COLUMBUS, Ohio — Penn State will try to turn its faltering season around Saturday night -- but the Nittany Lions' path doesn't get easier from here.
Saturday night, the Lions will travel to Ohio State to take on the fifth-ranked Buckeyes. Penn State, which is coming off a nine-overtime upset loss to Illinois that caused them to plunge in the college football rankings, is looking to snap a two-game skid.
The game will be televised on ABC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Here's what you need to know about the game, courtesy of Penn State Athletics.
SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions will meet Ohio State for the 37th matchup. Three of the last five matchups have been decided by three points or less.
Ohio State holds a 21-14 advantage in the series. The Buckeyes' 38-14 victory over Penn State in 2010 was later vacated by Ohio State.
The Buckeyes have won four straight and eight of the last nine meetings. The only Penn State win during that span was the 24-21 upset in 2016 in the White Out Game, where the winning points came on a blocked field goal return for a touchdown by Grant Haley. The 45-yard attempt was blocked by safety Marcus Allen.
Last year, Penn State fell 38-25 in Beaver Stadium.
SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE: Saturday's game will feature the Big Ten's best red zone defense against its best red zone offense. Penn State leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh in the country allowing a 65.2 conversion rate in the red zone and holding opponents scoreless eight times, tied for the nation's best. Ohio State paces the conference and holds sixth in the nation with a 96.6 conversion rate including 23 touchdowns in 29 trips.
ABOUT PENN STATE: The nine overtime-game set an NCAA record for most overtimes across all divisions. The previous NCAA football mark was an eight-overtime game between Bethune-Cookman and Virginia State in 1998. In FBS, there have been six, seven-overtime games.
The nine-overtime game came under the NCAA's overtime format, adopted before the 2021 season, which includes teams trading 2-point conversion attempts beginning in the third overtime.
Penn State's previous longest overtime game was a four-overtime win over Michigan (43-40) in 2013.
The Nittany Lions held Illinois to 38 yards passing, on 21 attempts, the second-lowest mark under James Franklin.
Penn State forced three takeaways against Illinois. Curtis Jacobs recorded an interception in the first quarter, Brandon Smith forced a fumble in the second quarter and Derrick Tangelo and Nick Tarburton worked to force another fumble in the third quarter.
Penn State has forced a turnover in 13-straight games (20 total takeaways) dating back to the 2020 season.
On offense, Jahan Dotson, KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Parker Washington have combined for 18 catches of 20-plus yards this season. Dotson leads the group with eight 20-plus yard catches, including a 36-yard grab against Illinois. Washington has six 20-plus yard receptions, while Lambert-Smith has four, including a 42-yard touchdown against the Illini. Dotson has caught at least one 20-yard pass in 24 career games.
ABOUT OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes are coming off a 54-7 win over Indiana last Saturday. They tallied 539 yards, including 382 through the air. C.J. Stroud completed 21-of-28 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns. TreVeyon Henderson scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, while rushing for 81 yards. The Buckeyes recorded 14 tackles for loss as they held Indiana to 128 total yards.
Ohio State is 6-1 this season with wins over Minnesota (45-31), Tulsa (41-20), Akron (59-7), Rutgers (52-13), Maryland (66-17) and Indiana (54-7).
Ryan Day became the 25th head football coach at Ohio State on Jan. 2, 2019. Day is in his third full season with a career record of 29-3, a 19-0 mark in Big Ten Conference games, and two Big Ten Championships and two College Football Playoff appearances.
The Buckeyes' offense leads the country in scoring (49.3 ppg) and total yards (559.7), while ranking seventh in passing offense (352.1) and 25th in rushing offense (207.6).
Stroud has completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,965 yards and 22 touchdowns. He paces the Big ten in passing yards per game (327.5), passing touchdowns (22), yards per completion (15.7) and passing efficiency (192.8).
WR Garrett Wilson leads the receiving corps with 36 receptions, 605 yards and six touchdowns, while WR Chris Olave has 32 catches for 518 yards and eight scores.
Henderson paces the Buckeyes with 686 rushing yards (98.0 per game) and nine touchdowns.
Ohio State's defense sits 18th in the nation in scoring (18.6 ppg), 48th in total defense (350.3), 73rd in passing defense (230.9) and 28th in rushing defense (119.4).
