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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State’s game against Penn State isn’t even close to what it was thought to be in the preseason. The Nittany Lions are down a quarterback, have fired their head coach, and sit at 3-4, still in need of a conference win. Latest Ohio State Buckeyes news Haynes King, the coaching market and the Winners and losers from College Football Week 9 Ohio State’s Ryan Day outlines his bye week: Corn mazes, AI and a funny Halloween-themed story How Ohio State football is honoring a pair of Buckeye greats before game vs. Penn State What Ohio State coach Ryan Day said about Penn State, Jim Knowles and more at Tuesday press conference This was supposed to be a checkpoint in the season for the Buckeyes. At its worst, it’d be a top 10 matchup with both sides needing to better stamp home their College Football Playoff bids. At best, it was a potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with the winner having a leg up in getting to the Big Ten Championship Game. OSU did its part in making sure it got to Nov. 1 as a CFP contender. PSU has failed to do the same. It doesn’t take away from the individual talent Penn State will bring to Columbus this weekend. But that talent has proven to be better than the sum of its parts. Instead, this game is about Ohio State continuing to trudge along as a dominant team. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions will try to keep from losing a fifth-straight Big Ten regular-season game. Failing to do so would surpass a four-game losing streak that connected the end of the 2015 season and the beginning of the 2016 season. Here are the players trying to prevent that: Ethan Grunkemeyer Drew Allar’s season-ending injury has thrust Ethan Grunkenmeyer into the spotlight earlier than anticipated. The second-year Ohio native made his starting debut on the road at Iowa, where he struggled to do much of anything. He finished the 24-25 loss with just 93 yards and two interceptions on 15 of 28 passing. It was a bad situation that was made worse, and his reward is another hostile environment against another top 10 defense. The only positive is that he’s had two weeks to prepare for this game, and PSU has nothing to lose. If it wants any shot of making this interesting, Grunkemeyer will need to have his first career 100-yard passing game to do it. A veteran running back duo This was supposed to be the conference’s best running back tadem. Maybe they’d even rival Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price as the nation’s best tadem. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, as four-year starters, are supposed to be the engine behind Penn State’s offense. Allen has lived up to the billing, turning 98 carries into 612 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns, along with 10 catches for 33 yards. Singleton hasn’t been as efficient with his touches wth 274 yards and six scores on 76 carries plus 95 yards on 13 catches. Even if they haven’t been as productive as anticipated, these two are what PSU’s offense will live and die by on Saturday. Olaivavega Loane Kayden McDonald has been a star at defensive tackle this season for the Buckeyes. Tywone Malone has been a breath of fresh air, relieving any concerns about the position’s depth. Eddrick Houston dealt with injuries and inconsistent play to start the season, but started rounding into form before the second bye week. Will Smith Jr. and Jason Moore have provided depth, while Jarquez Carter has flashed his upside. All of a sudden, the middle of OSU’s defense is a fun group in search of a meaningful challenge. Olaivavega Loane provides that. The preseason All-American guard has allowed just one pressure in 175 pass blocking snaps. His 92.0 Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade is second among guards nationally and fourth among any offensive linemen that’s played at least 300 total snaps. Stars on the defensive line If there is one place where Penn State could have an advantage on Saturday, it’s upfront with its defensive line. From an NFL talent standpoint, defensive tackle Zane Durant and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton have the most upside. Durant has recorded 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, a pass breakup and seven pressures this season. Dennis-Sutton has 24 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and 20 pressures. A.J. Harris The former five-star Georgia commit — and Ohio State recruit — is Penn State’s best player in coverage and it’ll be an intriguing watch as he goes against the Buckeyes’ wide receivers. So far this season, A.J. Harris has recorded 18 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery. In coverage, he’s allowed 11 of his 13 targets to turn into catches for 149 yards and two scores, with 73 of those yards coming after the catch.
