Every year, Ohio State boasts one of the most talented groups of wide receivers in the entire country. And every year, Penn State football’s defensive backs have to guard those receivers. This year is no different.

There has been turnover for both groups since they last faced each other in October 2023. Corners Kalen King, Johnny Dixon, and Daequan Hardy are all gone and have been replaced by A.J. Harris, Jalen Kimber, and Cam Miller. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka returned to the Buckeyes, but Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming have been replaced by Carnell Tate and the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, Jeremiah Smith.

“You’ve got one who’s a veteran, who’s been playing for a long time, making a ton of plays. Experienced player, confident player, a very good player who will play for a long time,” James Franklin said after practice Wednesday. “And then a freshman, who we’re aware of and knew from high school and recruited that high school. No. 1 wide receiver in the country, the No. 1 player in the country, and since he’s arrived on campus, he’s backed it up.”

“So not a whole lot of surprises there, but a ton of respect, and they have our attention,” Franklin continued.

Harrison dominated the past two years the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions faced each other. The fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft had 21 receptions for 347 yards and a touchdown in those two games.

With Harrison gone, Smith has quickly taken over. The true freshman leads Ohio State in receiving with 35 grabs for 623 yards and eight scores.

“He’s 6’4″, 220 [pounds] at 18 years old. Not much [else] to say about that,” Penn State’s interception and tackle leader Jaylen Reed said.

Egbuka chose to forgo the NFL Draft in the spring and leads the Buckeyes in receptions with 43 as the team’s second-leading receiver. Former five-star Carnell Tate hasn’t been as productive as Egbuka and Smith with 19 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns, but the sophomore had his first career 100-yard receiving game against Nebraska last weekend.

Reed has played against the likes of Harrison, Egbuka, and Jaxon Smith-Nijigba in the past and said the Buckeyes’ wide receivers are the most talented group Tom Allen’s defense has faced all season.

“They make plays, they’re flashy, and they’re good,” Reed said. “We’ve got to step up to the challenge. That’s what we’re here for, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Stopping this group is easier said than done. The last time Penn State held every Ohio State receiver to less than 100 yards in a game was in 2021 when Brent Pry was the defensive coordinator.

This year, stopping Ohio State’s receivers might fall on the defensive line, not the secondary. The Buckeyes are likely to be without their two starting tackles Josh Simmons and Zen Michalski. Simmons is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, and Michalski was injured against the Cornhuskers and his status for Saturday is unknown.

This presents an opportunity for the Nittany Lions’ pass rushers to tee off on Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard. If the pass rush can affect Howard, it doesn’t matter how talented his receivers are if he can’t get them the ball.

“With the help we’ve got from Abdul [Carter], Dani [Dennis-Sutton], and Amin [Vanover], that’s going to help us in the back end,” Reed said.