How and what to watch for No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 18 Penn State

The 3rd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will be looking to win their fourth-straight game over the 18th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET in State College, PA. In last season’s contest, Ohio State defeated Penn State 28-17.

Ohio State began their quest for a Big Ten title and national championship last week at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Justin Fields, the Buckeyes did not have any problems defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 45-17 in Columbus.

Fields kicked off his Heisman campaign in style, completing 95.2 percent of his passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Buckeyes in rushing with 54 yards and a touchdown. Both of his touchdown passes went to sophomore wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who had seven receptions for 129 yards. Junior wideout Chris Olave also crossed the century mark with 104 yards on six receptions.

The matchups of Fields vs. Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney and Olave and Wilson vs. Joey Porter Jr. and Tariq Castro-Fields will be something to keep an eye on.

Penn State is coming off of a hard-fought 36-35 double-overtime road loss against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Nittany Lions could not stop IU quarterback Michael Penix Jr. from reaching the pylon for the game-winning two-point conversion.

Junior quarterback Sean Clifford had to carry the offensive workload for the Nittany Lions last week. The 6-foot-2 quarterback completed 68.6 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and two interceptions. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson had one of those touchdown passes, part of his four receptions for 94 yards. Standout tight end Pat Freiremuth had the other TD as he had seven receptions for 60 yards.

Clifford also led both teams in rushing with 119 yards and a touchdown. Head coach James Franklin will have to lean on his quarterback in the rushing department going forward with PSU announcing earlier this week that sophomore running back Noah Cain is out for the season with a leg injury. Without Cain, expect to see the Nittany Lions give sophomore running back Devyn Ford an extended look. Last week against Indiana, Ford had 69 yards on 20 yards and a touchdown.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 18 Penn State on Saturday, October 31st at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and you can stream it here with a with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Ohio State (-10) vs. Penn State
Point Total: O/U 64
Money line: Ohio State (-375), Penn State (+270)

• Ohio State is 10-4 against the spread in its last 14 games.
• The point total went under in four of Ohio State’s last five games.
• Penn State is 0-5 against the spread in their last five home games.
• The point total went over in four of Penn State’s last six games.

The Best Bet

The Buckeyes started off their season on the right foot last weekend against Nebraska and that should continue on Saturday night against the Nittany Lions. Heisman Trophy candidate Justin Fields should have his opportunities in the passing game against a Penn State defense that gave 36 points last week. Also, let’s not forget the Nittany Lions lost Noah Cain last week, which means quarterback Sean Clifford will have to shoulder more of the offensive workload.

PSU is 5-1 ATS under James Franklin against the Buckeyes... but that won’t help here.

Pick: Ohio State - 10

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