Rumors That Urban Meyer Would be Next Head Coach Reached Players
O’Brien Understands Magnitude of Ohio State Week
Complete Bill O’Brien Transcript for Ohio State Week
Practice Notes from Ohio State Week
Ron Vanderlinden and the Future of Linebacker U? How About Another 10 Years
Nittany Lions Among Leaders in Graduation Success Rate
10 Things You Must Watch and Know About a Beaver Stadium Whiteout
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