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Game Thread Game Four: #1 Ohio State 28, #24 Penn State 6 (9/23/06)

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CFN says if PSU doesn't force and score off turnovers, they won't win. Let's hope we can keep on taking care of the ball...

By Matt Zemek
Staff Columnist
Posted Sep 20, 2006

In the face of a daunting challenge this Saturday in the Horseshoe, the Penn State Nittany Lions might not be sleeping very well this week. But if Joe Paterno's team expects to beat the Buckeyes for a second straight season, it will have to be awake when it steps onto the field.

Let's be brutally honest about this game: after seeing Michigan throttle Notre Dame--yes, the same Irish team that thumped Penn State the week before--it's hard to imagine how JoePa's boys can compete with the No. 1 team in the land for 40 minutes, let alone 60. But if there's one small glimmer of opportunity for PSU, it lies in the power of wakefulness. Go back to the Notre Dame game for proof.

The Nittany Lions lost their one big chance in South Bend when a PSU coverage man could not gather in a fumbled punt from Notre Dame's Tom Zbikowski. In a game where defense had been dominant and the impotent Lions had to get turnovers from the Irish in order to win, the failure to pull in that fumble represented the last hurrah for PSU, even though the game was still in the early stages of the second quarter. The Irish--given a reprieve--would soon establish a two-possession lead and run away from Penn State as the game progressed.

Saturday in Columbus, then, the Nittany Lions must put themselves in position to create turnovers, and then pounce on the opportunities they get. In a college football season that has already witnessed stacks of dropped interceptions from stone-handed defenders, PSU's defense--just as much as its offense--must catch the ball and make Troy Smith pay the maximum penalty for every small imperfection. It's the only way the Lions can possibly hope to keep pace with the loaded Buckeyes, and there's no need to paint a more elaborate or complex picture of Saturday's ballgame. Penn State's ability to force turnover
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*****

SI's Stewart Mandel says OSU 45, PSU 20
 
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MililaniBuckeye;614882; said:
Mandel's a tad off. JT won't run up 45 points, and no way PSU scores 20...
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If the bucks hit 28 in the first half ,which is not unrealistic, could the Wells boys score 3 rushing TD's ? heck YES. I agree PSU wont hit 20. But I also think OSU has a better chance of getting 45 than Penn has of hitting 20.
:oh:
 
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Best Buckeye;614903; said:
If the bucks hit 28 in the first half ,which is not unrealistic, could the Wells boys score 3 rushing TD's ? heck YES. I agree PSU wont hit 20. But I also think OSU has a better chance of getting 45 than Penn has of hitting 20.
:oh:
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I thought that would happen last week against Cinci and it didn't, let's just win (beating the spread would be a nice bonus :biggrin:). I'm so pumped, I need to pace myself though, it's a marathon not a sprint.

Oh and: :io:
 
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Buckeye86;614915; said:
I thought that would happen last week against Cinci and it didn't, let's just win (beating the spread would be a nice bonus :biggrin:). I'm so pumped, I need to pace myself though, it's a marathon not a sprint.

Oh and: :io:
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hey thanks for the :io:
I didnt think it would happen last week because JT and Mark go way back. This week is different because I dont think PS can defense our receivers in the first half and our Rb's in the second half especially if Pittman stays 3 quarters and C. Wells starts running over and around people.
It's time for our O line to become dominant, BIG TIME.

:groove: :groove: :groove: :groove:
 
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I know JT would never do it but as far as I am concerned PSU still has a bill outstanding from 1994 and one year before Paterno dies I want to see it collected.

Just sayin.
 
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