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Football Preview: Ohio State

Posted by Steve Jones on 11/02 at 03:41 PM

A look at this week’s game between Penn State and Ohio State.

Five wins in a row and maybe it is about time someone looked at Daryll Clark as one of the elite quarterbacks in the country. Once again he stepped up in the clutch with a big game. He now has better than 2100 yards passing with 18 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Clark does not have a go to guy but Derek Moye has now stepped up with three 100-yard receiving games this season. Evan Royster used a 69-yard run to put together another 100-yard rushing game.

The 93-yard drive in the second quarter changed Penn Stateâ€™s offensive tone in the game. They found a rhythm.

It took the defense a little while to get used to the pace of the Northwestern offense but once they did they were outstanding. Despite everything early they still gave up just one touchdown. Jared Odrick was outstanding. He was in the backfield all day and Jerome Hayes played his finest game of the season.

Ohio State is next and they are led by quarterback Terrelle Pryor. He leads the team in passing and rushing. While he has been erratic at times throwing the ball he still has 1,543 yards through the air with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the ground he is averaging five yard per carry and 554 yards and six touchdowns.

On the ground he is helped by Brandon Saine who is also averaging five yards per carry. He has 439 yards and one touchdown. Dan Herron has 307 yards and six touchdowns.

DeVier Posey is the top target; He has 43 catches for 595 yards and six touchdowns. He is averaging nearly 14 yards per catch. Dane Sanzenbacher also has six touchdown catches and he is averaging 20 yards per catch.

The Ohio State defense has pitched three shutouts this season. They are statistically better than last season. The have forced 24 turnovers including 15 interceptions. The are giving up just 86 yards rushing per game and just 2.7 yards per carry.

Brian Rolle leads the team with 68 tackles along with four tackles for losses plus an interception. Ross Homan is right behind him with 66 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Safety Kurt Colman leads Ohio State with three interceptions so far.

Up front Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward lead the way. Gibson has ten tackles for losses and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Aaron Pettrey is 13 of 19 this season in field goals and is an excellent long-range kicker. Ray Small has already returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

It is the game everyone has been waiting forâ€¦now it is time to make it happen.

Author: Steve Jones
Bio: Penn State Sports play-by-play announcer. Check for Steve's posts each week.

Comments

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
11/05 at 11:42 AM
Penn State Public Broadcasting

The talk nationally (and in Columbus, OH) is that Pryor is a big disappointment. People forget that he has only been a starter in college for a little over a full season. The expectations that he was going to come in and win the heisman and national title as a sophomore and then become the top player in the 2010 NFL draft were too far fetched. He still has to LEARN how to play quarterback. Fortunately for Penn State fans, Daryll Clark has learned how to play the position as a 5th year senior. While Pryor gets the attention, Clark looks like the polished QB and leader who I’d take over any other in the Big Ten.

No sympathy in Happy Valley for a young QB trying to find himself. This weekend Terrelle Pryor will face arguably the best defensive unit, one thru eleven, in the nation. And he will get to experience the “warm reception” of 110,000 hostile fans, many of whom will do their best to make sure the inconsistent play continues in his return to Pennsylvania since shunning Penn State.